Mastering SEO Competitor Analysis How to Outrank the Competition
                     Mastering SEO 
Competitor Analysis: 
How to Outrank the 
Competition
https://goodmanlantern.com/
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Search engine optimisation (SEO) rankings are the yardstick of online 
success. An appearance on the first page of search engine results means 
you’ve made it, and your content game plan is on point. Now, the 
challenge is maintaining a visible online presence and ensuring the 
competition doesn’t outrank you. 
A thorough SEO competitor analysis creates a roadmap to outperforming 
your rivals and strengthens your ranking. This will naturally 
lead to more organic traffic coming your way with solid leads to follow. 
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Understanding the Basics of an SEO 
Competitor Analysis
An SEO competitor analysis involves assessing the online 
presence, marketing strategies, and performance of your 
competitors in terms of search engine optimisation. By doing this, 
you’ll gain valuable insights into your ideal SEO approach and be 
able to adjust your content strategy accordingly. You’ll also 
confidently make well-informed decisions using backing evidence, 
with your search engine rankings escalating once you put the 
analysis to good use. 
An efficient SEO competitor analysis plays a vital role when it 
comes to creating a robust SEO strategy. Check out some of the 
ways it can level up your game plan.
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This would greatly benefit your business, but how do you find out who 
your competitors are? Start with some research. Plug relevant industry 
keywords into popular search engines and check out the pages in the 
results. 
Many tools and platforms are available to help you identify sites that 
rank well for your primary keywords. Now, you just have to keep your 
eye on the enemy by regularly monitoring their SEO strategies and 
performance, allowing you to remain competitive.
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Tools and Resources for Effective 
Competitor Analysis
   As we’ve mentioned, several SEO competitor analysis tools are 
available to assist you in optimising your content strategy. Your 
choice depends on your needs – these could range from keyword 
analysis to backlink research to technical SEO auditing. Here are 
a few top-rated applications:
 Google Analytics and Search Console: These are free with 
features that include performance in terms of Google results, 
website traffic tracking, and user behaviour analysis.
 SEMrush: This comprehensive tool is a hit with the digital 
marketing crowd and provides keyword research, site auditing, 
and competitor analysis features.
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 Ahrefs: Ahrefs has a robust backlink analysis feature and top-
tier keyword research capabilities. This professional-grade tool 
has an interface geared more towards experienced digital 
marketers.
 SpyFu: Specialising in SEO competitor analysis, SpyFu will show 
you the keywords your competitors rank for and those they’ve 
bought through paid search. It’s been praised for its intuitive and 
easy-to-navigate interface.
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How to Select the Right SEO Competitor 
Analysis Tool
   The best SEO analysis tool depends on your specific needs and 
goals. Consider these factors before selecting:
 What are your objectives?
    Define the specific data or insights you need that align with your 
goals and objectives in competitor analysis. Do you require 
customisation or flexibility? Ensure the tool will fulfil these needs.
 What’s your budget?
    Price structures vary across the range of SEO competitor 
analysis services. Consider the amount you’d like to invest, 
bearing in mind that the cost should correlate to the value the 
tool provides.
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 How user-friendly does it need to be?
   Certain tools are targeted toward professionals in the digital 
marketing arena and may be harder to navigate for the less 
experienced. Intuitive navigation and user-friendliness could save 
you time while ensuring accessibility for most of your team.
 Will it integrate and grow with your business?
    If you already have SEO tools in place, will the new tool be able 
to seamlessly integrate and communicate with your current 
toolbox? And in terms of scalability, will it grow as your business 
expands?
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  Will the company provide the support and training you 
need?
    The frustration of struggling to get through to IT support is real 
and detrimental to mental well-being. Consider the time and 
productivity lost if you can’t get that system glitch sorted out as 
soon as possible.
 How does the tool rate according to user reviews?
    Check out what others say about the SEO competitor analysis 
tool on reputable review sites. Forums like Gartner, Capterra, 
and G2 usually provide reliable insight into what users have to 
say.
   Choosing the perfect tool for your needs can significantly impact 
your SEO strategy. By carefully considering your budget and 
requirements, you could end up with an SEO competitor analysis 9
tool that gives you a competitive edge in your industry. 
Key Metrics and 
Factors to Analyse
Now that you’ve 
selected an SEO 
competitor analysis 
service, what exactly 
should you analyse? 
Have a look at the 
three basic elements 
you should consider 
evaluating.
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1. Domain Authority and Backlinks
    Developed by Moz, domain authority measures the strength and 
authority of a website’s domain name. It’s primarily determined 
by the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to a site and is 
ranked on a scale of 1-100.
    Backlinks are the inbound hyperlinks on other sites that lead 
visitors to your website. This is a fundamental element that can 
have a notable impact on your search rankings.
    Both these elements are critical to your SEO competitor analysis 
as they affect your search rankings, competitive positioning, and 
link-building strategies. 
