How to Do Competitor Analysis for SEO

Imagine launching a brand-new website and working hard to publish content, optimize keywords, and run ads—yet your competitors still dominate Google’s first page. Why? Because they’re already playing a smarter game.

The secret weapon in SEO success is competitor analysis. By studying what works for others in your niche, you can uncover strategies, gaps, and opportunities to outperform them in search results.

Competitor analysis helps you answer critical questions:

• Which keywords are driving traffic to your competitors?
• What type of content earns them backlinks?
• How strong is their technical SEO and site authority?

In this detailed guide, we’ll break down how to do competitor analysis for SEO step by step. Whether you’re a beginner or a marketer aiming to refine strategies, this process will help you make informed decisions and grow your online visibility.

Why Competitor Analysis Is Important for SEO

Competitor analysis matters because SEO is not done in isolation. Search rankings are always relative—if your competitors rank higher, it means they are doing something better.

Here’s why competitor analysis is important:

• Uncover Keyword Opportunities: Find untapped keywords your competitors rank for but you don’t.
• Benchmark Performance: Understand how your site stacks up against others.
• Backlink Insights: Discover where your competitors are getting backlinks and replicate strategies.
• Content Inspiration: Learn which content formats (blogs, videos, infographics) attract the most engagement.
• Avoid Mistakes: See what competitors are doing wrong so you can avoid the same pitfalls.

In short, competitor analysis gives you a shortcut to SEO growth by learning from others instead of reinventing the wheel.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Do Competitor Analysis for SEO

Step 1: Identify Your SEO Competitors

Not all competitors are the same. You might have business competitors and SEO competitors.

• Business competitors are companies selling the same products or services.
• SEO competitors are websites that compete with you in search rankings, even if they’re not selling the same thing.

For example, if you run a fitness coaching site, your SEO competitors could be:

• Blogs offering free workout guides
• YouTube fitness influencers with websites
• Major portals like Healthline or Men’s Health

How to find SEO competitors:

1. Search your target keywords in Google.
2. Make a list of sites consistently ranking in the top 10.
3. Use tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest to find competitors based on shared keywords.

Step 2: Analyze Competitors’ Keywords

Keywords are the foundation of SEO. Understanding which keywords drive traffic to your competitors is crucial.

Tools you can use:

• SEMrush (Keyword Gap tool)
• Ahrefs (Organic Keywords report)
• Ubersuggest

What to look for:

• High-volume keywords: These bring in lots of traffic.
• Long-tail keywords: Less competitive, easier to rank for.
• Content gaps: Keywords they rank for but you don’t.

Example: If a competitor ranks for “best running shoes for flat feet” and you don’t, that’s a content opportunity.

Step 3: Evaluate Competitors’ Backlink Profiles

Backlinks remain a top ranking factor in Google’s algorithm.

Why it matters:

• Sites with more quality backlinks usually outrank others.
• Analyzing backlinks shows you where to build your own.

How to do it:

1. Use Ahrefs, Moz, or SEMrush to check competitor backlink profiles.
2. Look for:
   • High-authority links (e.g., Forbes, HubSpot)
   • Guest posts or collaborations
   • Niche directories or forums

Action step: Create a list of potential backlink sources you can target.

Step 4: Study Competitors’ Content Strategy

Content is the fuel for SEO. To beat your competitors, you need to know:

• What type of content they publish (blogs, guides, videos).
• How often they publish.
• Which content drives the most traffic.
• The length and depth of top-ranking posts.

Pro tip: Use BuzzSumo or Ahrefs Top Pages to find your competitor’s best-performing content.

Example: If their 3,000-word “Complete Guide to Yoga Poses” ranks well, you can create a more comprehensive or updated version.

Step 5: Check On-Page SEO and Technical Factors

Even if content is great, technical SEO plays a huge role. Analyze competitor websites for:

• Page speed (use Google PageSpeed Insights).
• Mobile-friendliness (check Google’s Mobile Test).
• Site structure (navigation, URL hierarchy).
• Meta tags (optimized titles, descriptions).

If competitors are faster, mobile-friendly, and structured better, they’ll naturally rank higher.

