Staying competitive in SEO means knowing your rivals’ strategies as well as your own. SEO competitor analysis is your key to uncovering opportunities to rank higher, drive traffic, and capture market share. Yet, many marketers fail to fully leverage competitor insights, leaving valuable growth potential untapped.
This guide simplifies the process, providing a step-by-step approach to analyze competitors’ keywords, content, and backlinks effectively. Get ready to take action with clear examples and templates designed to help you outpace the competition. Let’s dive in.
Understanding SEO Competitor Analysis
What is SEO Competitor Analysis?
SEO Competitor Analysis is the process of evaluating your competitors’ online strategies to uncover valuable insights that can enhance your own SEO performance. By analyzing their keywords, content, backlinks, and overall digital presence, you can identify opportunities to improve your search engine rankings and drive more organic traffic to your website.
Purpose of SEO Competitor Analysis
The primary goal of SEO competitor analysis is to understand what strategies are working for your competitors and how you can leverage this knowledge to strengthen your own SEO efforts. It’s about learning from their successes and shortcomings to refine your approach.
Key Benefits of SEO Competitor Analysis
- Stay Ahead in Search Rankings: Identify what’s propelling your competitors to the top of the SERPs and adopt strategies to outperform them.
- Discover Keyword Opportunities: Uncover high-performing keywords and gaps in their content that you can target to attract more traffic.
- Improve Content Strategy: Gain insights into the types of content that resonate with your audience and refine your own to meet or exceed industry standards.
- Optimize Backlink Profiles: Identify link-building opportunities by analyzing competitors’ backlink sources.
- Adapt to Market Trends: Stay informed about emerging trends and align your SEO strategy with the evolving digital landscape.
Types of Competitors
Understanding the different types of competitors is essential for a comprehensive SEO competitor analysis. Each type provides unique insights that can help refine your SEO strategy.
Direct Competitors
These are businesses that target the same audience and offer similar products or services as you. They are often your primary competitors, as they directly compete for the same customers.
Example: If you run an online shoe store, other shoe retailers are your direct competitors.
What to Analyze:
- Keywords they rank for.
- Content and product strategies.
- Pricing, promotions, and user experience.
Indirect Competitors
These competitors target similar keywords but offer different products or services. While they may not sell the same products, their SEO efforts compete with yours for visibility.
Example: A fitness blog ranking for “best running shoes” competes indirectly with an online shoe store targeting the same keyword.
What to Analyze:
- Content gaps or opportunities in their strategy.
- Their keyword focus and audience overlap.
- Potential partnerships or collaborations.
SERP Competitors
These are entities appearing in the same search results (SERPs) for your target keywords but often belong to unrelated industries. They may include forums, news sites, or niche blogs.
Example: A Wikipedia page or a lifestyle blog ranking for “history of running shoes” when you’re targeting the same keyword.
What to Analyze:
- Why they rank (e.g., authority, backlinks, content structure).
- Opportunities to differentiate your content.
- Tactics to claim SERP features like snippets or FAQ sections.
Step-by-Step SEO Competitor Analysis
1. Identify Your SEO Competitors
Before analyzing your competitors, you need to identify who they are. This involves finding not only direct competitors but also indirect and SERP competitors who impact your search visibility.
How to Identify Competitors Using Tools
Google Search
- Perform a search for your primary keywords.
- Note down the websites that frequently appear in the top results.
- Look for patterns: Are the same sites ranking across multiple keywords?
Semrush
- Use the Competitor Analysis tool to discover websites targeting similar keywords.
- Run a Domain Overview to identify their organic traffic, top keywords, and ranking pages.
- Utilize the Keyword Gap Tool to find keywords they rank for but you don’t.
Ahrefs
- Use the Site Explorer to analyze competitors’ organic search performance.
- The Content Gap tool helps find content opportunities.
- The Competing Domains feature highlights other domains ranking for similar keywords.
Moz
- Leverage the Keyword Explorer to find competitors ranking for specific keywords.
- Use the Link Explorer to compare backlink profiles with competitors.
Manual Research
- Visit forums, blogs, and social media platforms where your target audience engages.
- Identify popular brands, influencers, or content sources within your niche.
- Check product or service aggregators to see competitors in your category.
