Competitor SEO Analysis: How to Check and Compare Rivals' SEO

To check a competitor's SEO, search the queries you want to rank for, note which sites keep appearing, then compare their ranking pages with yours: page type and depth, titles, headings, structured data, speed, links and, for local businesses, their Google Business Profile. Finish by checking your own Search Console data and listing the gaps as actions. That is a competitor SEO analysis, and you can do all of it with free tools.

You don't need a paid suite to learn a lot, but you do need to be honest about what free tools can't see. This method fits into an afternoon and ends with a gap table that becomes your plan. If you're short on time, start with the checklist below.

Competitor SEO analysis checklist

Work through this for each of your three to five main search competitors. Each step is explained in more detail further down.

1. List 10 to 20 searches that bring you paying customers, and group them by topic.
2. Search each one on your country's Google in a private window and note the top organic results and the local pack.
3. Pick the three to five domains that appear most often, split into direct and content competitors.
4. Record the page type that ranks for each query: service page, guide, category, local page or tool.
5. Compare depth and trust signals: prices, steps, photos, reviews, named authors, accreditations.
6. Compare titles and meta descriptions with yours for the same query.
7. Compare heading outlines to find sub-topics you don't cover.
8. Check structured data on their pages and yours.
9. Scan their sitemap for whole groups of pages you're missing.
10. Compare mobile page speed for the ranking page and your equivalent.
11. Look at linking sites with free backlink tools and note local links you could also earn.
12. Compare Google Business Profiles if a local pack appears.
13. Check your own Search Console data for the same queries: position, ranking page and click-through rate.
14. Fill in a gap table with one concrete action per row, then recheck in a few weeks.

What a competitor SEO analysis can and can't tell you

A free analysis shows what ranks and how those pages are built, not how much traffic they get.

Third-party traffic numbers are modelled, not measured. Semrush, for example, describes its organic traffic figure as "a monthly estimate", calculated by multiplying the average click-through rate for a domain's positions by the monthly search volume of each keyword. Fine for rough comparisons, but the only real search data you'll see is your own.

Step 1: Find your real search competitors

Your business competitors and your search competitors are often different. A plumber in Leeds might think of two rival firms in the same postcode. On Google, the results for "boiler repair Leeds" might also include a national comparison site, a directory, a manufacturer's help page and a trade association guide. All of them are competing for the same clicks.

Pick 10 to 20 searches that matter

Write down the searches that would bring you paying customers. Mix three kinds:

1. Service plus place: "emergency electrician Sheffield", "wedding cakes Bristol".
2. Problem searches: "boiler losing pressure", "how much does a loft conversion cost".
3. Comparison or buying searches: "best accountant for sole traders", "cheap office cleaning Manchester".

If Search Console is connected, add queries where you get impressions but few clicks. Once you have a longer list, the free Keyword Grouping Tool sorts it into topic groups by shared words and search intent, so you can check competitors topic by topic rather than one keyword at a time. It groups by wording, not by live search results, so sense-check the bigger groups against Google.

Search them on Google, the right way

Search each query on your country's Google (google.com in the US, google.co.uk in the UK and so on) in a private window, and on your phone too. Note the top five or so organic results and the three businesses in the local pack (the map listings), if one appears.

Local results depend on where the searcher is. Google lists relevance, distance and prominence as the main factors in local ranking, and says it estimates a searcher's location if they don't share it. So the local pack you see at your desk may differ from what a customer sees across town. If you serve several areas, ask someone in each to search.

Build a short list

Log the results in a spreadsheet, one row per query. Three or four domains will keep turning up: those are your real search competitors. Split them into:

• Direct competitors: businesses selling what you sell, in your area.
• Content competitors: directories, publishers, comparison sites and national brands that rank for your topics but don't compete for the sale.

You can learn from both. You probably won't outrank a national directory for a broad term, but you might win the more specific searches it ignores.

Step 2: Study the pages that rank

Don't analyse a competitor's whole website. Analyse the specific page that ranks for each query. That page is the one Google has judged to be the best answer.

Content type and intent

Start with what kind of page it is. If the top results for "loft conversion cost" are all detailed guides with price ranges, a short sales page from you is unlikely to break in, however well optimised. Google is telling you what searchers want. Our guide to search intent explains how to read the results this way and what to do when your page type doesn't match.

