Competitor analysis is a powerful tool in the world of SEO, offering valuable insights that can transform your digital strategy. This comprehensive guide explores proven techniques for leveraging competitor data to boost your search rankings and online visibility. Drawing from expert knowledge and real-world examples, readers will discover actionable strategies to gain a competitive edge in the ever-evolving search landscape.
- Leverage Backlink Gap Analysis for SEO Boost
- Align Content with User Search Journeys
- Shortcut Keyword Research Through Competitor Analysis
- Reverse-Engineer Competitor Backlink Strategies
- Optimize Bottom-Funnel Pages for Conversions
- Uncover Content Gaps for Strategic Advantage
- Improve CTR with Competitor-Inspired Metadata
- Discover Alternative Keywords Through Competitor Research
- Acquire Expired Competitor-Linked Domains
- Enhance Content Structure for Better Rankings
- Target Competitor Keyword Gaps Strategically
- Boost Local SEO with Competitor Insights
- Create Site Structure from Competitor Analysis
- Identify High-Performing Keywords from Competitors
- Fill Content Holes with Competitor Insights
- Surpass Competitors by Addressing Overlooked Elements
- Analyze Top-Ranking Content Structure
- Improve User Experience Based on Competitors
- Anti-Benchmark to Outperform Competitors
Leverage Backlink Gap Analysis for SEO Boost
One highly effective way I’ve used competitor analysis to improve my SEO strategy was by performing a deep backlink gap analysis between our site and our top three competitors. I used tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush to identify high-authority domains linking to them but not to us. For example, I discovered several niche-specific blogs and industry directories linking to our competitors that hadn’t yet featured us. We crafted tailored outreach emails and high-value content to pitch to these sites. Within two months, we secured backlinks from 30% of those targets, which boosted our domain authority and helped us move from page 2 to the top 5 results for several high-converting keywords. The result was a 42% increase in organic traffic over the next quarter. This process not only improved rankings but also gave us strategic insight into where our content and partnerships needed strengthening.
Muhammed Fawas
SEO Anaylist, dExito Branding
Align Content with User Search Journeys
One of the most effective ways I’ve used competitor analysis is to reverse-engineer how top-ranking competitors are earning trust—not just traffic.
Instead of only looking at keywords or backlinks, I focus on their content structure, topical depth, and how well their site aligns with user intent at every stage of the funnel. One example: I was working with a multi-location service business that had plateaued in organic visibility. Their competitors were outranking them, not because they had more content, but because their pages were built around actual decision-making behavior—clear CTAs, internal linking that guided users, and service pages that answered deeper questions the customer had after the initial query.
We used this insight to restructure our site architecture, align our content more tightly with search journeys, and reposition our copy to reflect differentiation. We didn’t just copy what competitors were doing; we used their presence as a benchmark to out-strategize them.
The result? Higher engagement metrics, stronger conversion rates, and a significant lift in local and organic rankings.
Competitor analysis isn’t about imitation. It’s about identifying opportunity gaps and raising the bar.
Dillon Loomis
Founder & SEO Consultant, Pinnacle Pursuit SEO
Shortcut Keyword Research Through Competitor Analysis
One of the most effective ways I’ve used competitor analysis was to improve our local SEO strategy for a client.
Instead of spending hours on keyword research, I ran their top 3 local competitors through Ahrefs to identify which service pages brought in the most traffic.
That instantly showed us which keyword variations had the most potential.
Thanks to that shortcut, we built pages around the right keywords from the start, and within 3 months, we outranked most competitors and generated a steady flow of leads.
Beyond that, I also use competitor analysis for blog content and link building.
For blogging, I look at similarly-sized sites with more traffic, scan their top pages, and grab low-hanging keyword ideas.
For link building, I analyze backlink profiles to estimate how many links we’ll need to compete for tough keywords.
In short: competitor analysis saves time, reduces guesswork, and gives you a clearer roadmap, and that’s made a massive difference in performance.
Raphael Larouche
Founder & SEO Specialist, Agence SEO Zenith
Reverse-Engineer Competitor Backlink Strategies
One effective way we’ve used competitor analysis to improve SEO was while working with our client RegenOrthoSport, a regenerative orthopedic clinic.
