Four-Step Competitor Analysis Framework

Competitors have already tested what works. Rather than experimenting blindly, analyze their successes and replicate them. This four-step framework extracts actionable intelligence from any competitor’s site.

Step One: Traffic Source Analysis

Similarweb reveals traffic composition and trends. Check monthly visits, growth trajectory, and source distribution. High organic search percentages indicate strong SEO worth studying. Rising traffic to a new site suggests they’ve captured emerging demand.

Examine top pages specifically. Which URLs drive the most traffic? These pages represent proven demand. The topics and formats that work for them likely work for you.

Traffic source breakdown distinguishes brand strength from SEO performance from paid acquisition. Heavy direct traffic signals brand recognition. Heavy search traffic points to replicable SEO strategies.

Step Two: Keyword Matrix

Ahrefs and Semrush expose the keywords competitors rank for. Export their top keywords, sorted by traffic contribution. High volume and low difficulty combinations deserve immediate attention.

Run content gap analysis comparing your domain to competitors. Keywords they rank for that you don’t represent immediate opportunities. These gaps tell you exactly what content to create.

Calculate KD ROI: (search volume × CPC) / keyword difficulty. High CPC indicates commercial intent. Low difficulty means achievable ranking. The ratio identifies keywords worth pursuing first.

Step Three: Backlink Strategy

Export competitor backlink profiles. Identify the sources providing their link authority. Forums, directories, roundup posts, guest blogs: the source types suggest your own acquisition tactics.

Sites linking to multiple competitors matter most. They’re demonstrably willing to link in your niche without exclusive allegiance. Outreach to these “competitor agnostic” sites converts at higher rates than cold contacts.

Step Four: Monetization Model

BuiltWith reveals payment processors and ad networks. Stripe indicates direct sales. AdSense indicates display advertising. Payment stack exposes their revenue model.

Check pricing pages directly. Combine with traffic estimates to model their revenue. If they’re running paid ads consistently, those campaigns profit. Consider pursuing the same keywords they bid on.