Carlos Silva · Senior Content Writer at Semrush · Source

How to Do an SEO Competitor Analysis

SEO Competitor Analysis Strategy
How to Do an SEO Competitor Analysis

Short Answer

SEO competitor analysis involves identifying who competes for your target keywords, analyzing their strategies, and using those insights to improve your own SEO approach.

How to Do an SEO Competitor Analysis

Understanding your competition is crucial for SEO success. Here’s a complete guide to competitor analysis.

Identifying Your Competitors

Primary Competitors

Sites that rank for the same keywords you want to target.

Secondary Competitors

Sites in your industry that may not compete for exact keywords but attract similar audiences.

What to Analyze

1. Keyword Strategy

  • What keywords are they ranking for?
  • What content drives their traffic?
  • Where are their keyword gaps?

2. Content Analysis

  • What type of content do they produce?
  • How often do they publish?
  • What formats perform best?
  • Who links to them?
  • What types of sites link of their content?
  • Are there link-building opportunities?

4. Technical SEO

  • Site speed and performance
  • Mobile optimization
  • Crawlability and structure

Tools for Competitor Analysis

Use tools like:

  • SEMrush
  • Ahrefs
  • Moz
  • SimilarWeb

Creating Your Action Plan

After analysis, identify:

  • Opportunities they’re missing
  • Content gaps you can fill
  • Keywords to target
  • Link-building strategies to pursue

This guide is based on SEMrush’s comprehensive competitive analysis methodology.

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Written by

Carlos Silva

Senior Content Writer at Semrush

Senior Content Writer at Semrush with 10+ years experience across in-house and agency roles. BA in Economics Management from Ohio Wesleyan University.

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