How to Do Competitor Analysis (A to Z) | Workexe

How to Do Competitor Analysis (A to Z)

Comprehensive competitor analysis is the cornerstone of your SEO strategy. In this guide, you'll find steps that will enable you to do a professional competitor analysis from scratch.

Introduction

What you'll learn in this guide:

Required tools:

Competitor Detection

1. Identify Your Direct Competitors

Manual Detection:

Automatic Detection with Workexe:
In the Competitor Analysis module:

SEO Modules > Competitor Analysis > Find Competitors
  1. Enter your target keywords
  2. Click "Analyze" button
  3. List sites appearing in top 10. If adding a new site, see New Site Strategy.

2. Competitor Categorization

Category 1: Direct Competitors

Category 2: Indirect Competitors

Category 3: Aspirational Competitors

3. Select Top 3-5 Competitors

Selection Criteria:

Keyword Analysis

Competitor Keyword Analysis with Workexe

Step 1: Add Competitor Domain

SEO Modules > Competitor Analysis > Add Competitor

Step 2: Review Keyword List

Competitor Keywords report opens:
- Total keyword count
- Organic traffic estimate
- Most valuable keywords
- Featured snippets

Keyword Categories

1. Branded Keywords

2. Commercial Keywords

3. Informational Keywords

4. Long-tail Keywords

Gap Analysis (Missing Keywords)

Keywords Competitor Has But You Don't:

Workexe > Competitor Analysis > Keyword Gap

Filtering:

Prioritization:

  1. High volume + low difficulty
  2. Competitor in 1-5, you're not
  3. High commercial intent

Backlink Analysis

Competitor Backlink Profile Review

Workexe Backlink Analysis:

SEO Modules > Backlink Analysis > Competitor Backlinks

Basic Metrics:

Valuable Backlink Sources

Filtering Criteria:

Source Types:

Link Building Opportunities

1. Missing Backlinks:
Competitor has, you don't → Potential opportunity

2. Easy Wins:

3. Outreach Strategy:

1. Find site owner (whois, LinkedIn)
2. Send personalized email
3. Present your value proposition
4. Follow-up email (7 days later)

Content Analysis

Content Inventory

Competitor Content Types:

Content Performance with Workexe:

Competitor Analysis > Top Pages

Content Quality Comparison

Evaluation Criteria:

1. Content Depth:

2. Content Freshness:

3. Multimedia Usage:

4. User Experience:

Content Opportunities

1. Content That Can Be Done Better:

2. Untouched Topics:

Technical Analysis

Site Structure Review

1. URL Structure:

2. Internal Linking Strategy:

3. Page Speed:

Test with Google PageSpeed Insights
- How fast do competitor sites load?
- How are Core Web Vitals scores?
- Faster or slower than you?

Technical SEO Check

Schema Markup:

Mobile Optimization:

Strategy Creation

SWOT Analysis

Strengths:

Weaknesses:

Opportunities:

Threats:

Action Plan

Short Term (1-3 Months):

  1. Target easy win keywords
  2. Acquire missing backlinks
  3. Copy and improve best content

Medium Term (3-6 Months):

  1. Expand content strategy
  2. Start link building campaign
  3. Technical SEO improvements

Long Term (6-12 Months):

  1. Build brand authority
  2. Thought leadership content
  3. PR work for industry leadership

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should competitor analysis be done?
Monthly analysis is recommended. Do interim analysis on important competitor moves.

How many competitors should I track?
3-5 main competitors are sufficient. Too many competitors complicates analysis.

Is it ethical to copy competitor strategy?
Understanding strategy and creating your own version is ethical. Not copying one-to-one.

What is the most important metric in competitor analysis?
There's no single metric. Keywords, backlinks, and content quality should be evaluated together.

For client reports see Custom Report Templates.

Next Step: Successfully start your new projects with New Site Strategy.