We conducted a deep competitor backlink analysis using SEMrush to identify high-authority domains linking to top competitors in the same niche. The goal was to reverse-engineer their backlink strategy and tap into the same sources. Here’s how it worked:
Step 1: Using SEMrush, we pulled backlink profiles of RegenOrthoSport’s top-ranking competitors in the orthopedic and regenerative medicine space.
Step 2: We created a targeted list of relevant, high-authority websites that linked to them, including medical blogs, local directories, health forums, and media publications.
Step 3: We then reached out to these websites, pitching well-crafted guest post ideas, case studies, and value-driven content around stem cell therapy, PRP, and non-surgical treatments, topics we knew they already accepted content about.
Step 4: In parallel, we scanned for broken backlinks pointing to outdated or deleted pages on competitor sites and reached out to those webmasters offering updated, fresh content from RegenOrthoSport instead.
As a result of this targeted backlink outreach strategy:
- RegenOrthoSport earned multiple high-authority backlinks from reputable medical and local news websites.
- The domain authority increased steadily within 2-3 months.
- We saw a noticeable uplift in organic keyword rankings, especially for critical commercial terms like “stem cell therapy for back pain in Hyderabad.”
- Organic traffic grew by over 40% in the following quarter.
This strategy didn’t just help us close the gap with competitors; it gave our client a sustainable SEO edge.
Kiran Kumar Neelam
SEO Analyst, RevSoc Digital
Optimize Bottom-Funnel Pages for Conversions
One of the most effective ways I’ve leveraged competitor analysis to improve SEO strategy was during the expansion of our hosting alternatives content initiative. We aimed to enhance performance across key bottom-funnel pages, especially those targeting users who are comparing hosting providers or seeking better options.
We began by conducting a detailed analysis of competitor websites, including WP Engine, Kinsta, and Bluehost, focusing on their comparison pages, alternative lists, and the structure of content around competitor keywords. Tools like Ahrefs and Semrush helped us uncover high-performing pages with strong traffic and backlinks, revealing gaps in our content strategy.
For instance, we noticed that several competitors were ranking well for “vs” and “alternatives” keywords, such as “WP Engine vs Bluehost” or “Kinsta alternatives”—but we didn’t have dedicated or well-optimized pages for many of these terms. This was a clear opportunity.
We launched a structured alternative pages project, creating and optimizing over 40 landing pages that targeted keywords like “Cloudways vs WP Engine,” “HostGator alternatives,” “GoDaddy alternatives,” and more. Each page was built with a consistent content framework: an introduction explaining who the comparison was for, followed by feature breakdowns, pros and cons, pricing, and FAQs.
But we didn’t stop there. We also performed content gap audits to see what unique angles competitors weren’t covering—things like sustainability, developer workflows, or support availability. This allowed us to differentiate our content and give readers real decision-making value.
The results were clear:
Several comparison pages jumped from page 2 or 3 to the top 3 positions on Google within a quarter.
CTR on pages like “Cloudways vs WP Engine” increased from 8% to over 21%.
We also saw a rise in sign-ups attributed directly to those bottom-funnel pages through GA4 and attribution models.
Shariq Kazmi
Senior Digital Marketing Specialist, Cloudways by DigitalOcean
Uncover Content Gaps for Strategic Advantage
One effective way we used competitor analysis to improve our SEO strategy was by analyzing content gaps across industry-specific keywords. While reviewing top-ranking competitors in the B2B demand generation space, we noticed that many were targeting broader awareness-stage terms with in-depth guides and glossary-style pages—an area we hadn’t fully optimized.
Using this insight, we audited our content across our 31 digital publications and identified high-search, low-competition terms they ranked for but we didn’t. We then built a tailored content series addressing those topics, supported by our in-house data and AI-driven tools like Jyn.AI for clustering related terms and optimizing structure.
As a result, within three months, we saw a 36% increase in organic traffic across those pages and a 22% boost in lead conversions from organic sources. This reinforced how competitor intelligence isn’t just about monitoring—it’s about translating insights into strategic, content-driven action that drives measurable results.
