SEO Competitor Analysis: How to Do It in 6 Steps

SEO competitor analysis is the process of finding out which websites outrank you on Google for the searches you care about, and working out why. You compare their pages, keywords, content and backlinks with yours, spot the gaps, and turn them into a plan. Done well, it shows you exactly where you can realistically win, instead of guessing.

Some people call it an SEO competitive analysis or an SEO competition analysis. The name doesn’t matter. What matters is that it leads to action.

What is SEO competitor analysis?

It’s a comparison between your website and the sites ranking above you in search. Your search competitors aren’t always your business competitors: a directory, a news site or a business in another town can take the spots you want. Competitive SEO isn’t about copying them. It’s about understanding what Google is rewarding for those searches, then doing it better for your customers.

How do you do a competitor analysis for SEO?

Here is how to do competitor analysis in SEO in 6 steps:

1. Start with your keywords

List the 10 to 20 searches that matter most to your business: your services, your town, and the questions customers ask. Our guide to choosing SEO keywords explains how.

2. Find who actually ranks

Search each keyword (ideally logged out, or with a rank tracking tool set to your location) and note the sites in the top 10. The sites that appear for several of your keywords are your main search competitors. Leave out sites you can’t realistically compete with for now, such as national brands or sites targeting a different location.

3. Compare their pages with yours

Open the competitor’s ranking page next to yours and look at:

• Title tags and headings: what words they use and in what order
• Content: how thoroughly they answer the search, and what they cover that you don’t
• Structure: FAQs, tables, pricing, images and calls to action
• Freshness: when the page was last updated
• Experience: speed, mobile layout and how easy it is to contact them

4. Look at their keywords

SEO tools can show the other keywords a competitor ranks for. Look for searches they rank for that you don’t have a page for at all: these content gaps are often the quickest wins.

5. Check their backlinks

See which sites link to them (see the next section), and note which of those could reasonably link to you too.

6. Turn it into a plan

Pick the three or four changes that will make the biggest difference, such as a better page for one service, new content for a gap, or a handful of local links, and schedule them. Recheck every few months.

How to uncover competitor SEO strategies

Looking at your competitors’ SEO over time tells you more than a single snapshot. Watch for:

• New pages or blog posts they add, and which ones start ranking
• New location or service pages, which show where they want to grow
• Changes in their Google Business Profile, reviews and photos
• Patterns in their backlinks, such as sponsorships, directories or local media

This is the kind of competitor analysis SEO specialists repeat regularly, because rankings and competitors keep changing.

How do you analyse competitor backlinks for free?

Several tools offer a limited free look at another site’s backlinks:

• Ahrefs’ free backlink checker shows a sample of a site’s top backlinks.
• Moz Link Explorer offers a small number of free searches with an account.
• Semrush’s free account allows a limited number of backlink reports each day.

Free tools show only part of the picture, but that’s usually enough to spot the obvious opportunities: local associations, suppliers, events and media that link to competitors and could link to you. Our guide to backlinks explains which links are worth chasing.

What goes in an SEO competitor analysis report?

An SEO competitor analysis report doesn’t need to be long. A one-page SEO competitor report should cover:

1. Your main search competitors and the keywords they rank for
2. Where you rank for the same keywords
3. The biggest differences in content, pages and backlinks
4. A short, prioritised list of actions, with who does what

If a report doesn’t end in actions, it’s just a list of facts.

Frequently asked questions

What is the best SEO tool for competitor site analysis?

There’s no single best tool. Semrush, Ahrefs and Moz all show competitors’ keywords and backlinks, with paid plans for full data. We use Semrush for our monthly SEO reports. For a small business starting out, a manual Google search plus a free backlink checker is often enough to find the main gaps.

How often should you do an SEO competitor analysis?

Do a full analysis when you start SEO or plan a new website, then a lighter check every three to six months. Check sooner if your rankings drop suddenly or a new competitor appears in your area. Competitors change their sites too, so an analysis from two years ago is out of date.

Is it OK to copy what competitors do?

Learn from them, but don’t copy. Copying content can breach copyright and won’t help you rank, because Google looks for pages that add something new. Use what you learn to make pages that are more useful, more specific to your customers and more up to date than theirs.

The short version

Find who outranks you, compare their pages, keywords and backlinks with yours, and turn the gaps into a short list of actions. Repeat it every few months. If you’d like it done for you, our SEO team includes competitor tracking in our SEO reporting, and our keyword research service maps out where you can win.