5
min read
A search competitor is a website appearing for queries important to your business. It may not be the company you usually consider your main rival.
Stores, aggregators, articles and services can appear together. Start with the user's question rather than a list of familiar brands.
Choose research queries
Group queries by purchase or service intent, choosing a solution, and a specific problem. Do not combine them into one ranking.
For example, “order a balcony cupboard” and “how to store things on a balcony” represent different tasks. The first needs ordering terms; the second needs explanations and organisational options.
Start with a small set of key journeys. Query tools can expand the list, but check relevance to your actual offer.
Record viewing conditions
Results vary with region, device, time and other factors. Record the date, search engine and research region.
Separate ads from organic results. Note maps, product listings and other features that can affect the journey.
One manual check does not establish a permanent position. Monitor rankings under comparable conditions when they matter to a decision.
Compare pages with the same purpose
Open specific results, not just homepages. Identify whether each page sells, explains, compares or directs.
If results are mostly guides, investigate the informational journey. Do not automatically replace a sales page with an article; first understand audience intent and the query's role.
What to investigate
Offer and terms
Check what visitors learn about prices, timing, scope and limitations. Record unanswered questions.
Do not copy advantages your business cannot substantiate. Find your own arguments and missing information.
Structure
Study sections, routes to individual services and connections between content. Consider different customer journeys.
If a competitor has separate pages for different tasks, check whether you have genuinely different offers. Avoid near-identical pages created only for queries.
Evidence
Case studies, photos, reviews and examples help people evaluate an offer. The substance matters more than merely having a section.
Choose real evidence for your page. A clear process can partly compensate for a small portfolio; fabricated results cannot.
Usability
Use the mobile site to find a service, read terms and send a request. Record concrete difficulties rather than simply saying the design looks old.
An external review cannot establish a competitor's conversion rate. You see the interface, not analytics or enquiry quality.
Turning observations into a plan
Frame tasks around visitor problems. For example: “We do not explain the measurements needed for an estimate. Add a list and example, then review enquiries.”
Assign each task a priority, owner and evaluation method. First fix obstacles to finding the offer or enquiring, then add supporting content.
Do not copy an entire leading site. Its product range, region, budget and promotion history may differ.
Conclusions you cannot draw
Appearance does not prove business success. Article count does not establish effective SEO. A long text does not prove that it caused a ranking.
A public page cannot reliably reveal exact ad spending or sales. Consider the methodology and limitations of third-party estimates.
A practical workflow
- Choose important query groups.
- Record viewing conditions and results.
- Select pages with similar purposes.
- Note useful answers and unanswered questions.
- Compare them with your own offer.
- Define several testable tasks.
- Monitor your website after making changes.
Frequently asked questions
How many competitors should I study?
Enough to identify recurring approaches and differences. Start with a few relevant sites and expand as needed.
Can I use a competitor's structure?
Study its logic, but build your structure around your services and audience. Do not copy text, images or other people's case studies.
Next step
Before development, we can start with queries and customer journeys. The deliverable will be a task list for your website, rather than a collection of competitors' pages.