For each ranking page, note:

• Page type: service page, guide, category page, local landing page, video, tool.
• Depth: does it answer the question fully, with prices, steps, photos or examples?
• Freshness: is there a visible date or recent information?
• Trust signals: named authors, accreditations, reviews, real photos of work, clear contact details.

Headings and structure

Headings show how a competitor has organised the topic. Run their URL through our free heading checker to see the H1 to H6 outline. If every ranking page has sections on cost, timescales and planning permission and yours doesn't, you've found a content gap.

Use their headings as a checklist of sub-topics searchers expect, not as text to copy.

Titles, descriptions and structured data

Next, check the snippet. The meta tag checker shows a page's title, meta description, canonical and robots tags. Do competitors lead with the service, the place, a price or a promise?

Then run the page through the schema markup validator. Local businesses often use LocalBusiness markup, and guides may use Article or FAQPage. Schema won't rank a weak page on its own, but if every competitor has valid markup and you have none, it's worth adding.

Site structure from the sitemap

A competitor's XML sitemap is a quick map of their site. Put their domain into the sitemap checker and look at what kinds of URLs they publish. One page per town, one per service, or a library of guides? That shows how they target searches, and whether you're missing whole groups of pages.

Treat sitemaps as a sample, not the full truth. Some sites don't have one, and some list pages that aren't indexed. A site:competitor.com search won't give you a complete count either. Google says the site: operator "doesn't necessarily return all the URLs that are indexed".

Page speed

Finally, run each ranking page and your own equivalent through the PageSpeed checker. Look for large differences, especially on mobile. Speed rarely decides rankings on its own, but a much slower page can lose the visitors who do click.

Step 3: Compare with your own Search Console data

Competitor research shows the outside of their site. Search Console shows the inside of yours.

In the Performance report, Google defines average position as "the average position of the topmost result from your site", and shows clicks, impressions and click-through rate for each query and page. For each query on your list, look up:

• Do you appear at all? No impressions means Google doesn't connect you with that search yet.
• Where do you sit? Positions around 8 to 20 are often the quickest wins, because a better page can move you onto page one.
• Which of your pages ranks? If Google shows your homepage for a service query, you probably need a dedicated page.
• Is your click-through rate low for your position? Your title and description may be weaker than the competitors' you just studied.

Our free Search Console dashboard pulls this together on every plan. It lists your top keywords and pages, flags quick wins in positions 8 to 20, and can track up to 50 keywords per site using Google's own daily average position, so you can see whether your changes work.

From the Starter plan, Keyword Opportunities goes a step further with the same data. It sorts your own Search Console queries into short lists: striking-distance keywords around positions 8 to 20, queries with a low click-through rate for their position, rising and falling queries, and question keywords, each with the page of yours that ranks. It only uses your own verified data, so it won't show a competitor's keywords, but it tells you which of the pages you just compared are closest to moving up.

Step 4: Check backlink signals with free tools

Links from other websites still matter. Google even says links from other sites count towards a business's prominence in local results. But free backlink data on competitors is limited, so use it for signals, not a full audit.

• Ahrefs' free Backlink Checker shows a snapshot for any domain or URL. Its own page lists the number of referring domains, number of backlinks, Domain Rating and Ahrefs Rank. The free version shows a limited set of results, not the full link profile you get in the paid product.
• A free Semrush account includes "10 reports per day across all vital tools" and one demo project, so you can look at a few competitors' backlink overviews before you run out for the day.

Look for local links you could also earn: the local paper, a business association, a supplier's stockist page, a club sponsorship or a trade body directory. Don't chase a competitor's link count, and remember that third-party scores like Domain Rating are each tool's own metric, not something Google uses. To see which of your own pages have already earned links, our Backlink Checker lists the links Bing has found to your verified site.

Our guide to checking backlinks for free covers the free options in more detail, including how to see your own links in Search Console and Bing Webmaster Tools.

Step 5: Compare Google Business Profiles (local businesses)

If the local pack appears for your searches, the Business Profiles in it are your most important competitors. Open each one and compare it with yours:

1. Primary category. Are they listed as "Plumber" while you're listed as "Heating contractor"? Categories describe what you do, so they're part of the business information Google uses to judge relevance.
2. Services and description. Have they listed every service and area they cover?
3. Reviews. How many, how recent, and do they reply? Google says "more reviews and positive ratings can help your business's local ranking".
4. Photos. Real photos of work, premises and staff, added regularly.
5. Opening hours and contact details. Complete, accurate and matching their website.
6. Website link. Does it point to a relevant page, such as a local landing page, rather than just the homepage?