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2. Content Strategy: Keywords, Quality 
and Relevance
   Valuable insights into your competitor’s content strategy will 
guide the approach of your digital marketing campaign. This is 
especially important when it comes to keywords, quality, and 
relevance. Consider the following:
 Keywords analysis:
 Identify high-performing keywords
 Discover keywords that are missing from your content
 Investigate your competitor’s use of long-tail/niche keywords
 Monitor their trending keywords 
 
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 Content quality:
 Take note of your competitor’s writing style, formatting, and 
depth of information
 Identify gaps in their content that will allow you to offer 
unique content
 Analyse their user engagement metrics. This could include 
the bounce rate, time on page, and social shares
 Pinpoint the content pieces that attract the most backlinks 
and referral traffic. Also, consider the number and quality of 
backlinks
 Observe their multimedia elements such as images, videos, 
etc.
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 Content relevance:
 Is the content relevant to your industry and target audience?
 Does the search intent behind certain keywords align with the 
content?
 Is the content regularly updated to keep up with the latest 
developments?
 Does the content target the local audience with location-
specific pieces and reviews.
   
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3. On-Page and Off-Page SEO Elements
   On-page and off-page SEO elements are pivotal to your 
comprehensive SEO marketing campaign. They relate to your 
rankings in search results as well as your digital presence. Here 
are a few examples of each and what you should look out 
 On-page elements:
 Keyword density in headings, body text, and meta tags
 Enticing page titles and meta descriptions
 Content structure with regards to header tags
 Mobile-friendly, seamless use for smart phones and tablets
 Loading speed and overall site performance
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 Off-page elements:
 Diverse referring domains with backlinks from authoritative 
and relevant resources
 Social media presence and engagement with users
 Online authority through brand mentions from other sites
 Competitor reviews and recommendations
 Media coverage through press releases and backlinks from 
news sources
 Affiliate and partnership programs
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Step-by-Step Guide to Conducting SEO 
Competitor Analysis
    Following a comprehensive, concise guide to analysing your 
competitor’s SEO strategy will ensure you won’t miss a thing. 
Here’s how we suggest you perform your analysis: 
   1. Identify Top Competitors in Your Niche
    Start by having a clear understanding of your niche and the 
products, services, and topics that relate to it. Conduct keyword 
research to find your primary keywords and use these in search 
engines to see the top-ranking websites that pop up consistently. 
You could also invest in one of the SEO competitor anal9ysis tools 
mentioned above to confirm your findings.
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2. Analyse Competitor Keywords and Ranking Strategies
SEO competitor analysis services will help you identify the high-
performing and long-tail keywords your competitors are successfully 
targeting. Now analyse these and consider the keywords for which 
your rivals rank and you don’t. Also, analyse their on-page and off-
page elements that contribute to their performance. This includes the 
quality of the content, backlinks, on-page optimisation, and technical 
SEO aspects.
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3. Understand Their Backlink Profile and Link-Building 
Strategies
Here, you want to investigate the quantity, quality, and diversity of their 
backlinks, especially those that originate from authoritative sources and 
those that are new to you. Analyse the anchor text in the backlinks – 
this will help you identify strong keywords and assist in your 
link-building strategy.
4. Assess Content Strategies and Identify Content Gaps
Evaluate the quality, relevance, and depth of information in your 
competitor’s content, focusing on high-performing items. By identifying 
the gaps in their content, you can fulfil a need and provide unique 
content that resonates with your target audience. As mentioned above, 
user engagement metrics will give you an idea of the content that is 19
most engaging and relevant to users.
5. Monitor Social Media 
Presence and 
Engagement
Thanks to streaming 
services, television 
marketing is not as 
effective as it used to 
be. Now, grabbing 
your audience’s 
attention means 
having a social media
 presence that 
entices and engages 
subscribers while 
encouraging them to 
like, share, and 
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comment on your 
content. 
Check out how often your competitors post and the type of content they 
offer. You can even invest in social listening tools to monitor online 
mentions and discussions about your competitor. It will also give you 
valuable insight into their online reputation.
SEO competitor analysis is not a once-off process. It requires constant 
monitoring to ensure you still have the competitive edge and that you’re 
leading the pack when it comes to new trends and developments.
Leveraging Insights for an Effective SEO Strategy
You’ve invested in an SEO competitor analysis tool, you’ve done your 
research, and, after your analysis, you have reams of data to consider. 
So, how do you use this to inform your content strategy? Read on to 
discover how. 21
Conclusion
   When it comes to SEO competitor analysis, you don’t want to be 
left in the dust while your rivals ride off into the sunset with your 
potential customers. A thorough analysis will result in a strong 
content strategy that will have you outperforming your 
competitors and gaining a leading edge in your industry.
    In essence, SEO competitor analysis will help you refine your 
content strategy and understand your position in the digital 
landscape. And with these insights, you can set realistic goals 
and create an action plan to get ahead of the competition.
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Follow Goodman Lantern’s helpful guide in assessing who your 
competition is, analysing their on-page and off-page elements, 
incorporating your findings into your strategy, and continuously 
monitoring and adjusting.
Feeling overwhelmed?
Leave it to us. At Goodman Lantern, we’ll implement your plan with 
our professional team of writers, editors, and content strategists. 
Along with levelling up your content game plan, we’ll provide an 
SEO audit of your online presence with recommendations.
Contact us today for assistance with your SEO competitor analysis. 
We’re here to help!
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THANK
YOU!
Goodman 
Lantern
Phone: Email: Website:
+1 9292993999 [email protected] https://goodmanlantern.c
om om/
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