Techniques for Uncovering Indirect and SERP Competitors
Analyze Related Keywords
- Search for keywords related to your niche to find indirect competitors.
- Example: A fitness apparel store might uncover fitness blogs ranking for “best gym outfits.”
Study SERP Features
- Examine Google features such as People Also Ask, featured snippets, and local packs.
- Identify competitors appearing in these sections, even if they’re not directly selling similar products.
Investigate Referring Domains
- Use backlink analysis tools to see which domains link to multiple competitors.
- These sites may lead to indirect competitors who target overlapping audiences.
Explore Social Media and Communities
- Look for brands frequently mentioned in discussions related to your niche.
- Platforms like Reddit, Quora, and industry-specific forums can reveal indirect competitors.
Monitor Paid Search
- Use tools like SpyFu or Semrush’s PPC Analysis to identify competitors bidding on the same keywords as you.
Analyze Competitor Keywords
Keyword Gap Analysis
The goal of a keyword gap analysis is to identify keywords your competitors rank for but you don’t. These gaps represent untapped opportunities to grow your visibility.
Steps to Perform a Keyword Gap Analysis:
- List Competitor Domains: Use keyword research tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to input competitor websites.
- Run a Comparison: Use keyword overlap features in these tools to see shared and unique keywords.
- Prioritize Opportunities:
- Focus on keywords with medium to high search volume and low competition.
- Look for keywords where competitors rank on the first page but have weak content.
Example: If a competitor ranks for “affordable standing desks,” and you don’t, create targeted content or optimize existing pages to compete for this keyword.
Keyword Types
Analyzing the types of keywords competitors target helps you diversify your strategy:
- High-Volume Keywords
- These are keywords with a large number of searches.
- Example: “running shoes” (broad but competitive).
- Competitors ranking for these often have high domain authority or extensive content.
- Long-Tail Keywords
- These are highly specific phrases with lower search volume but higher intent.
- Example: “best running shoes for flat feet” (less competitive and more targeted).
- Long-tail keywords are often easier to rank for and drive qualified traffic.
- Branded Keywords
- Keywords that include a competitor’s brand name.
- Example: “Nike running shoes” or “Ahrefs keyword analysis.”
- Analyze these to understand brand loyalty and user preferences, but avoid direct bidding or optimization for these to stay ethical.
Tools for Keyword Analysis
Here’s how to use key tools to analyze competitor keywords:
- Ahrefs
- Use the Site Explorer to find your competitor’s top-performing keywords.
- The Content Gap Tool identifies keywords your competitors rank for but you don’t.
- Sort by traffic or difficulty to prioritize opportunities.
- Semrush
- The Keyword Gap Tool compares up to five domains to identify keyword overlaps and gaps.
- Use the Position Tracking feature to monitor competitor keyword performance over time.
- Google Keyword Planner
- Input competitor URLs in the “Discover New Keywords” section to generate keyword ideas.
- Analyze search volume, competition, and CPC for additional insights.
Evaluate Competitor Content
Content Performance Metrics
To gauge the effectiveness of competitor content, focus on these performance indicators:
- Traffic
- Identify pages driving the most traffic to their site.
- Tools like Ahrefs’ Top Pages and Semrush’s Traffic Analytics reveal which content attracts the most visitors.
- Engagement
- Measure how audiences interact with their content:
- Time spent on page.
- Bounce rates.
- Number of comments or discussions.
- Tools like BuzzSumo can help identify highly engaging articles.
- Measure how audiences interact with their content:
- Social Shares
- Analyze how often their content is shared on platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.
- Look for patterns in shareable content:
- Emotional or value-driven topics tend to perform better.
- BuzzSumo and SharedCount are great tools to track social shares.
Content Types
Competitors often use a mix of content types to engage their audience. By evaluating their variety, you can identify what works and how to enhance your own strategy.
- Blogs
- Analyze article length, structure, and SEO optimization (headings, keywords, internal links).
- Identify cornerstone content or popular posts.
- Videos
- Observe topics, length, and production quality.
- Platforms like YouTube and embedded videos on competitor blogs often indicate high-engagement content.
- Infographics
- Check if they use visual content to simplify complex topics.
- Infographics are often highly shareable and can generate backlinks.