Shubham Raj
SEO Specialist, Machintel
Improve CTR with Competitor-Inspired Metadata
One of the most effective ways I have used competitor analysis to boost our SEO was by studying how competitors achieved better CTRs without actually ranking higher.
The higher you rank, the more clicks you get. That’s a standard SEO norm. But even when we were ranking higher than some of our competitors for certain core keywords, they were getting more clicks.
The data that we saw on SEMRush just didn’t make sense. How could they rank lower than us and still get more clicks? That confusion lasted only until we saw their meta title and descriptions.
Emotionally charged, using brackets, smart use of emojis, better value tease than ours.
That’s when it hit me. We were writing and optimizing our content better, but not marketing it right. So, we ran A/B tests on our metadata for 25 top URLs. We:
- Added emotion, brackets, and numbers
- Matched user intent more clearly
- Used power words like “insider,” “mistakes to avoid,” or “real cost breakdown”
In 45 days, our organic CTR improved by up to 31% for those URLs. All without needing any efforts to improve ranking. In fact, the increase in behavioral signals (dwell time, CTR) helped us climb 1-2 positions on average over the next two months.
This strategy—optimizing metadata for marketing, not just SEO—wouldn’t have been on our radar had we not seen our competitors drive clicks with that.
Ishit Bhavsar
Sr. Digital Marketing Strategist, Radixweb
Discover Alternative Keywords Through Competitor Research
I use competitor analysis to identify bottom-of-the-funnel SEO keywords that I can’t find from doing discovery interviews with my client. Often, these keywords represent alternative words used to describe the same product or service, and my client just isn’t familiar with those terms, but a significant portion of their target audience is using those terms to search for products or services like theirs. One example comes from a client who provided website analytics software, focusing on “session recording tools.”
By conducting competitor analysis, I discovered the SEO keyword “record website visitors.” The search intent behind this phrase is essentially the same as for the search phrase “website session recording,” but since my client exclusively referred to their solution as a session recording tool, they weren’t aware of this alternate phrase. By creating new content optimized for the phrase “record website visitors,” we increased our visibility in search and converted new website visitors into free trial users.
Olivia Barrow
SEO Strategist, Olivia Barrow Communications
Acquire Expired Competitor-Linked Domains
Use a tool like SEMrush to analyze your competitor’s outbound links. Export the full list of domains they are linking to—this reveals the external domains your competitor is passing link equity to.
Next, extract up to 5,000 domain names from the list and input them into Namecheap’s domain search tool. You’ll likely discover that some of these domains have expired and are now available for purchase.
When you acquire one of these domains, set up a 301 redirect to a relevant page on your site—ideally a page that matches the original topic of the domain (similar content or theme). This ensures that the inbound links remain contextually relevant and pass maximum SEO value.
This tactic allows you to capture high-quality backlinks, effectively boosting your site’s authority and rankings—all while leveraging your competitor’s link profile to your advantage.
Eric St Cyr
SEO Leader, ProStar SEO
Enhance Content Structure for Better Rankings
One effective way I have used competitor analysis to improve SEO was by reviewing their top-performing blog posts to improve how we structure our own content. I noticed a competitor consistently outranked us for similar topics even though our posts were comprehensive. The difference was that their posts were easier to skim. They used clear subheadings, bullet points, short paragraphs, and strong calls to action.
I took one underperforming blog post of ours and restructured it based on what I learned. I added keyword-optimized H2 and H3 tags, broke down long paragraphs, included bullet lists for key takeaways, and added a short FAQ at the end. I also compared the keyword usage in their headings and matched the search intent more directly.
After making these changes, the post moved from position eleven to six within three weeks, and organic traffic to the page increased by 42%.
My advice is to avoid copying competitors and instead analyze why their content performs well. Look at how they format content, use keywords in their structure, and guide the reader. Often, improving content structure alone can boost rankings without needing to create anything new.