Comparison Table: Tools for Competitor Analysis

Extra Tips to Improve Competitor Analysis

Now that you know the core process of analyzing competitors, let’s move to advanced strategies and insider tips that will give you an edge.

1. Track Competitors’ SERP Features

Google search results are no longer just “10 blue links.” Competitors may appear in:

• Featured snippets
• People Also Ask boxes
• Video results
• Local pack

Use tools like SEMrush Position Tracking or Ahrefs Rank Tracker to see if your competitors own these spots. Then, optimize your content (structured data, Q&A formats, videos) to capture them.

2. Monitor Social Signals and Engagement

While social media is not a direct ranking factor, it amplifies reach and backlinks.

• Check which competitor content performs best on social media.
• Use BuzzSumo to see their most-shared posts.
• Repurpose your own content into engaging formats (short videos, carousels, infographics).

A strong social strategy indirectly boosts SEO by driving referral traffic and brand authority.

3. Identify Content Gaps and Opportunities

Look for topics your competitors haven’t covered—or only covered weakly.

• Use Ahrefs Content Gap tool to compare keywords across 3–4 competitors.
• Explore Reddit, Quora, or niche forums for user questions that competitors ignore.
• Target long-tail queries like “how to do competitor analysis for SEO step by step for beginners.”

Filling these gaps helps you win traffic competitors miss.

4. Analyze Competitor Site UX (User Experience)

SEO isn’t just about keywords; Google rewards user-friendly websites.

Check competitor sites for:

• Page design and readability
• Internal linking structure
• Call-to-action placements
• Use of visuals (videos, charts, images)

If your site is easier to navigate, users will stay longer, reducing bounce rates and improving rankings.

5. Spy on Competitors’ Paid Campaigns

Sometimes competitors run Google Ads for keywords they can’t rank for organically.

• Use SEMrush Advertising Research or SpyFu to see their ad copy and targeted keywords.
• If they’re investing in ads, those keywords are valuable—meaning you may want to rank for them organically.

Advanced Competitor Analysis Workflow

Here’s a structured workflow you can follow monthly:

1. List Top 5 SEO Competitors
2. Audit Their Keywords → Add missing ones to your strategy
3. Check Backlinks → Reach out to shared link sources
4. Evaluate Content → Create better or updated versions
5. Review Technical SEO → Compare site speed, mobile usability
6. Track SERP Features → Optimize for featured snippets
7. Measure Progress → Use Google Search Console to see ranking improvements

FAQs on Competitor Analysis for SEO

1. What is competitor analysis in SEO?

Competitor analysis in SEO is the process of studying websites that rank for your target keywords. It helps you identify their keyword strategies, backlinks, content, and technical SEO, so you can replicate and improve upon them.

2. How often should I do competitor analysis for SEO?

Ideally, competitor analysis should be done quarterly. But in highly competitive niches, running it monthly keeps you ahead of fast-moving rivals.

3. Which free tools can I use for SEO competitor analysis?

Some popular free tools include:

• Ubersuggest (keywords, domain overview)
• Moz Free Tools (DA, backlinks)
• Google Search Console (compare performance)
• BuzzSumo (limited free) for content insights

4. What’s the difference between competitor analysis and keyword research?

• Keyword research focuses on finding search terms you want to target.
• Competitor analysis shows who is ranking for those keywords and why, giving you real-world examples to model after.

5. Can I outrank big sites like Wikipedia or Forbes?

Usually not for broad, highly competitive terms (e.g., “SEO”). But you can easily outrank them with long-tail keywords and niche-specific content that better answers user intent.

Conclusion

Competitor analysis is one of the most powerful weapons in SEO. Instead of guessing what works, you learn directly from what already drives traffic and rankings for your rivals.

To recap:

• Identify both SEO and business competitors.
• Analyze their keywords, backlinks, and content strategies.
• Track SERP features and optimize your technical SEO.
• Look for gaps they’ve missed and fill them with valuable, user-focused content.

If you implement competitor analysis consistently, you’ll not only keep pace but also find ways to outperform them in rankings and traffic.