- Pillar Pages
- Review comprehensive, in-depth guides competitors may use to dominate a topic.
- These often include internal links to related articles, signaling a strong content cluster strategy.
Content Gaps
Content gaps are opportunities to address audience needs your competitors haven’t covered, allowing you to stand out.
- Uncovered Topics
- Use tools like Ahrefs’ Content Gap Analysis or Semrush’s Keyword Gap Tool to find topics competitors aren’t targeting.
- Example: If your competitor focuses on “beginner’s guides,” consider creating “advanced strategies” or “case studies.”
- Outdated Content
- Look for older posts on their site that are outdated or lack depth.
- Create updated, more comprehensive versions to capture their audience.
- Emerging Trends
- Monitor industry trends competitors haven’t addressed.
- Tools like Google Trends and BuzzSumo’s Trending Topics can help you stay ahead.
Action Plan for Content Evaluation
- List top-performing competitor content using tools like Ahrefs or Semrush.
- Identify gaps in their content strategy, such as uncovered topics or formats they underutilize.
- Create superior content by addressing gaps, updating outdated topics, and using diverse content formats.
Assess Backlink Profiles
1. Domain Authority (DA) & Page Authority (PA)
Domain Authority (DA) and Page Authority (PA) are metrics that measure the strength of a website or specific page based on its backlink profile.
- Domain Authority: Represents the overall strength of a website’s backlinks.
- Tools like Moz and Ahrefs assign a DA score (1-100) to each domain. Higher scores indicate stronger backlink profiles.
- Compare your DA to your competitors to assess the authority gap.
- Page Authority: Measures the backlink strength of individual pages.
- Identify high-ranking pages on competitors’ sites and analyze their PA.
- Focus on replicating their linking strategy to boost your own pages.
Example: If a competitor’s blog page has a PA of 70, you can examine the backlinks to that page and target similar sources.
2. Referring Domains
Referring domains are the unique websites that link to a competitor’s site. The quality and quantity of these domains are crucial indicators of their backlink strategy.
- Types of Referring Domains:
- High-Authority Domains: Reputable sites like news outlets, government pages, and industry leaders.
- Niche-Specific Sites: Websites relevant to your industry (e.g., blogs, forums, or directories).
- General Sources: Social media platforms, aggregators, and review sites.
- Quality Over Quantity:
- Analyze the relevance and authority of linking domains.
- Tools like Ahrefs’ Referring Domains and Moz Link Explorer can help identify quality links.
Example: If a competitor has backlinks from industry-specific blogs, reach out to those sites for guest posting or partnership opportunities.
3. Backlink Opportunities
Backlink opportunities arise from gaps in your competitors’ backlink profiles or areas where you can replicate their strategy.
- Unlinked Mentions:
- Find mentions of your brand or competitors without hyperlinks.
- Tools like BuzzSumo or Ahrefs’ Content Explorer can help identify these mentions.
- Reach out to the site owner to request a link.
- Guest Posts:
- Look for sites where competitors have contributed guest posts.
- Offer similar or better content to secure backlinks from the same domains.
- Partnerships and Collaborations:
- Identify partnerships your competitors may have (e.g., sponsorships or co-branded campaigns).
- Explore similar collaborations with websites or organizations relevant to your niche.
Example: If a competitor frequently guest posts on “TechInnovators Blog,” pitch your unique insights to the same platform.
Review Competitor On-Page SEO
1. Content Optimization
Competitors often excel in optimizing key on-page SEO elements. Evaluating these can reveal gaps and opportunities for improvement in your strategy.
- Titles:
- Review competitors’ page titles for keyword usage, length, and relevance.
- Focus on how they incorporate primary and secondary keywords to attract clicks.
- Meta Descriptions:
- Check for engaging meta descriptions that include target keywords.
- Analyze whether they address user intent and offer a compelling reason to click.
- Headings (H1, H2, etc.):
- Look at the structure of their content and how they use headings to organize information.
- Assess whether they include keywords naturally in their headings.
- Keywords:
- Evaluate keyword placement within the content:
- Are primary keywords in the first 100 words, headings, and conclusion?
- Do they use related keywords (LSI keywords) to improve relevance?
