Competitor SEO Audits That Show Exactly Why They Outrank You

75% of users never scroll past page one. If your competitors hold those positions, it's not random -- they're doing something specific that you're not. We reverse-engineer their strategies so you can close the gaps.

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75%

of search users never scroll past the first page of Google results

HubSpot, 2023

Competitor SEO Audit

In-depth analysis of your top competitors' SEO strategies including keyword targeting, content depth, backlink profiles, and technical infrastructure with gap-closure action plans.

What's Included

Everything you get with our Competitor SEO Audit

Keyword Gap Analysis

Complete comparison of your keyword rankings against each competitor -- identifying high-value keywords they rank for that you don't, and keywords where you rank but could overtake them.

Content Strategy Breakdown

Analysis of competitor content structure: how they organize topics, their content depth patterns, publishing frequency, and content types (guides, tools, videos) that earn them top positions.

Backlink Profile Comparison

Side-by-side comparison of referring domain counts, domain authority distribution, link velocity, and anchor text patterns across you and each competitor.

Technical Benchmark

Comparison of Core Web Vitals scores, site speed, mobile usability, schema implementation, and crawl efficiency between your site and each competitor.

How the Competitor Audit Works

Competitor Identification

We identify your true SERP competitors -- the sites that actually rank for your target keywords, which may differ from your business competitors. We select 3-5 competitors based on keyword overlap and SERP visibility.

Keyword Universe Mapping

We pull complete keyword rankings for you and each competitor, then layer them into a gap matrix showing: keywords only they rank for, keywords you both rank for (and who ranks higher), and keywords only you rank for.

Content and Link Deep Dive

For each competitor, we analyze their top-performing pages: content structure, word count patterns, internal linking approach, and which pages earn the most backlinks. We also map their link acquisition patterns over time.

Technical Comparison

We benchmark Core Web Vitals, page speed, mobile usability, schema markup coverage, and crawl efficiency across all competitors. This reveals technical advantages or disadvantages that affect competitive positioning.

Gap Prioritization and Action Plan

Every gap is scored by estimated traffic value and competitive difficulty. We deliver a prioritized plan: which keywords to target first, what content to create, which links to pursue, and which technical improvements to make.

Key Benefits

Identify Winnable Keyword Gaps

Not every competitor keyword is worth chasing. We filter gaps by search volume, keyword difficulty, and your domain's realistic ability to rank -- giving you a hit list of keywords where you can realistically win positions.

Reverse-Engineer Content That Ranks

See exactly what content structure, depth, and format your competitors use on their top-performing pages. Use these patterns to create content that meets the same quality signals Google rewards.

Find Their Link Sources

Every domain that links to a competitor but not to you is a potential outreach target. We provide ranked lists of these domains with contact-ready details and the specific content that earned each link.

Benchmark Technical Performance

See how your site speed, mobile experience, and technical health compare to each competitor. In tight SERPs, a half-second LCP advantage or better CLS score can be the tiebreaker.

Prioritize by Impact, Not Vanity

We rank every gap by estimated traffic value and competitive difficulty, so you invest effort in the areas with the highest likelihood of returning rankings and revenue.

Research & Evidence

Backed by industry research and proven results

Backlink Authority Gap

The #1 result in Google has 3.8x more backlinks than positions 2-10, meaning competitor link profiles are often the primary differentiator in contested SERPs.

Backlinko (2023)

Search-Driven Discovery

68% of online experiences begin with a search engine, making competitive positioning in organic results a primary determinant of market share.

BrightEdge (2023)

Content Coverage and Rankings

96.55% of pages get zero organic traffic -- but competitor pages that rank well share common patterns in content depth, keyword targeting, and topical authority that can be studied and replicated.

Ahrefs (2023)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who counts as a 'competitor' for this audit?

SERP competitors -- the sites that actually rank for the keywords you want to rank for. These often differ from your direct business competitors. A large media site or industry directory might be your biggest SERP competitor even though they don't sell what you sell. We identify competitors based on keyword overlap analysis, not assumptions.

How many competitors do you analyze?

Typically 3-5 competitors. This provides enough breadth to spot patterns (what multiple top-ranking sites do consistently) without diluting the analysis. If you have specific competitors you want included, we can accommodate that alongside our data-driven selections.

Can we really replicate a competitor's strategy?

You can't copy their backlinks or domain history, but you can adopt the structural patterns that work: their content depth, topic clustering approach, internal linking architecture, and schema implementation. The goal isn't to clone them -- it's to understand the minimum requirements for ranking in your SERPs and then exceed them with better execution.

How often should we run a competitor audit?

Annually for a full competitor audit. Between audits, we recommend quarterly keyword gap spot-checks to catch new competitors entering your space or existing competitors making significant content pushes. If a competitor suddenly jumps ahead of you for multiple target keywords, that's a signal to audit immediately.

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See What Your Competitors Know That You Don't

Get a data-driven breakdown of exactly why they outrank you -- and a prioritized plan to close every gap.