Competitor Performance Analysis

Our Competitor Analysis tools help you visualize where you stand and identify opportunities to outrank your competition. This guide explains how to use these powerful features, even if you're not technically inclined.


The Competitor Bubble Chart is an interactive visualization that shows how your website compares to competitors based on two key metrics:

  1. Shared Keywords - How many keywords you and a competitor both rank for
  2. Average Position - The typical ranking position of the competitor's website

Understanding the Chart

  • X-axis (horizontal): Shows the number of shared keywords. The further right a bubble appears, the more keywords you share with that competitor.
  • Y-axis (vertical): Shows the average position. Lower numbers (toward the bottom right of the chart) mean better rankings (position 1 is the top of search results).
  • Bubble size: Represents the number of shared keywords - larger bubbles indicate more keyword overlap.

Each bubble represents a different competitor website. The most dangerous competitors are typically those in the upper-right quadrant - they rank better than average (lower position numbers) and share many keywords with you.


How to Use the Competitor Bubble Chart

  1. Select a search group from the dropdown (this is required)
  2. Optionally, filter by search engine (Google, Bing, etc.)

Filtering Options

  • Search Group: Select a specific group of keywords you've been tracking
  • Search Engine: Choose which search engine's data to analyze
  • Date Range: View data from different time periods (last 7, 30, or 90 days)

AI-Powered Competitor Analysis

This feature helps you understand not just where you stand against competitors, but why they might be outranking you and what you can do about it.

Running an AI Analysis

  1. Navigate to the Competitors page
  2. Select your search group and other filters
  3. Click the "AI Analysis" button
  4. Wait while our system:
    • Identifies your top competitors
    • Finds the most important shared keywords
    • Analyzes both your content and your competitors' content
    • Generates actionable insights

Understanding the Results

The AI analysis provides several detailed sections:

Individual Page Analysis

For each analyzed page (yours and competitors'), you'll see:

  • Page Overview: A summary of the content and its key messages
  • Search Intent & Customer Journey: How well the page matches user intent
  • Content Structure & Depth: How comprehensive and well-organized the content is
  • SEO Discoverability: How effectively the page is optimized for search engines
  • Content Gaps: What important information might be missing
  • Competitive Insights: Unique selling points compared to other pages

Aggregate Analysis

The system also provides an overall competitive analysis:

  • Pages Reviewed: A list of all URLs analyzed
  • Strengths Snapshot: What your pages do better than competitors and vice versa
  • Gap Analysis: Specific areas where competitors have an edge
  • Priority Action Plan: Ranked recommendations for improvement
  • Quick Win Checklist: Easy changes that can make an immediate difference
  • Content Strategy Recommendations: Longer-term suggestions for improvement

Keyword Overlap: Finding Competitive Opportunities

When you run an AI analysis, the system identifies the most important keywords that you share with competitors. These shared keywords represent your best opportunities to improve rankings.

How Keyword Overlap Works

  1. The system identifies your strongest competitors
  2. It finds keywords you both rank for
  3. It prioritizes these keywords based on:
    • Search volume (how many people search for the term)
    • Keyword difficulty (how hard it is to rank for)
    • Current rankings (yours and your competitors')

Why Keyword Overlap Matters

Shared keywords with competitors who rank better than you represent your best opportunities because:

  • You're already ranking for these terms (just not as well as competitors)
  • The terms are relevant to your business (since both you and competitors target them)
  • You can directly see what's working for higher-ranking sites

Taking Action Based on Competitor Analysis

Here's how to turn the analysis into concrete improvements:

Review Content Gaps

Pay special attention to the "Gap Analysis" section which highlights:

  • What competitors are doing better
  • How you compare currently
  • The potential impact of fixing these gaps
  • Specific suggestions for improvement

Implement Quick Wins

Start with the "Quick Win Checklist" items, which typically include:

  • Adding missing subtopics
  • Improving title and heading structure
  • Enhancing keyword usage
  • Adding relevant internal links
  • Improving calls to action

Develop a Content Strategy

Use the "Content Strategy Recommendations" to develop longer-term plans:

  • Better match search intent
  • Create content for different customer journey phases
  • Expand into related topic areas

Frequently Asked Questions

How often should I run a competitor analysis?

We recommend running a full competitor analysis monthly, or whenever you notice significant ranking changes. For ongoing monitoring, the competitor bubble chart can be viewed weekly.


What's the difference between "shared keywords" and "total keywords"?

"Shared keywords" are terms that both you and a specific competitor rank for. "Total keywords" would be all terms a website ranks for, whether you rank for them or not. Our tool focuses on shared keywords as they represent direct competitive opportunities.


Why do some competitors appear and disappear from the bubble chart?

The chart shows your top competitors based on current rankings. As rankings change, different competitors may become more or less relevant. This is normal and actually helps you focus on your most important competitors at any given time.


Can I export the competitor data?

Yes, you can export the data visualized in the bubble chart using the export function in the chart's menu (look for the dropdown or three-dot menu in the chart corner).

Glossary of Terms

  • Average Position: The typical ranking position of a website across multiple keywords
  • Shared Keywords: Search terms that both your site and a competitor rank for
  • Search Intent: The purpose behind a user's search query (informational, navigational, commercial, or transactional)
  • Customer Journey Phase: Where a user is in their buying process (awareness, consideration, decision, or retention)
  • Content Gap: Important information or topics missing from your content that competitors cover
  • Quick Win: A relatively easy change that can provide immediate benefits
  • Search Group: A set of related keywords you're tracking together

Conclusion

The Competitor Analysis tools provide valuable insights into your competitive landscape and actionable recommendations for improvement. By regularly analyzing your competitors and implementing the suggested changes, you can steadily improve your rankings and attract more organic traffic to your website.

Remember that SEO is a long-term strategy. While some changes may show quick results, the most significant improvements typically come from consistent effort over time, guided by data-driven insights like those provided by our Competitor Analysis tools.

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