Competitive Analysis 

Competitive analysis is the process of gathering and evaluating information about direct competitors. 

There are several SEO tools you can use to perform a thorough competitor analysis. 

SEO tools for competitor analysis

  1. SEMrush
    • Comprehensive analysis of keywords, backlinks, and traffic to compare websites and digital marketing strategies.
  2. Ahrefs
    • Excellent for backlink analysis and keyword discovery, ideal for tracking link growth on competitor websites.
  3. Moz Pro
    • SEO tool focusing on domain authority, search engine ranking tracking, and competitor link analysis.
  4. Serpstat
    • All-in-one solution for SEO, PPC, and content analysis, perfect for keyword research and SERP performance of competitors.
  5. SpyFu
    • Specializes in keyword and PPC campaign analysis, letting you explore competitors’ ad strategies on AdWords.
  6. SimilarWeb
    • Great for getting traffic data and audience behavior insights on competitors, covering both SEO and SEM.
  7. Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends
    • Free tools to identify and analyze keyword trends and search behavior over time.

In this article you will find a template and step by step explanation of how to do a competitive analysis in semrush.

What is the importance of performing a competitive analysis?

It allows the company to better understand the competitive environment in which it operates.

With a clear understanding of competitors’ actions and strategies, you can develop more effective strategies to differentiate and better position yourself.

Competitive analysis provides valuable information that can be used to make informed decisions in areas such as product development, pricing, distribution, marketing and business expansion.

How to do a competitive analysis?

Identify your SEO Competitors

The first step is to identify your top competitors who have websites. Tools like SEMrush, Moz and Ahrefs make this task easy. 

In SEMrush, simply enter your domain and you will get a list of organic competitors. In Moz, use the link analysis feature to find competing domains. And at Ahrefs, you can enter your URL and see which websites are outperforming you in terms of organic traffic.

Closing Keyword Gaps

A keyword gap is a missed opportunity to rank for a specific search query. Use SEMrush to close these gaps: enter your domain and your competitors’ domains into the keyword gap analysis tool. SEMrush will show you which keywords your competitors are ranking for and not you, allowing you to identify opportunities to create content optimized for those queries.

Discover Competitor Website Strengths and Weaknesses

SEMrush offers an SEO audit tool that allows you to evaluate your competitors’ website authority, content and technical SEO. 

Use it to see how their metrics compare to yours and to identify areas where you can improve. Pay particular attention to domain authority, content quality and technical issues that may be affecting their search engine performance.

Analyze sites page by page

Use tools such as the SEO META extension to analyze sites page by page and optimize key elements such as title tags, meta descriptions, URL structure, content and keywords.

Examine each page of your competitors to identify opportunities for improvement and develop a strategy to outperform them in search rankings.

Backlinks

Backlinks are an important factor in SEO, and it is crucial to analyze the link profiles of your competitors. 

Use tools such as SEMrush, Moz and Ahrefs to see which websites are linking to your competitors and to identify link building opportunities for your own website.

Pay special attention to link quality and relevance, as well as the overall linking strategy of your competitors.

Competitor analysis in SEO is essential for success in digital marketing. With a systematic approach and the right tools, you will be able to develop a solid strategy that will help you outperform your competitors and improve your Seo.