SEO Competitive Analysis – How to Beat Your Competition

SEO Guide Step 3

Competitor analysis
Spy your competitors’ keywords
SEO tools – single page analyser
FAQ: How can I identify the weaknesses of my competitors to gain a competitive edge?

Competitor Analysis

SEO Competitors: an SEO competitor is a site that ranks well in a search engine for your target keywords. These are sites you will analyse to see where they are doing the right things and using the right keywords so that you can beat the competition in the rankings.

By this point in the SEO Guide, you’ve discovered which sites are your main keyword competition. Next, you’ll play detective and take a closer look at these top-ranked websites.

Here’s what to look for when you do SEO competitive analysis:

Keywords: What other keywords is the competing webpage optimized for?
Content: How much content is there for the keyword you’re targeting (words on the page and pages on the site)?
SEO: How is the webpage ranking for this keyword? Does it seem intentional and according to SEO best practices?
Authority: How much authority do the page and website have (based on links, social media shares, etc.)?
Weaknesses: What weak areas do you see that could be opportunities for you to compete?

Time to put on your detective’s cap …

With the SEO tips and free tools on this page, you’re about to start doing SEO competitive analysis. It’s critical that you identify the best search terms and keywords used on your competitors’ sites so that you can evaluate how your pages can better compete in search results.

Spy on Your Competitors’ Keywords

It’s actually not difficult to get a closer look at your top competitors’ webpages and see what topics and keywords they are focused on. The free SEO tool below makes it easy.

The goal is to find out which keywords the competing site is optimized for. You want to see not just the one keyword (search term) that led you to discover that page but the set of keywords that, together, signal relevance.

Search engines may examine hundreds of factors to determine a page’s relevance to a search query. Two essential ingredients are having content that’s focused on the right keyword topic and satisfying what searchers are looking for.

For that reason, as you look at the top-ranking websites’ keywords, you may find clues to additional supportive words and phrases you need on your site. Don’t miss out on these keywords that could help bring converting traffic to your site. Spy them out and add them to your keyword list!

Ready to start sleuthing? First, you’ll use our Single Page Analyser tool. This is a free version of the most popular of our SEO tools. Here’s what you need to do:

Enter the URL of a competitor’s webpage that is ranking for your desired keyword phrase.
Scan the reports to identify the keywords that appear frequently or prominently on the page. Note: Page keywords may be truncated in this embedded version of the Single Page Analyser to preserve a fast site for everyone. There is a full version of this tool in the SEOToolSet^® that provides all of a page’s keywords and a lot more data. You can go here to subscribe to the SEOToolSet if you need in-depth page analysis.
Keep track of the top keyword phrases the competitor uses if they are new to your keyword research list and applicable to your site.

SEO Tools – Single Page Analyser

Next in the SEO guide, you’ll learn how to combine keywords and sort your keyword list in order to match targeted, high-conversion types of searches.

Related blog posts and articles:

Need more help with SEO and competitor research? SEO training can make a huge difference in a successful SEO project. Bruce Clay’s SEO Training course, taught in multiple locations, covers basic through advanced SEO in a classroom setting. Materials are continually updated to reflect the latest search engine changes, so many attendees come back year after year.

FAQ: How can I identify the weaknesses of my competitors to gain a competitive edge?

To achieve sustainable success as a business owner, it’s important not only to know your strengths but also to understand the weaknesses of your competitors. Let’s look at the art of identifying and exploiting your competitors’ vulnerabilities to give your business the edge it deserves.

Market Research as the Foundation

Begin your journey by conducting thorough market research. This entails studying your competitors’ products, services, pricing strategies, and customer reviews. Look for trends, gaps in their offerings, or areas where they consistently underperform. Understanding their target audience and customer demographics can also provide valuable insights.

SWOT Analysis

Perform a comprehensive SWOT analysis of your competitors. Identify their strengths and weaknesses, opportunities they might miss out on, and the threats they face. This structured approach will help you pinpoint where they lag and where you can capitalise.

Customer Feedback and Reviews

Pay close attention to customer feedback and reviews related to your competitors. Look for recurring complaints or dissatisfaction points. This is a goldmine of information that can reveal specific weaknesses in their products or services.

Competitive Benchmarking

Compare and analyse your business metrics against those of your competitors. Focus on key performance indicators (KPIs), like revenue growth and customer retention rates; benchmarking will allow you to identify any gaps and work toward closing them.

Stay Updated

Competitor weaknesses are not static; they can evolve. Stay vigilant by consistently monitoring your competitors’ activities, innovations, and responses to market changes. Subscribe to industry newsletters, follow their social media accounts, and attend industry events to keep abreast of their latest developments.

Gaining a competitive edge by identifying your competitors’ weaknesses is a strategic process that demands continuous effort and attention. You can uncover opportunities that will set you apart in the marketplace by conducting meticulous research, performing SWOT analyses, analysing customer feedback, benchmarking, and staying updated. Remember, it’s not about tearing down your competition but leveraging their weaknesses to strengthen your position.

Step-by-Step Procedure: Identifying Competitor Weaknesses for a Competitive Edge

Market Research: Conduct comprehensive market research to gather data on your competitors, including their products, services, pricing, and customer reviews.
SWOT Analysis: Perform a SWOT analysis on your competitors to identify their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats.
Customer Feedback: Analyse customer feedback and reviews related to your competitors to uncover recurring complaints or dissatisfaction points.
Comparing Your Business Metrics With Competitors: Focus on key performance indicators like market share, revenue increase, and customer retention to gauge how your metrics stack up against those of your competitors.
Stay abreast of industry newsletters and social media pages, attending relevant industry events.
Compile Findings: Consolidate the information gathered from your research and analysis into a comprehensive report.
Identify Weaknesses: Identify areas where your competitors lag or underperform.
Prioritise Weaknesses: Prioritise the weaknesses based on their potential impact on your business and ease of exploitation.
Develop Strategies: Create strategies to capitalise on these weaknesses, such as product enhancements, targeted marketing campaigns, or competitive pricing.
Monitor Progress: Implement your strategies and continually monitor their effectiveness in exploiting your competitors’ weaknesses.
Adjust and Adapt: Be ready to adjust your strategies as the competitive landscape evolves and your competitors respond.
Seek Feedback: Solicit feedback from your customers to validate your strategies’ effectiveness and make necessary improvements.
Stay Ethical: While capitalising on weaknesses is essential, always maintain ethical business practices and avoid engaging in unfair competition or negative tactics.
Regular Review: Periodically revisit your competitor analysis to ensure it remains up-to-date and relevant.
Competitive Intelligence: Consider investing in competitive intelligence tools and services to enhance your capabilities in identifying competitor weaknesses.
Team Collaboration: Involve your team to gather diverse insights and perspectives.
Training and Skill Development: Train your team members in competitor analysis and strategy implementation.
Document Success Stories: Record successful strategies and their outcomes for future reference.
Adapt to Market Changes: Be flexible and adaptable as market conditions change.
Continuous Improvement: Refine your competitor’s weakness identification and exploitation processes to maintain a sustainable competitive edge.