You can't change distance, but you can close gaps in relevance and prominence. Our UK local SEO guide covers the rest of the local picture, including how to ask every customer for a review without breaking Google's rules.

Step 6: Build a gap table and action plan

Now bring it together. For each important query, write one row comparing the best-ranking competitor page with yours. Here's an example layout for a fictional heating engineer in Leeds:

Every row should end in a concrete action.

Prioritise

Start with high-impact, low-effort actions. Usually that means:

1. Fix mismatched page types first. If the wrong page of yours ranks, or none does, create the right one.
2. Improve pages already ranking in positions 8 to 20. Add the sub-topics competitors cover and you don't.
3. Tidy titles and descriptions where your click-through rate is low.
4. Close Business Profile gaps. Categories, services, photos and a steady flow of reviews.
5. Plan link-building around realistic local opportunities.

Then give changes a few weeks before judging them in Search Console.

Using Make It Flow for the technical comparison

If you want a side-by-side technical view, our Competitor Comparison, on the Pro and Agency plans, runs the same full audit on your site and one competitor's at the same moment. It compares the overall score and the scores for performance, SEO, security, email and DNS, marks which site wins each category, and lets you open either full report to see the checks behind the scores. It's useful for spotting technical gaps, such as slower mobile load times, missing meta tags or structured data, or a missing security header.

To be clear about its limits: it doesn't estimate a competitor's traffic, rankings, keywords or backlinks. It compares what can be checked publicly on both sites. For the search side, pair it with your own Search Console data and the manual steps above.

FAQ

How do I do a competitor analysis for SEO for free?

Search your 10 to 20 most important queries on your local Google in a private window, note which sites rank and which appear in the local pack, and pick the three or four that keep appearing. Study their ranking pages with free tools for headings, meta tags, schema, sitemaps and speed, compare with your Search Console data, then list the gaps.

How can I check a competitor's website SEO?

Open the page that ranks for your target search and check it the way you'd check your own: title and meta description, heading outline, structured data, canonical tag, mobile speed and how deep the content goes. Free single-page checkers handle each of those. For a side-by-side score across many checks at once, a competitor website audit compares both sites with the same tests.

Who are my SEO competitors?

Whoever ranks for the searches that bring you customers. That often includes directories, comparison sites, national brands and publishers, not just local businesses selling the same thing. Your search competitors can change from one query to the next, which is why you should check a range of searches rather than assume.

Can I see a competitor's website traffic for free?

Not their real traffic. Only the site owner sees genuine figures in Search Console or analytics. Third-party tools give modelled estimates based on rankings, search volumes and assumed click-through rates. Semrush, for example, describes its organic traffic figure as a monthly estimate. Use such figures for rough comparisons only.

How many competitors should I analyse?

Three to five is usually enough for a small business. Pick the domains that appear most often across your key searches, and include at least one direct local competitor. Going wider takes longer without adding much, because the same patterns tend to repeat across the ranking pages.

How often should I do SEO competitor research?

A full review every six to twelve months suits most small businesses, with a quick check of your key searches every month or two. Repeat it sooner if your rankings drop, a new competitor appears in the local pack, or you're planning new services or pages.

Is copying a competitor's content a good idea?

No. Copying text can cause duplicate content problems and won't give Google a reason to rank you above the original. Use competitors' pages to see which questions and sub-topics searchers expect, then answer them better with your own prices, photos, experience and local knowledge.

Related reading

• Estate Agent SEO: How UK Agents Win Local Searches Beyond the Portals: Estate agent SEO for UK agencies: local area pages that aren't doorways, what property schema can really do, portals vs your own site, and material information.
• Restaurant Website Checklist: 12 Things Every UK Restaurant Site Needs: A practical restaurant website checklist for UK venues: HTML menus, allergen info, prices, booking, Google Business Profile, Restaurant schema and QR menus.

Sources

• Google Business Profile Help: Tips to improve your local ranking on Google
• Search Console Help: Performance report (Search results)
• Google Search Central: site: search operator
• Semrush Knowledge Base: Semrush Rank and SE Traffic
• Semrush Knowledge Base: Subscription plans comparison
• Ahrefs: Free Backlink Checker