SEO Content: Competitor Research
Guides competitor research for SEO, content, backlinks, and positioning. Use when planning content, auditing articles, building links, or evaluating market position.
When invoking: On first use, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On subsequent use or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
Research Types
| Type |
Purpose |
Output |
| Keyword/topic |
Topics competitors rank for; gaps |
Keyword opportunities; content ideas |
| Content |
Structure, length, gaps vs top rankers |
Length target; H2 structure; content gaps |
| Backlink |
Link profile; sites linking to competitors |
Link gap; outreach targets |
| Pricing |
Competitor pricing, positioning |
Pricing context; differentiation |
| SEO metrics |
Organic traffic, rankings vs competitors |
Benchmark; opportunity areas |
Competitor Keyword / Topic Analysis
| Method |
Practice |
| Reverse engineering |
Analyze competitor titles, H1, URL; identify topics they rank for |
| SERP overlap |
Keywords with overlapping top-ranking pages → same cluster; #4–10 = opportunity |
| site: operator |
site:competitor.com to see indexed pages |
| Tool |
Ahrefs, Semrush—competitor keyword overlap, gap analysis |
Output: Keyword opportunities; topics competitors cover that you don't.
Competitor Content Analysis
| Element |
Check |
| Word count |
Top 10 average; length target for your content |
| H2 structure |
Topics covered; structure to adopt |
| Content gaps |
What top rankers cover that you miss |
| Keyword placement |
Primary keyword in title, H1, first 100 words |
| Format |
Lists, tables, FAQ; match or improve |
Use when: Auditing or creating articles; see article-page-generator for Research Phase integration.
Competitor Article Fetch Workflow (for Article Analysis)
When analyzing or auditing a single article, use this lightweight workflow to obtain competitor articles:
- Obtain URLs: From user, project-context Section 11, or web search for
"[target keyword]" to find top-ranking pages
- Fetch content: Use mcp_web_fetch or WebSearch to fetch 2–3 top-ranking pages
- Analyze: Word count, H2 structure, keyword placement, content gaps, CTA, schema
- Output: Competitor URLs, brief structure comparison, content gaps, length target, keyword opportunities
Output format: Competitor URLs; word count and H2 structure per URL; content gaps vs your article; recommended length target; keyword opportunities (terms top rankers use that your article misses).
Competitor Backlink Analysis
| Action |
Purpose |
| Compare profiles |
Your backlinks vs competitors |
| Link gap |
Sites linking to competitors but not you |
| Opportunity |
Outreach to those sites; content they might link to |
Tools: Ahrefs, Semrush—Link Intersect, competitor backlink reports. See backlink-analysis.
Competitor Pricing
| Use |
Practice |
| Positioning |
Where you sit vs competitors |
| Differentiation |
Value prop when price differs |
| Alternatives pages |
Who to include; how to position |
See pricing-strategy, alternatives-page-generator.
Data Sources
| Source |
Use |
| SimilarWeb |
Traffic, engagement, traffic sources by domain |
| Ahrefs |
Competitor domains, backlinks, DR |
| SEMrush |
Organic competitors, traffic share |
| GA |
Referral traffic, acquisition by source |
| PostHog |
Competitor feature usage (if tracked) |
Report Workflow
- Parse — Read Excel/CSV, infer domain, visits, traffic sources, etc. from headers
- Enrich — Web search, visit competitor sites; read
project-context.md if present
- Build — Structure data for report
- Generate — Output report in chosen format
Output Format
- Competitors identified
- Research type (keyword, content, backlink, pricing)
- Findings (gaps, opportunities, benchmarks)
- Recommendations (content to create, links to pursue, positioning)
Report Structure Reference
| Section |
Content |
| Executive Summary |
Key findings (top 3), top 3 recommendations |
| Competitor Overview |
Competitor, category, market position, key strength |
| Product Comparison |
Feature/capability vs Us vs Competitors |
| SWOT Analysis |
Our strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats; competitor deep dives |
| Marketing & Messaging |
Value prop, target audience, key channels |
| Gaps & Opportunities |
Gap, opportunity, priority |
| Prioritized Recommendations |
Recommendation, impact, effort, owner |
Related Skills
- keyword-research: Competitor reverse; keyword discovery
- article-page-generator: Competitor article analysis in Research Phase
- content-strategy: Competitor analysis for topic mapping
- content-optimization: Competitor length and structure as reference
- backlink-analysis: Competitor backlink comparison; link gap
- seo-monitoring: Competitive comparison; organic vs competitors
- alternatives-page-generator: Competitor selection; comparison framing
- migration-page-generator: Competitor migration paths
- pricing-strategy: Competitor pricing context
- affiliate-marketing: Find affiliates promoting competitors
- directories: Competitor info for directory submissions
1---
2name: competitor-research
3description: When the user wants to analyze competitors for SEO, content, backlinks, or positioning. Also use when the user mentions "competitor analysis," "competitor research," "competitor keywords," "competitor backlinks," "link gap," "content gap," "competitor content," "competitive analysis," or "competitor comparison." For content roadmap, use content-strategy.
4metadata:
5 version: 1.2.1
6---
7
8# SEO Content: Competitor Research
9
10Guides competitor research for SEO, content, backlinks, and positioning. Use when planning content, auditing articles, building links, or evaluating market position.
