How to Do a Competitor SEO Analysis

Why Competitor SEO Analysis Matters

Your competitors have already done a lot of the work. They've tested which keywords convert. They've published content that ranks. They've built backlinks that work. A competitor analysis shows you exactly what's working in your industry — and where the opportunities are that competitors have missed.

Step 1: Identify Your Real SEO Competitors

Your SEO competitors are not necessarily your business competitors. They're whoever is ranking on page one for the keywords you want to rank for. Search for your 5 most important keywords. Note which sites consistently appear in the top results. These are your SEO competitors.

Step 2: Analyse Their On-Page SEO

For each competitor, look at: Title tags and H1s: What keywords are they targeting? How specific are they? Content structure: How long are their top-ranking pages? How many H2 sections? Do they use FAQs, tables, lists? Content topics: What do they cover that you don't? What gaps are there? Internal linking: What pages do they link to most prominently?

Step 3: Find Their Keyword Gaps

Which keywords does a competitor rank for that you don't? These are your content opportunities. Tools like Google Search Console (connected to a third-party tool), Ahrefs, Semrush, or the Competitors feature in Oh So SEO can surface these gap keywords automatically.

Step 4: Analyse Their Backlink Profile

What sites link to your competitors? Are any of these sites you could also get links from? Common link sources to investigate:

• Industry directories they're listed in

• Journalists or bloggers who have covered them

• Suppliers or partners who link to them

• Guest posts they've contributed

Step 5: Identify Their Weaknesses

Where are competitors underperforming?

• Thin content: pages with minimal information on important topics

• Outdated content: posts that haven't been updated in years

• Missing content: topics your audience cares about that no competitor covers well

• Poor user experience: slow pages, difficult navigation, mobile issues

These gaps are your opportunity.

Step 6: Prioritise Your Actions

From your analysis, create a list of:

Content to create (keywords competitors rank for, topics they cover poorly)

Content to improve (topics where you exist but competitors are stronger)

Links to pursue (sources that link to competitors)

Prioritise by: potential traffic × achievability.

FAQ

How often should I do a competitor analysis? Quarterly for a full analysis. Monthly, keep an eye on new content competitors publish and any ranking shifts. How many competitors should I analyse? 3–5 is sufficient for most small businesses. Focus on your most direct SEO competitors, not every business in your industry. What if my competitors have much higher authority? Don't try to beat them on their strongest keywords. Find the gaps — the specific queries where they're weak or haven't created content — and target those.