- Evaluate keyword placement within the content:
Example: A competitor’s blog post optimized for “best running shoes” might include related terms like “running shoe reviews” and “top sneakers for running.”
2. Technical SEO Factors
Strong technical SEO ensures that content is easily accessible to search engines and users. Analyzing competitors’ technical SEO helps you benchmark your own performance.
- Page Speed:
- Faster-loading pages rank higher and provide a better user experience.
- Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights or GTmetrix to compare your load times to competitors.
- Mobile-Friendliness:
- Test competitors’ pages for responsiveness on mobile devices.
- Look for AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) usage or other strategies to optimize mobile performance.
- Structured Data:
- Check if competitors use schema markup (e.g., FAQ, product, or review schema).
- Structured data helps them win SERP features like rich snippets or knowledge panels.
Example: If a competitor uses FAQ schema on their product page to appear in “People Also Ask” sections, implement similar structured data on your site.
3. Tools for On-Page SEO Analysis
Leverage these tools to dive deeper into competitors’ on-page SEO practices:
- Screaming Frog:
- Crawl competitors’ websites to extract metadata, analyze headings, and identify broken links.
- Use the “SEO Spider” tool to uncover keyword usage in key on-page elements.
- Sitebulb:
- Perform detailed audits of competitors’ technical SEO, including internal linking and structured data analysis.
- Use its visual reports to identify areas where competitors outperform you.
- Google PageSpeed Insights:
- Compare your competitors’ page speed scores and specific performance metrics (e.g., Largest Contentful Paint, Time to Interactive).
- Identify optimization techniques they use to improve speed.
Action Plan for Reviewing On-Page SEO
- Use the tools mentioned above to audit competitors’ on-page SEO elements.
- Compare their titles, meta descriptions, headings, and keyword usage with yours.
- Evaluate their technical SEO, including page speed, mobile optimization, and structured data.
- Implement improvements to outperform competitors in both content quality and technical performance.
Analyze SERP Features
1. Featured Snippets
Featured snippets appear at the top of search results, providing concise answers to user queries.
- What to Look For:
- Identify keywords where competitors’ content is featured in snippets.
- Examine the format of their content (e.g., lists, tables, or concise paragraphs).
- Review how they structure answers to questions.
- How Competitors Optimize:
- Use clear and concise formatting.
- Address questions directly in a summary format within 40-60 words.
- Implement headings (e.g., H2 or H3) that include the target question.
Example: If a competitor ranks in a snippet for “how to improve website speed,” their content might have a step-by-step list directly answering the query.
2. Local Packs
Local packs display location-based results with a map, often for queries with local intent.
- What to Look For:
- Analyze competitors that appear in the local pack for keywords like “SEO agency near me” or “best restaurants in [city].”
- Evaluate their Google My Business (GMB) profile optimization (e.g., reviews, photos, and business descriptions).
- How Competitors Optimize:
- Ensure accurate and up-to-date GMB profiles.
- Encourage customer reviews and respond to them.
- Use location-specific keywords in metadata and content.
Example: A competitor with a higher local pack ranking may include terms like “top SEO agency in Singapore” in their GMB description while regularly updating posts and photos.
3. People Also Ask (PAA) Sections
PAA sections display a series of questions related to the original query, offering users more avenues for exploration.
- What to Look For:
- Identify questions your competitors rank for in PAA sections.
- Assess how they structure their answers to align with user intent.
- How Competitors Optimize:
- Create FAQ-style content that directly answers common questions.
- Use question-based headings (e.g., H2 or H3) that match user queries.
- Include concise, high-quality answers followed by detailed explanations.
Example: If competitors rank for PAA questions like “What is SEO competitor analysis?”, analyze their content structure and replicate similar strategies.
How to Analyze SERP Features
- Research Keywords:
- Use tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, or Google Search Console to identify keywords triggering SERP features.
- Examine Competitor Content:
- Review competitors’ top-ranking pages to understand their approach to snippet, local pack, or PAA optimization.
- Test Your Content:
- Optimize existing content by including snippet-ready summaries, local details, and question-based headings.
Action Plan for Optimizing for SERP Features
- Identify high-value keywords with associated SERP features.
- Create or update content to directly target these features:
- Use concise answers for featured snippets.
