What Local Businesses Can Learn from Competitor SEO Analysis
Whether you’re a small business owner in Philadelphia or running a chain across multiple locations, understanding the competitive landscape is key to building an effective SEO strategy. One of the most valuable but underutilized tools in local SEO is competitor analysis.
In this article, I’ll walk you through how you can use competitor SEO analysis to gain the upper hand in local search, providing you with actionable insights you can implement today.
Let’s dive into what your competitors’ SEO can teach you and how you can use that knowledge to boost your own local SEO efforts.
Why Competitor SEO Analysis Is Crucial for Local Businesses
Local SEO is all about capturing attention in your specific area. That means your competitors are going after the same pool of customers you are. By conducting a thorough competitor SEO analysis, you can:
Uncover hidden keyword opportunities your competitors are ranking for that you may have overlooked.
Identify gaps in their strategies where you can outperform them.
Improve your content and backlink strategy based on what’s working for them.
Understand local customer behavior by seeing what content and keywords your competitors are using to attract them.
Competitor SEO analysis isn’t about copying what your competitors do—it's about learning from their strengths and weaknesses and applying those insights to improve your own SEO performance.
1. Identify Your Top Competitors for SEO Analysis
The first step in conducting a successful competitor analysis is identifying who your competitors actually are. This can be a mix of businesses you already know and others who may be dominating search results without you realizing it.
Here’s how you can identify competitors:
Local Google Searches: Perform Google searches for keywords relevant to your business (e.g., “painter in Philadelphia ” or “best coffee shop in Fishtown”). Take note of the top-ranking businesses in both the organic search results and Google’s local 3-pack.
Use SEO Tools: Platforms like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz can help you discover your online competitors by showing you which businesses are ranking for the same keywords you want to target.
Google My Business Competitors: Analyze the businesses that appear alongside you on Google My Business (GMB) when users search for your type of services. These businesses are fighting for the same local customer base.
Once you have a list of competitors, prioritize those who are consistently outranking you or have a similar business model, as these will provide the most actionable insights.
2. Analyze Competitor Keywords
One of the most valuable parts of competitor analysis is uncovering which keywords your competitors are ranking for. This allows you to identify missed opportunities or areas where you can outshine them.
Leverage Competitor Keyword Data:
SEO Tools for Keyword Research: Tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush provide a treasure trove of data on your competitors’ top-performing keywords. You can see what keywords they’re ranking for, what content is driving traffic, and how difficult it might be to outrank them.
Focus on Localized Keywords: For local businesses, look at how competitors are targeting location-specific keywords. Pay attention to terms that include city names, neighborhoods, or hyper-local services (e.g., “cleaning service in Philadelphia”).
Identify Gaps and Opportunities: If a competitor is ranking for a keyword you’re not targeting, it’s worth considering whether it aligns with your business. For example, if a competitor is ranking for “affordable dog grooming in Philadelphia” and you offer a competitive price point, you may want to optimize your site for similar keywords.
Example: A local landscaping company could analyze a top competitor and discover they’re ranking for “seasonal lawn care tips in Philadelphia”, you could use this insight to create even more in-depth content around seasonal lawn care and promote it locally.
3. Evaluate Competitor Content Strategy
High-quality, optimized content is a significant driver of local SEO success. To outperform your competitors, you need to understand their content strategy and identify ways to create better, more valuable content.
Analyze Your Competitors’ Content:
What Topics Are They Covering? Look at the blog posts, guides, and service pages your competitors are creating. Are they addressing local customer pain points? Do they have content specific to their city or region?
How In-Depth Is Their Content? Are they producing long-form, detailed content, or are their pages thin with little useful information? If you notice gaps, there’s an opportunity for you to create more comprehensive content that meets user intent.
Is Their Content Optimized for Local SEO? Pay attention to how your competitors are using location-specific keywords in their content, URLs, meta titles, and descriptions. Look for opportunities to enhance your own local optimization efforts.
