Search
Which searches they rank for and you don't, and the pages doing the work. From SEO tools and the results themselves.
Best for: Shows the searches you're missing, and the content gap behind them.
Competitor
analysis.
Competitor analysis is checking who shows up when your buyers search, what they say, what they spend on, and what their customers complain about, so you can find the gap instead of copying the leader. That second part matters. In one study of pricing decisions, over 40% of people gave up some of their own profit to beat or hurt a competitor when they were shown competitor information. I use competitor data to find what nobody is doing well, then build your plan around that.
Written by Dan Picken, founder. Last checked 30 October 2026.From my audits
What I see in
most competitor reports.
These are the patterns that come up most when businesses show me competitor research they've had done before.
- 1
Copying the biggest name
The plan is to do what the market leader does, a bit better. It rarely works, because buyers already have the leader.
- 2
Tool traffic treated as fact
Estimated traffic and 'keyword value' presented as if they were measured, then used to set budgets.
- 3
Only the websites checked
Homepages and service lists compared side by side, while their reviews, ads and search results go unread.
- 4
The wrong competitors
The businesses the owner thinks of as rivals, not the ones that actually show up when a buyer searches.
- 5
A list, not a decision
Forty pages of screenshots, and nothing that says what to do first.
What the research says
Watch them.
Don't chase them.
Looking at competitors is useful. Steering by them is where it goes wrong. Three findings shape how I do this work.
- 01
Beating them can cost you
Armstrong and Collopy found firms with competitor-focused goals like market share had lower returns over decades, and in lab tests people chose less profitable prices when told they could beat a rival.
What I do: Use competitors to find openings. Judge your own plan on your own profit, not on whether you beat them.
- 02
Buyers rarely see the difference
Ehrenberg-Bass research found most consumers don't see the brands they buy as very different from the alternatives. Even among Apple users, 77% didn't see it as unique.
What I do: Don't rest on a 'unique selling point' buyers can't see. Being easy to notice, remember and choose often matters more.
- 03
Tool numbers are estimates
When Screaming Frog tested traffic estimates for 25 sites against their real analytics, the tools were often well out, mostly guessing too low. It's an older test, but the lesson holds: these tools model, they don't measure.
What I do: Use SEO tools for direction and comparison, not as facts. Where Google gives real data, like auction insights, use that first.
Studies linked so you can read them. I'm a marketer, not an economist: my job is turning findings like these into a sharper plan.
Competitor gap grid
Find the gap.
Don't copy the leader.
Pick up to three competitors who show up for your main search. Tick what each of you has, from things a buyer can check in ten minutes. It sorts the list into gaps nobody fills, where you're behind, and your edge. The boxes start with an example.
| What a buyer sees | You | C1 | C2 | C3 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Google rating of 4.0 or moreCheck: Google Maps | ||||
| 50 or more Google reviewsCheck: Google Maps | ||||
| Replies to reviews, good and badCheck: Google Maps | ||||
| Prices or a price guide on the websiteCheck: Their website | ||||
| Book or get a quote onlineCheck: Their website | ||||
| A page for each main serviceCheck: Their website | ||||
| Answers the common questionsCheck: Their website | ||||
| A guarantee or a clear way outCheck: Their website | ||||
| Real photos of the team or the workCheck: Website, Google profile | ||||
| Running Google AdsCheck: Google Ads Transparency Center | ||||
| Running Facebook or Instagram adsCheck: Meta Ad Library | ||||
| Named by ChatGPT for your main searchCheck: Ask ChatGPT |
Checking ads: the Google Ads Transparency Center and the Meta Ad Library show what a business is running. Both are free.
Gaps nobody fills
Where you're behind
Your edge
Table stakes: everyone has it
What I look at
Five ways to see
a competitor.
Each one answers a different question. Together they show where you can win without spending more than them.
Paid ads
What they're running on Google, found in the Ads Transparency Center, and on Facebook and Instagram, found in the Meta Ad Library. If you advertise, Google's auction insights report shows who you compete with in the same auctions.
Best for: Shows what they're saying, how hard they're pushing, and where they're absent.
Reviews
What their customers praise and, more usefully, complain about, on Google and review sites.
Best for: Shows the worries the market has that nobody is answering.
Offer and website
Prices, guarantees, how easy it is to book or get a quote, and what their pages say first.
Best for: Shows where you can make choosing you easier.
AI answers
Who ChatGPT and Google's AI name for your main searches, and what they say about each business.
Best for: Shows who's winning the recommendation, and what those tools rely on.
How most competitor analysis works.
How I do it.
Most analysisHow I do it
Who countsThe names the owner worries about.Whoever actually shows up for your buyers' searches and AI answers.Search Relationship Mapping
SourcesTheir websites and an SEO tool.Search, ads, reviews, offers and AI answers, with real data first.
NumbersTool estimates presented as fact.Estimates labelled as estimates, measured data where it exists.
GoalDo what they do, better.Find what nobody is doing well.
OutputA long report of screenshots.The gaps, ranked, and what to do first.
How it works
Four steps.
Nothing hidden.
- 01
Free audit
I check your main searches and who actually shows up for them.
- 02
Pick the real competitors
Three to five businesses your buyers see, chosen from search and AI results, not guesswork.
- 03
Read them five ways
Search, paid ads, reviews, offer and website, and AI answers.
- 04
The gaps, ranked
What nobody is doing well, where you're behind, and what to do first. Short, and yours to keep.
What you get
- Who your real competitors are, from search and AI results
- The searches they rank for and you don't
- The ads they're running, and where they're absent
- What their customers complain about
- A gap grid: gaps nobody fills, where you're behind, your edge
- The first three moves, ranked by impact
- Direct access to me, start to finish
Signals this works on
Out of the 8 signals every page and ad sends.
- Relevance signal
- Message match
- Trust architecture
Questions
people ask.
What should a competitor analysis include?
Who actually shows up for your buyers' searches, what they rank for and advertise, what their customers complain about, how their offer compares, and what AI tools say about them. Then the part most skip: what to do first.
How can I see my competitors' ads?
For free. Google's Ads Transparency Center lets you look up ads an advertiser has run and where. The Meta Ad Library shows ads running on Facebook and Instagram. If you run Google Ads, auction insights shows who you compete with in the same auctions.
Can I bid on a competitor's brand name in Google Ads?
Google doesn't restrict trademarks as keywords, but it can restrict their use in ad text if the owner complains. Australian trade mark and consumer law still apply, so get advice before you do it, and never imply you're them.
Can I compare myself with a competitor in my ads?
Yes, if it's accurate. The ACCC says comparative advertising is allowed, but must not be misleading, for example by comparing against only one of their products or leaving out a discount they offer.
How accurate are SEO tools for competitor traffic?
They're estimates. In one older test against real analytics, the tools were often well out, mostly too low. Use them to compare and spot trends, not to set budgets.
How often should I check competitors?
A full look once or twice a year, and a quick check of their ads and reviews every quarter. More often than that, and you start steering by them.
Find the gap
they've left.
Takes a minute. Audits come back within 1 to 2 business days. For anything else, I'll get back to you as soon as possible.
What happens next
- 1I'll ask for read-only access, or just your website for a search audit.
- 2I go through it and write up the 3 biggest fixes.
- 3A 20-minute call to walk you through it. No pitch unless you ask.
Keep going