- Enhance your GMB profile for local packs.
- Structure content with question-and-answer formats for PAA.
- Monitor performance and refine content based on results.
Tools for SEO Competitor Analysis
Overview of Popular Tools
Each SEO tool offers unique features that cater to different aspects of competitor analysis. Here’s a breakdown of some of the most popular ones:
- Semrush
- Key Features:
- Keyword Gap Analysis: Compare keyword overlaps and gaps with competitors.
- Traffic Analytics: Estimate competitors’ traffic and engagement.
- Backlink Analysis: Discover backlink profiles and referring domains.
- Best For: Comprehensive competitor analysis covering keywords, traffic, and backlinks.
- Key Features:
- Ahrefs
- Key Features:
- Site Explorer: Analyze competitors’ top pages and backlink profiles.
- Content Gap Tool: Identify topics competitors rank for that you don’t.
- Rank Tracker: Monitor keyword rankings over time.
- Best For: Deep-dive analyses of backlinks and content opportunities.
- Key Features:
- Moz
- Key Features:
- Domain Authority (DA) & Page Authority (PA): Compare competitors’ website strength.
- Link Explorer: Find new backlink opportunities.
- Keyword Explorer: Discover high-potential keywords.
- Best For: Simplified analysis of domain authority and keyword research.
- Key Features:
- Ubersuggest
- Key Features:
- Keyword Ideas: Generate keyword suggestions based on competitor performance.
- SEO Audit: Highlight areas of improvement on competitor websites.
- Traffic Analysis: Understand competitors’ top-performing pages.
- Best For: Budget-friendly SEO analysis for beginners.
- Key Features:
- Google Analytics
- Key Features:
- Competitor Benchmarking: Compare your site’s traffic and engagement with industry averages.
- Audience Insights: Identify overlaps in audience demographics.
- Best For: Basic competitor analysis and benchmarking.
- Key Features:
Advanced Techniques for SEO Competitor Analysis
Reverse-Engineering Content Strategies
Top-ranking pages hold valuable clues about what works in your industry. By deconstructing these pages, you can replicate their success while making your content even better.
How to Reverse-Engineer Competitor Content:
- Identify Top Pages:
- Use tools like Ahrefs’ Top Pages or Semrush’s Traffic Analytics to find your competitors’ highest-performing pages.
- Analyze Content Structure:
- Look at headings, subheadings, and formatting.
- Assess how they present information (e.g., lists, tables, or FAQs).
- Evaluate Engagement:
- Check social shares, comments, and backlinks for these pages.
- Use BuzzSumo to see which articles are resonating on social media.
- Optimize and Improve:
- Create content that’s more comprehensive, engaging, or visually appealing.
- Include multimedia elements like videos or infographics to stand out.
Example: If a competitor’s article on “Best Running Shoes” ranks highly, you could create a more detailed guide with user reviews, expert tips, and an interactive comparison chart.
Predicting Trends
Staying ahead of emerging trends allows you to capture traffic before competitors even notice. Predicting what’s next can give you a significant competitive advantage.
How to Identify Trends:
- Google Trends:
- Monitor rising search terms and interest over time.
- Look for seasonal or geographical trends that competitors may overlook.
- BuzzSumo:
- Explore the Trending Topics feature to identify content themes gaining traction.
- Filter results by industry, region, or social platform.
- Industry Reports and Forums:
- Stay updated with reports from tools like Statista or niche forums where professionals discuss upcoming changes.
Example: If Google Trends shows a spike in “sustainable packaging solutions,” create content addressing this topic before competitors saturate the market.
Leveraging Social Listening
Social listening helps you understand how competitors interact with their audience and how their content is perceived. This insight can shape your strategy to better meet customer needs.
How to Use Social Listening for Competitor Analysis:
- Monitor Mentions:
- Use tools like Brand24, Mention, or Hootsuite to track competitor mentions across social platforms.
- Analyze the sentiment and context of these mentions.
- Identify Popular Content:
- Look for posts with high engagement (likes, shares, comments) to uncover what resonates with their audience.
- Note the tone, format, and platforms used for their most successful campaigns.
- Spot Opportunities:
- Look for gaps in their strategy where you can provide more value.
