Competitor Analysis

Competitor Deep Analysis — Phase 1

Executive Summary

Competitor analysis is the intelligence layer that makes every subsequent phase actionable. Without knowing what the top-ranking competitors do, every recommendation is directionally blind. This phase profiles 3–5 competitors across 9 dimensions in enough depth that all subsequent phases can benchmark findings against real competitor data. Time investment: 45–90 minutes produces data that informs 20+ recommendations across the audit.

2025 competitive landscape shift: AI Overviews appear for 20–35% of local service queries — competitors who are cited by AIO have invisible traffic advantages that traditional ranking data doesn't show. This phase must audit AI visibility, not just organic rankings.

Tools for This Phase

Step 1: Read Project Context

Read {AUDIT_DIR}/intake-data.md — business name, URL, services, location, competitor list.

If competitors not provided in intake, use this 3-search identification protocol:

1. Google: [primary service] [city] → note top 3 local pack + top 3 non-directory organic
2. Google: best [service] [city] → cross-reference, add new names
3. Google: [service] [city] reviews → identify any additional local leaders

Confirm each competitor:

• Actually ranks for target keywords in target city (not a national brand with one page)
• Has a website (not just a GBP listing)
• Competes on primary services (not just adjacent services)

Present findings: "I've identified these top competitors: [list]. Please confirm or swap any."

Step 2: Analyze Each Competitor Across All 9 Dimensions

For 3–5 competitors, systematically research each dimension. Do NOT guess — verify with web search, page fetch, and public data tools.

Dimension 1: Business Profile

Dimension 2: Technical SEO Profile

CWV benchmarks (2025 — INP replaced FID March 2024):

Additional technical checks per competitor:

• HTTPS: valid SSL? ✅/❌
• Schema types (Google Rich Results Test): list all present
• URL structure: logical hierarchy? Keyword-inclusive slugs?
• Site architecture depth (service pages: 2-3 clicks from homepage = good)
• Mobile responsive: test at 375px viewport

Dimension 3: Content Strategy

For each competitor (Ahrefs → Site Explorer → Organic Pages → sort by traffic):

Content depth benchmark (2025 HCS standards):

• Service page < 800 words = substandard
• Service page 1,200–2,000 words = competitive
• Blog post < 1,200 words = thin
• Pillar blog 2,500+ words = authoritative

Dimension 4: Keyword Strategy

From Ahrefs/SEMrush → Site Explorer → Organic Keywords:

Dimension 5: Backlink & Authority Profile

Link building pattern analysis:

• Where do their links come from? (industry directories / local news / guest posts / partnerships)
• Authoritative niche links client doesn't have?
• Local citation depth (how many directories listed?)

Dimension 6: Local SEO Profile

GBP completeness benchmarks:

• 100+ photos = 1,065% more website clicks (Google data, 2024)
• Review count ≥ 50 + rating ≥ 4.5 = strong local pack signal
• 4.3+ stars required for local AIO citation (SparkToro 2025)

Dimension 7: AI Visibility (2025 Critical)

Test for each competitor across all AI platforms:

AI visibility test protocol:

Queries to test:
1. "Best [service] in [city]" (Google AIO + ChatGPT + Perplexity)
2. "[Competitor name] [city] — what are their services?" (Gemini + Perplexity)
3. "Who should I call for [problem] in [city]?" (ChatGPT + Google AIO)

Dimension 8: Social Media Presence

Qualitative assessment per competitor:

• Primary platform: [Facebook/Instagram/YouTube]
• Posts per month: [X]
• Estimated engagement: [High/Medium/Low]
• Before/after content: ✅/❌
• Reviews amplified on social: ✅/❌
• YouTube: channel size, video quality, embedded on website?

Dimension 9: SERP Feature Ownership

For top 10 shared target keywords:

Competitor Scorecard

Rate each competitor 1–10 per dimension. Use as benchmark throughout audit:

Competitive Intelligence Analysis

Gap Table (Competitor Advantages → Client Action)

Exploitable Opportunities (Client Stronger Than Competitors)

Areas where client has competitive advantage — amplify these:

1. [Strength]: [how to amplify aggressively]
2. [Strength]: [how to amplify aggressively]

Competitor Weaknesses to Exploit

Areas where ALL competitors are weak — first-mover advantage available:

1. [weakness]: [specific content/link/local opportunity]
2. [weakness]: [specific content/link/local opportunity]

Threats Assessment

What competitor advantages pose the biggest ranking risk?

Quick Wins from Competitor Research

Items that can be replicated from top competitors in < 30 days:

Priority Matrix

Output

Write complete profiles to {AUDIT_DIR}/competitor-profiles.md with YAML frontmatter:

---
skill: research/competitor-analysis
phase: 1
date: [YYYY-MM-DD]
business: [Business Name]
url: [URL]
score: N/A
competitors_analyzed: [X]
top_competitor: [name]
top_competitor_url: [url]
client_score: [X/90]
top_competitor_score: [X/90]
score_gap: [X]
---

Include:

• All 9 dimension tables (completed with real data — no placeholders)
• Competitor scorecard (client vs. all 3 competitors, /90 total)
• Gap table (top 10 gaps ordered by priority)
• Exploitable opportunities list (client strengths)
• Competitor weaknesses to exploit (first-mover opportunities)
• Threat assessment (risks to defend against)
• Quick wins list (top 5 replicable actions < 30 days)
• AI visibility comparison (AIO + ChatGPT + Perplexity per competitor)

This file is read by ALL 21 subsequent phases — every finding benchmarks against this data. Quality here multiplies throughout the entire audit.

Key consumers:

• All 21 phases — competitor data feeds every benchmark
• research/content-gaps — competitor content strategy informs gap analysis
• research/keyword-gaps — competitor organic keywords drive gap analysis
• cross-cutting/serp-trust-auditor — SERP feature ownership comparison
• cross-cutting/local-impact-auditor — GBP + local SEO competitor comparison