11
12**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.
13
14## Research Types
15
16| Type | Purpose | Output |
17|------|---------|--------|
18| **Keyword/topic** | Topics competitors rank for; gaps | Keyword opportunities; content ideas |
19| **Content** | Structure, length, gaps vs top rankers | Length target; H2 structure; content gaps |
20| **Backlink** | Link profile; sites linking to competitors | Link gap; outreach targets |
21| **Pricing** | Competitor pricing, positioning | Pricing context; differentiation |
22| **SEO metrics** | Organic traffic, rankings vs competitors | Benchmark; opportunity areas |
23
24## Competitor Keyword / Topic Analysis
25
26| Method | Practice |
27|--------|----------|
28| **Reverse engineering** | Analyze competitor titles, H1, URL; identify topics they rank for |
29| **SERP overlap** | Keywords with overlapping top-ranking pages → same cluster; #4–10 = opportunity |
30| **site: operator** | `site:competitor.com` to see indexed pages |
31| **Tool** | Ahrefs, Semrush—competitor keyword overlap, gap analysis |
32
33**Output**: Keyword opportunities; topics competitors cover that you don't.
34
35## Competitor Content Analysis
36
37| Element | Check |
38|---------|-------|
39| **Word count** | Top 10 average; length target for your content |
40| **H2 structure** | Topics covered; structure to adopt |
41| **Content gaps** | What top rankers cover that you miss |
42| **Keyword placement** | Primary keyword in title, H1, first 100 words |
43| **Format** | Lists, tables, FAQ; match or improve |
44
45**Use when**: Auditing or creating articles; see **article-page-generator** for Research Phase integration.
46
47### Competitor Article Fetch Workflow (for Article Analysis)
48
49When analyzing or auditing a single article, use this lightweight workflow to obtain competitor articles:
50
511. **Obtain URLs**: From user, project-context Section 11, or web search for `"[target keyword]"` to find top-ranking pages
522. **Fetch content**: Use mcp_web_fetch or WebSearch to fetch 2–3 top-ranking pages
533. **Analyze**: Word count, H2 structure, keyword placement, content gaps, CTA, schema
544. **Output**: Competitor URLs, brief structure comparison, content gaps, length target, keyword opportunities
55
56**Output format**: Competitor URLs; word count and H2 structure per URL; content gaps vs your article; recommended length target; keyword opportunities (terms top rankers use that your article misses).
57
58## Competitor Backlink Analysis
59
60| Action | Purpose |
61|--------|---------|
62| **Compare profiles** | Your backlinks vs competitors |
63| **Link gap** | Sites linking to competitors but not you |
64| **Opportunity** | Outreach to those sites; content they might link to |
65
66**Tools**: Ahrefs, Semrush—Link Intersect, competitor backlink reports. See **backlink-analysis**.
67
68## Competitor Pricing
69
70| Use | Practice |
71|-----|----------|
72| **Positioning** | Where you sit vs competitors |
73| **Differentiation** | Value prop when price differs |
74| **Alternatives pages** | Who to include; how to position |
75
76See **pricing-strategy**, **alternatives-page-generator**.
77
78## Data Sources
79
80| Source | Use |
81|--------|-----|
82| **SimilarWeb** | Traffic, engagement, traffic sources by domain |
83| **Ahrefs** | Competitor domains, backlinks, DR |
84| **SEMrush** | Organic competitors, traffic share |
85| **GA** | Referral traffic, acquisition by source |
86| **PostHog** | Competitor feature usage (if tracked) |
87
88## Report Workflow
89
901. **Parse** — Read Excel/CSV, infer domain, visits, traffic sources, etc. from headers
912. **Enrich** — Web search, visit competitor sites; read `project-context.md` if present
923. **Build** — Structure data for report
934. **Generate** — Output report in chosen format
94
95## Output Format
96
97- **Competitors** identified
98- **Research type** (keyword, content, backlink, pricing)
99- **Findings** (gaps, opportunities, benchmarks)
100- **Recommendations** (content to create, links to pursue, positioning)
101
102### Report Structure Reference
103
104| Section | Content |
105|---------|---------|
106| Executive Summary | Key findings (top 3), top 3 recommendations |
107| Competitor Overview | Competitor, category, market position, key strength |
108| Product Comparison | Feature/capability vs Us vs Competitors |
109| SWOT Analysis | Our strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats; competitor deep dives |
110| Marketing & Messaging | Value prop, target audience, key channels |
111| Gaps & Opportunities | Gap, opportunity, priority |
112| Prioritized Recommendations | Recommendation, impact, effort, owner |
113
114## Related Skills
115
116- **keyword-research**: Competitor reverse; keyword discovery
117- **article-page-generator**: Competitor article analysis in Research Phase
118- **content-strategy**: Competitor analysis for topic mapping
119- **content-optimization**: Competitor length and structure as reference
120- **backlink-analysis**: Competitor backlink comparison; link gap
121- **seo-monitoring**: Competitive comparison; organic vs competitors
122- **alternatives-page-generator**: Competitor selection; comparison framing
123- **migration-page-generator**: Competitor migration paths
124- **pricing-strategy**: Competitor pricing context
125- **affiliate-marketing**: Find affiliates promoting competitors
126- **directories**: Competitor info for directory submissions
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