Sweety Kumari
SEO Specialists, Stratosphere
Target Competitor Keyword Gaps Strategically
One effective way we’ve used competitor analysis is by closely examining the content topics and keyword gaps of our top competitors. For instance, when working with a client in the custom clothing niche, we identified key long-tail keywords that competitors were ranking for but that our client’s site hadn’t targeted yet. By creating in-depth, targeted content around these gaps, we not only filled important content voids but also attracted highly relevant traffic. This approach led to an 18% increase in organic traffic within a few months and improved our client’s rankings on several valuable keywords.
This method benefits SEO performance by revealing untapped opportunities, allowing us to strategically align our content and keyword strategy where competition is lower but intent remains high.
Sheyne Branconnier
Owner & Marketing Director, Smile MEDIA
Boost Local SEO with Competitor Insights
One effective way I’ve used competitor analysis was during a local SEO campaign for a home cleaning service client. I noticed their top competitors consistently ranked in the Google 3-Pack, while our client didn’t, even though they had similar reviews and services.
Using tools like SEMrush and manual SERP audits, I discovered that competitors were earning high-quality local backlinks from neighborhood blogs, directories, and regional sponsorships. They were also structuring their service pages with more localized keywords like “apartment cleaning in [city]” rather than generic terms.
I revamped our client’s service pages with geo-targeted headings and content, then built a local backlink strategy that included getting them featured on a nearby home improvement blog and listed in a popular city directory.
Within six weeks, their local rankings jumped into the 3-Pack for their top keywords, and their organic traffic improved by 42%. This experience really reinforced how competitor research, done with the right intent, can uncover simple, high-impact opportunities that you might otherwise miss.
Neha Tiwari
SEO Analyst, RyseVisibility
Create Site Structure from Competitor Analysis
I’ve used competitor analysis for clients to create a site structure plan and a content roadmap. I first take a look to see what kind of subfolders they have for content and identify the best opportunities.
The structure depends on the industry and the competitor. Sometimes, the site structure subfolders look like /blog/, and sometimes, they look like /glossary/. Either way, I like to see the best options for grouping the pages of content to build a company’s E-E-A-T, and then do a key gap analysis. With that, we can prioritize the content by high-intent, medium-intent, and low-intent keywords. After that, we can build out our content runway and start competing with the competitor.
Lora Bovie
Director of SEO, Rising Fox SEO
Identify High-Performing Keywords from Competitors
One effective way I’ve used competitor analysis to improve SEO is by identifying high-performing keywords my competitors rank for, but I don’t. For example, I analyzed a top competitor’s blog content using tools like Ahrefs to uncover keywords driving traffic. I then created targeted, in-depth content around those keywords on my site.
This approach increased my organic search traffic by 35% over six months and helped my pages rank on the first page for several new keywords.
Ali Khan
SEO Strategist, Strategy Ladders
Fill Content Holes with Competitor Insights
To boost my SEO efforts, I did competitor analysis by finding content holes.
I looked at the top pages of a few competitors in my area and saw they were consistently writing about certain topics we hadn’t covered specifically, detailed “how-to” guides, and comparison articles. I used tools like Ahrefs and SEMrush to find the pages that generated the most organic traffic and which keywords they ranked for.
I wrote similar content but made it better by adding visuals, fresh data, and more instructions. Within a short time, those new pages began ranking on Google, which brought in consistent traffic and also increased the average time people spent on our site.
This didn’t just help our keyword rankings, it also allowed us to grab a share of the competitor’s audience.
Hanee Raza
Digital Marketer, Objects
Surpass Competitors by Addressing Overlooked Elements
The most effective competitor analysis doesn’t come from mimicking others—it comes from identifying what they’ve overlooked and capitalizing on it. I always look for strategic content or structural gaps that we can fill better, not just differently. This approach helps us build pages that serve real user intent more thoroughly, rather than just chasing what’s already ranking.
For example, while working with a U.S.-based urgent care group, we were being outranked by a smaller regional competitor on high-intent location-based terms like “urgent care near me.” On the surface, their pages didn’t have more content or stronger backlinks, but they were structured better for local engagement.
When we analyzed further, we noticed that although their pages were ranking, they lacked key conversion and trust-building elements—such as location-specific FAQs, staff information, or practical details like parking and hours. We took this insight and revamped our landing pages with a hyper-local approach: integrating real patient questions, embedding maps, adding review widgets, and writing content that mirrored how a provider would speak to a walk-in patient.