- Identify unanswered customer questions or unmet needs in comments and discussions.
Example: If a competitor’s Instagram post on “SEO tips” gets high engagement, but commenters ask for more advanced strategies, you can create a follow-up article addressing that demand.
Action Plan for Advanced Techniques
- Reverse-Engineer Content:
- Regularly audit top-ranking competitor pages and apply lessons to your own strategy.
- Predict Trends:
- Set alerts on tools like Google Trends and BuzzSumo to act on emerging topics early.
- Leverage Social Listening:
- Monitor competitor mentions and audience interactions to refine your messaging and offerings.
How to Apply Insights from Competitor Analysis
Creating an Actionable SEO Plan
Converting your competitor analysis into an actionable SEO plan ensures your efforts are organized and targeted for success.
Steps to Create an SEO Plan:
- Summarize Key Findings:
- Highlight top-performing keywords, content gaps, backlink opportunities, and on-page SEO improvements.
- Set Clear Objectives:
- Define what you want to achieve, such as increasing organic traffic by 20%, ranking for 10 new keywords, or securing 50 quality backlinks.
- Outline Strategies:
- Match insights to actionable tasks:
- Optimize underperforming content to rank for competitor keywords.
- Build backlinks from domains linking to competitors.
- Create pillar content to address identified gaps.
- Match insights to actionable tasks:
- Assign Responsibilities:
- Delegate tasks to team members or allocate resources for tools and campaigns.
Example: If your competitor ranks well for “best digital marketing strategies,” plan to create a more comprehensive guide, including infographics and expert interviews.
Prioritizing Tasks
With limited resources, focusing on high-impact areas is crucial to maximize results.
How to Prioritize SEO Tasks:
- Target Underutilized Keywords:
- Focus on keywords with moderate competition and high search volume that your competitors rank for.
- Use tools like Ahrefs or Semrush to filter these opportunities.
- Address Content Gaps:
- Create or update content to target topics competitors haven’t fully covered or executed poorly.
- Leverage Low-Hanging Backlink Opportunities:
- Reach out to domains linking to competitors for similar links.
- Focus on unlinked mentions or reclaiming broken links.
- Tackle Quick Wins First:
- Optimize metadata, headings, and internal links on high-traffic pages for immediate results.
- Improve page speed and mobile performance using insights from Google PageSpeed Insights.
Example: If a competitor’s blog ranks higher due to better on-page optimization, prioritize updating your blog’s metadata and internal linking strategy.
Tracking Progress
Tracking progress helps you measure the effectiveness of your actions and adjust your strategy as needed.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs):
- Organic Traffic Growth:
- Monitor changes in organic traffic using tools like Google Analytics or Semrush Traffic Analytics.
- Compare traffic trends for targeted pages or content.
- Keyword Rankings:
- Use Ahrefs, Moz, or Semrush to track your position for targeted keywords.
- Focus on improvements in ranking for high-priority keywords identified in your analysis.
- Domain Authority (DA) & Page Authority (PA):
- Check for improvements in your site’s authority using tools like Moz Link Explorer.
- Focus on acquiring quality backlinks to boost these metrics.
- Backlink Growth:
- Track the number and quality of backlinks gained using tools like Ahrefs or Ubersuggest.
Example: Set a goal to increase organic traffic by 15% in 3 months by ranking for five new long-tail keywords. Regularly evaluate keyword rankings and traffic metrics to measure success.
Action Plan
- Consolidate competitor insights into a clear, actionable plan with defined objectives.
- Prioritize high-impact tasks to address gaps and leverage quick wins.
- Set KPIs and regularly track performance to refine your strategy.
Conclusion
Conducting regular SEO competitor analysis is crucial for staying competitive in the digital space. By identifying your competitors, analyzing their keywords, evaluating their content, and leveraging advanced tools like Semrush and Ahrefs, you can uncover actionable insights to strengthen your SEO strategy. This continuous process ensures you stay ahead of trends, adapt to market changes, and achieve consistent growth in search rankings.
At First Page Digital, our experienced SEO team specializes in delivering in-depth, actionable, and efficient SEO competitor analysis and strategies tailored to your business goals. With our expertise, we help businesses uncover opportunities, outperform competitors, and drive measurable results.