User Engagement: Use tools like BuzzSumo or social media platforms to gauge how well their content resonates with their audience. High engagement (shares, likes, comments) often indicates that the content is helpful, and you can learn from this to craft content that engages your audience similarly.
Example: Let’s say you own a yoga studio and find that a competitor is frequently posting content about “best stretches for back pain in Philadelphia.” If your studio offers classes focused on pain relief, you can create more in-depth content around this topic and add a local spin to improve your rankings.
4. Analyze Competitor Backlink Profiles
Backlinks are an essential component of SEO, and the quantity and quality of backlinks pointing to a competitor’s website can significantly impact their rankings. By studying your competitors' backlink profiles, you can identify potential linking opportunities for your business.
How to Leverage Competitor Backlinks:
Use Backlink Tools: Platforms like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Majestic allow you to analyze where your competitors’ backlinks are coming from. This can reveal high-authority websites or directories that are linking to them, which you can also target.
Local Backlink Opportunities: Focus on local backlinks from directories, news outlets, community blogs, or local event websites. If your competitors are earning backlinks from local organizations, you should aim to build relationships with those same entities.
Avoid Spammy Links: Competitor analysis can also help you spot poor-quality or spammy backlinks that may be hurting their SEO. Avoid replicating these low-value links and instead focus on high-authority, relevant backlinks that boost your credibility.
Example: If you own a local restaurant, you might find that a competitor has backlinks from local food bloggers or community sites like “Best Eats in Philadelphia.” Reach out to these same sources to get featured on their site, or partner with local influencers to promote your business.
5. Monitor Technical SEO and On-Page Optimization
Beyond content and backlinks, technical SEO plays a critical role in local search rankings. Competitor analysis can reveal technical areas where your competitors are excelling—and where you may need to step up your game.
Key Areas to Monitor:
Site Speed: A fast-loading site is critical for both user experience and SEO. Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights to see how your competitors' site performance compares to yours. Faster sites tend to rank higher, so make sure you’re keeping up.
Mobile Optimization: With mobile searches dominating local search queries, check how well your competitors’ sites are optimized for mobile devices. Ensure your site is responsive, fast, and provides an excellent user experience on all devices.
Local Schema Markup: Check if your competitors are using local schema markup (structured data) to improve how their business information is displayed in search results. If they’re using schema markup and you’re not, this is a quick-win opportunity to boost your visibility.
Example: A local dental office might find that competitors are using local schema markup to display their business address, phone number, and reviews directly in search results. Implementing schema markup on your own site could help you stand out in local search and improve click-through rates.
6. Track Competitor Reviews and Social Proof
Online reviews and social proof are key drivers of local SEO rankings and customer trust. Monitoring your competitors’ reviews can give you insights into their customer satisfaction and show areas where you can outperform them.
Leverage Competitor Reviews:
Monitor Review Sites: Look at the reviews your competitors are receiving on platforms like Google My Business, Yelp, and Facebook. What are customers praising them for? What complaints are common? Use this feedback to improve your own customer service and address any similar concerns.
Encourage Positive Reviews: If a competitor has more reviews than you, consider implementing a strategy to encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews. This can improve your social proof and drive higher rankings.
Respond to Reviews: Competitor analysis can also show how well they are responding to customer feedback. Businesses that actively engage with reviews (both positive and negative) often see better customer retention and improved SEO.
Gaining the SEO Edge Through Competitor Insights
Competitor SEO analysis is one of the most powerful tools you have for building a successful local SEO strategy. By learning from your competitors' successes and mistakes, you can refine your approach to drive better rankings, more traffic, and increased conversions.
At Dalmatian Digital, we specialize in helping local businesses like yours outshine the competition with tailored, data-driven SEO strategies. If you’re ready to take your SEO to the next level, reach out today for a free SEO audit, and let’s start out-ranking your competitors together!
Get in touch with Dalmatian Digital for expert guidance and a custom SEO plan designed to elevate your local business above the competition.