How to Win with Competitor Analysis for SEO

In the world of online business, your success isn’t just about what you do, but also about what your competitors are doing. Competitor analysis for SEO is the process of identifying your online rivals and understanding the strategies that help them rank highly on Google. This isn’t about copying their work, but rather about gaining a strategic advantage. By properly analysing your competitors, you can answer critical questions such as: Why are they outranking you for key terms? What keywords are they targeting that you’ve missed? Where are they getting their most valuable backlinks from?

Business Competitors vs. SEO Competitors

It’s a common mistake to think your online competitors are the same as your business competitors. They are often different and require a unique analysis.

• Business Competitors are businesses that offer similar products or services and are directly competing for the same customers. They’re your real-world rivals.
  
• SEO Competitors, on the other hand, are the websites that consistently rank for the keywords and search terms you are targeting. They may not sell the same products or services as you, but they are competing for the same online visibility and organic traffic. For example, a travel agency may compete with a travel blog for a query like “best beaches in Cornwall.”

Understanding this distinction is crucial because it means you need to broaden your competitive analysis to include any site that is winning the search results for your target audience, not just your direct business rivals.

A Key Metric: Understanding Domain Authority

Before we dive into the step-by-step process, it’s important to understand one of the key metrics used in competitor analysis: Domain Authority (DA). Developed by Moz, DA is a score from 1 to 100 that predicts a website’s likelihood of ranking in search engines.

It’s crucial to remember that Google does not use this score directly as a ranking factor. However, it’s based on many of the same real-world factors Google does look at, such as the number and quality of backlinks. This makes DA a simple, effective tool for gauging a website’s overall strength. During a competitive audit, comparing your DA score with that of your competitors gives you a quick snapshot of where you stand and helps you identify if a significant gap needs to be closed.

What Domain Authority Is Good?

There’s no magic number that works for every business and a “good” domain authority depends on your industry and competition. That said:

• 1–20: You’re likely just getting started or have minimal SEO in place. Don’t panic. Everyone starts here.
• 21–40: This is where most small business websites sit. You’re making progress.
• 41–60: Strong. You’ll be competing well in your niche.
• 61+: These are the big players. Think national brands or well-established sites.

A Five-Step Plan to a Winning Competitor Analysis

A successful SEO competitor analysis requires a methodical approach. Follow these five steps to uncover valuable insights and build a competitor analysis strategy for success.

Step 1: Identify Your True SEO Competitors

Start by finding your real online competition, not just your business rivals. This is where you can first introduce the concept of DA to quickly gauge their overall online authority.

Step 2: Analyse Their Keywords

Once you’ve identified your competitors, it’s time to see what keywords they are ranking for. Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz can help you see which search terms are driving traffic to their site. Look for “keyword gaps,” terms they rank for that you don’t. This could be a great way to discover tons of fresh content! This is also where you can begin your competitor keyword research to find new opportunities.

Step 3: Audit Their Content Strategy

Next, take a deep dive into your competitors’ content. What topics are they covering? What format are they using (e.g., long-form guides, videos, quick tips)? By identifying their successful content, you can find inspiration to create something even better—more comprehensive, more up-to-date, or with a unique angle that serves your audience better. This is a key step in understanding your seo competition.

Step 4: Review Their Backlinks

Backlinks are a fundamental signal of authority and trust for search engines. By analysing where your competitors are getting their backlinks from, you can uncover new link-building opportunities for your own site. This process involves identifying the websites linking to your competitors and then creating a strategy to earn a link from them yourself.

Step 5: Assess Their Technical SEO

Finally, look at the technical aspects of their website. This includes site structure, page loading speed, mobile friendliness, and overall site health. A well-optimised site provides a better user experience and makes it easier for search engines to crawl and index your content. Identifying a technical weakness in a competitor’s site can be a huge win for you.

Turning Insights into Action

The true value of an SEO competitor analysis isn’t just the data; it’s the strategic insight that comes from it. The findings should be consolidated into a clear, easy to understand, and actionable report. This report acts as a strategic guide, outlining a plan to close your keyword gaps, improve your backlink profile, and optimise your content and technical SEO. Instead of a scattered approach, you’ll have a single, unified plan that directly addresses your online weaknesses and leverages your strengths.

While this guide provides a roadmap for conducting your own analysis, it’s a task that consumes a lot of time and is complex. A professional report, however, provides clear, actionable steps without the steep learning curve. If you want to stop guessing and start implementing a strategy based on data today, consider letting me handle the heavy lifting. Check out my Competitor Analysis for SEO services to get you started.