The result: A 34% increase in organic traffic and a noticeable improvement in appointment bookings from organic channels, especially in competitive metro areas.
Here’s what I suggest: Use your competitors as a benchmark, but build for your audience. The real wins come when you solve problems they haven’t even addressed yet.
Ram Thakur
Founder, Ryse Healthcare Marketing Agency
Analyze Top-Ranking Content Structure
The first step is researching which competitor or competitors are ranking for your top keywords that convert into sales and business. Keep in mind that these might not actually be direct business competitors, but they could be informational sites.
Next, take a look at the content on the pages that are ranking for your top keywords. Why is Google favoring this content? Examine the content structure, length, title, and user intent (is it a guide, how-to, review, etc.). Do they have multiple pages around the same topic (topical content hub)? Google seems to favor sites that are written about a specific topic as opposed to a one-off content piece. Consider how you can improve and answer the user’s intent better than they did. You don’t have to reinvent the wheel; look at what Google is favoring in the top spot for your keywords and simply optimize and improve upon it.
After that, you want to examine if there are specific backlinks that could be helping your competitors achieve that rank. Are you able to obtain those same quality links or better links to help push your content up?
To summarize, look at what’s ranking in the top spot on Google for your most profitable terms. Analyze those pages and competitors and don’t copy, but improve upon what they did, as that’s what is working. This is not a new strategy, but a tried and true approach that has always worked for me, as Google always changes, so it’s a repetitive process.
Stephen Barringer
Digital Brand Manager, InventHelp
Improve User Experience Based on Competitors
We work hard on our own SEO, understanding that a high-quality prospective client would logically search for and select an SEO agency based on who ranks higher.
For that reason, one effective strategy we have used is a Rory Sutherland technique called anti-benchmarking. By copying our competitors or trying to improve on what they’ve already done, we’re likely to restrict ourselves to remaining at a position below them on Google, because they did it first.
So, we anti-benchmark. We do the things they’re not doing; we add content to our own website that is more useful and offers less friction than theirs.
For example, while most competitors have a pop-up offering a free audit, we offer a whole page packed with video content, diagrams, and reviews. And rather than having a short name and email enquiry form, we have five sections that those wanting an audit need to fill out.
This strategy so far has maintained our position 1 rankings for “SEO Cardiff” and “SEO agency Cardiff,” which are our target terms.
Aled Nelmes
Founder & CEO, Lumen SEO
Anti-Benchmark to Outperform Competitors
One of the most useful ways I’ve applied competitor analysis to improve SEO was by shifting the focus from simply tracking keywords to really understanding user intent. A while ago, we had a page targeting the term “Google Data Studio templates.” It ranked okay—usually somewhere on page two—but it wasn’t driving much engagement or conversions. At first, we tried to fix that by tweaking the content and building a few more links. The results were minimal.
So I decided to take a closer look at the top-ranking competitors. Rather than just looking at what keywords they used, I paid more attention to how their pages were structured and what kind of experience they were offering. It became clear pretty quickly that the best-performing pages weren’t just blog posts. They offered practical, ready-to-use templates, interactive previews, and minimal friction to download. It wasn’t just about content—it was about usability.
This made me realize that people searching for “Google Data Studio templates” didn’t want to read a lot—they wanted to get hands-on. So, instead of trying to out-write the competition, we redesigned our approach. We created a cleaner, more action-oriented page with easy access to free templates, preview images, and short, practical descriptions. We also removed any barriers to download. No email gates—just direct value.
A few weeks after making these changes, the page climbed into the top three search results. But more importantly, engagement improved. Time on page increased, bounce rate dropped, and template downloads went up significantly. It became one of the highest-performing pages on our site—not because we did something revolutionary, but because we learned from what others were already doing well and adapted it in a way that made sense for our audience.
This experience was a good reminder that competitor analysis isn’t about copying—it’s about listening. If someone else is doing something better, it’s worth taking the time to understand why. Often, it’s not about who says the most, but who serves the user best.
Gabirjel Zelic
Senior Analyst and Data Studio Expert, MeasureMinds Group
