Knowing your competitors is key to improving your website’s search rankings. If you want to stay ahead, you need to know who you’re up against and what strategies they’re using. Many businesses focus on their products or services but forget about their SEO competitors—those ranking higher on search engines.
So, what is SEO competition research? It’s the process of analysing your competitors’ online strategies, including their keywords, content, backlinks, and website structure. By understanding what works for them, you can refine your own approach and improve your chances of ranking higher.
Whether you’re a small business or a well-established company, competitor analysis is essential for SEO success.
In this guide, we’ll explain what is SEO competition research and how to do SEO competitor analysis to boost your online visibility.
How to Do SEO Competitor Analysis?
There are five easy steps to identify and analyse competitors for good online presence
Step 1: Identify Your Competitors
Whether you’re just starting or have an established business, it’s important to know who your competitors are. This doesn’t just mean businesses selling similar products or services—it also includes your SEO competitors, the ones ranking ahead of you on search engines.
Start by making a list of competitors. Look up the keywords you want to rank for and check which websites appear at the top.
For example, if you search for “SEO trends 2023,” you might see that Wordstream has the top result, while Search Engine Journal ranks second and third. If you’re aiming to rank for this keyword, these are your key competitors.
You can also use SEO tools to find competitors. SEMRush has a competitive analysis feature that shows which websites rank for the same keywords as you.
KW Finder is another helpful tool. These tools can uncover competitors you might not have thought about.
Step 2: Analyse Their SEO Strategy
Once you’ve identified your competitors, examine their SEO strategy. Visit their websites and study their structure, content types, and targeted keywords (both short-tail and long-tail).
Also, check their website speed and mobile-friendliness using Google’s PageSpeed Insights and Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test. This will help you compare their technical SEO with yours.
Analyse Their Content
It’s not just about what content they create but also which content gets the most traffic. Ask yourself:
- What are their top-ranking pages?
- Which pages are ranking for specific keywords?
- Which pages drive the most traffic?
SEO tools can help you discover the most popular content in your industry. This helps you understand what’s resonating with your audience and what topics you should focus on.
Your competitors’ most successful content might not always be what you expect—it could be a blog, a landing page, or even an ebook.
Look at Their Social Media Presence
Social media plays a big role in driving website traffic and brand awareness. Check out your competitors’ social media accounts:
- How many followers do they have?
- What type of content do they post?
- How much engagement (likes, shares, comments) do they get?
This will give you insights into how they use social media to boost their website traffic.
Check Their Keyword Rankings
Find out which keywords your competitors rank for and how well they’re performing.
Make a list of primary and secondary keywords you want to rank for. Keep in mind that rankings change over time, so check them regularly.
Look for “low-hanging fruit”—keywords with lower competition but still relevant to your business. These can be easier to rank for and help you climb the search results faster.
Step 3: Analyse Their Keywords
You might be ranking well for your main keywords, but what about the ones where you’re near the bottom of page one?
Pay attention to those keywords. A little effort in optimising them could push your rankings higher and help you outrank competitors.
Also, look for keyword gaps—terms or phrases your competitors rank for but you don’t. Tools like SEMRush and Ahrefs can help identify these opportunities.
Check if your competitors have lost rankings for any high-search-volume keywords. If you find a keyword they’re slipping on, visit their page, analyse why, and create better content around it.
Step 4: Analyse Their On-Page Optimisation
One reason your competitors might outrank you is that they’ve optimised their pages better.
Analysing their pages will help you understand why they rank higher and what you can do to improve.
Key On-Page SEO Factors to Review:
- Titles: Titles play a major role in SEO. Make sure your title tags are optimised with relevant keywords, as they determine how your page appears in search results and social media.
- Meta Descriptions & Keywords: Meta descriptions help Google understand what your page is about. Check how your competitors use them and optimise yours accordingly.
- Headlines (H1, H2, etc.): Search engines prioritise headings when ranking content. They can also be used for featured snippets. If Google ignores a title tag, it often replaces it with an H1 heading—so make sure yours are optimised.
- Internal Links: Internal linking helps guide visitors to relevant content on your site while boosting SEO. Use relevant links without overloading your content.
- Content Quality: Having a lot of content isn’t enough—it needs to be high-quality and relevant. The top-ranking competitors often use blogs and informative articles to position themselves as experts in their industry.
- Images & Videos: Are your competitors optimising their images and videos with relevant file names and alt tags? Doing the same can improve your rankings.
- Schema Markup & Structured Data: Structured data helps search engines better understand your content, which can increase visibility.
- URLs: Review how your competitors structure their URLs. Keep your URLs short, descriptive, and keyword-rich.
- User Experience (UX): SEO isn’t just about keywords—usability matters. Check your competitors’ website layout, navigation, and load speed. A smooth user experience can impact rankings.
Step 5: Analyse Their Backlinks
Backlinks are one of the biggest ranking factors in SEO. The quality of links pointing to a site can determine its authority in search engines.
You can analyse your competitors’ backlinks using tools like Ahrefs, SEMRush, or Moz. These tools will show where their backlinks come from and how strong their link profile is.
However, quality matters more than quantity when it comes to backlinks. Spammy or low-quality links can hurt your rankings instead of helping. Instead of chasing any link, focus on building backlinks from reputable sources relevant to your industry.
Conclusion!
Analysing your competitors is a smart way to improve your SEO strategy. By identifying who ranks higher and studying their content, keywords, backlinks, and on-page optimisation, you can find opportunities to boost your rankings.
If you want expert guidance, connect with Web Design Company, which can help you with SEO competition research, website optimisation, and ranking strategies. Get in touch today to strengthen your online presence and outshine your competitors.
Let’s create a website that attracts more traffic and drives better results!
FAQ’s
What is SEO competition research?
SEO competition research is the process of analysing your competitors’ search rankings, keywords, content, backlinks, and website structure. It helps you understand what’s working for them so you can improve your own SEO strategy and rank higher on search engines.
Why is SEO competitor analysis important?
SEO competitor analysis helps you identify opportunities to improve your website’s ranking. By studying what competitors are doing well—such as their keyword strategy, content approach, and backlink profile—you can refine your own tactics and gain a competitive edge.
How do I identify my SEO competitors?
Start by searching for the keywords you want to rank for and see which websites appear at the top. Tools like SEMRush and KW Finder can also help uncover competitors ranking for the same keywords, including some you may not have considered.
What should I look for in a competitor’s SEO strategy?
Key areas to analyse include their keyword rankings, content strategy, on-page SEO (titles, headings, meta descriptions), backlink profile, social media presence, and website speed. Understanding these factors will help you optimise your own site.
How can I improve my rankings after SEO competition research?
Use the insights from your competitor analysis to improve your content, optimise your website structure, target new keywords, and strengthen your backlink profile. Also, check for keyword gaps and opportunities where you can outperform your competitors.
How often should I conduct SEO competition research?
SEO is always evolving, so it’s important to review your competitors’ strategies regularly. Checking their rankings, content updates, and keyword performance every few months will help you stay ahead and adjust your SEO efforts accordingly.