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When you want your business to stand out online, it’s not enough to just create good content. You have to make it better than what your competitors are already putting out there. That’s where competitive content analysis comes in. It helps you look at what others are doing, what’s working for them and what’s not, so you can build a content strategy that’s even stronger. 

Whether you're a business owner or a marketing leader, this guide will help you understand how to analyze your competition’s content, what tools to use, and how to turn those insights into real growth. We’ll break it down step by step in a way that’s easy to follow and packed with real value.

Here’s everything you need to know about using competitive content analysis to improve your marketing results.

What Is Competitive Content Analysis?

Competitive content analysis is the process of studying your competitors' online content to see what’s helping them rank in search engines and attract traffic. It involves reviewing their blog posts, landing pages, videos, service pages, and other content to understand which topics, formats, and keywords are performing best, and why. This process plays a critical role in shaping a smarter SEO content strategy.

You’re not copying what they do. You’re using data to find out:

• What topics they cover frequently
• Which keywords they rank for (and which ones they miss)
• How often they publish or update content
• How their content is structured and optimized
• Where they’re earning backlinks
• How well their content engages readers

Instead of guessing what kind of content to create next, you use this analysis to make smarter decisions, so you can outperform them with stronger, more useful content.

What Questions Does Competitive Content Analysis Answer?

• What’s already ranking on page one for your target keywords?
• What are your competitors doing that’s working?
• Where are they falling short (thin content, missing topics, weak calls to action)?
• What keywords or topics are they ignoring?
• How can you offer more helpful, relevant, or updated content?

This process shows you what’s missing in the current search landscape and where your brand can stand out. Many of these shifts are influenced by broader changes covered in SEO trends in 2026.

What Do You Look At During a Content Audit?

When analyzing a competitor’s content, focus on:

• Page Titles & Headlines: Do they speak to the searcher’s intent?
• Content Structure: Is it easy to skim? Are they using headers, bullet points, and visuals?
• Keywords: What primary and related keywords are they targeting?
• Content Depth: Are they covering the topic thoroughly, or just surface-level?
• Internal Links: Are they linking to other helpful resources or just listing services?
• External Backlinks: Are they earning links from trustworthy sites?
• Content Freshness: How often is the content updated?
• Conversion Elements: Are there clear CTAs, forms, or offers that drive action?

These elements directly affect engagement, rankings, and overall marketing effectiveness.

Furthermore, conducting a comprehensive SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) of your competitors' content strategy empowers you to identify white spaces and untapped niches within your industry landscape. By pinpointing areas of opportunity and potential vulnerabilities, you can strategically position your brand, differentiate your offerings, and seize the initiative in the competitive arena. This proactive approach not only enhances your visibility and relevance but also fosters sustainable growth and resilience in the face of evolving market dynamics. Some of the key factors to consider when analyzing competitive content for brand positioning are:

• Tone and Voice: Evaluate the tone and voice used in competitors' content to understand how they communicate with their audience.
• Visual Appeal: Assess the visual elements used in competitors' content, such as images, graphics, and videos, to determine their effectiveness in capturing audience attention.
• Interactive Elements: Look for interactive elements, such as quizzes, polls, and surveys, that competitors incorporate into their content to enhance engagement.
• Cross-Platform Consistency: Examine how consistent competitors' messaging and branding are across different platforms, including social media, websites, and email newsletters.
• Content Localization: Determine if competitors adapt their content for different regions or languages to effectively reach diverse audiences.
• Multimedia Integration: Assess the integration of multimedia elements, such as audio clips, animations, or virtual reality experiences, to enhance the overall content experience.
• Accessibility Features: Evaluate whether competitors' content is accessible to users with disabilities, such as providing alternative text for images or captions for videos.
• Content Depth and Breadth: Analyze the depth and breadth of topics covered in competitors' content to identify areas of expertise and potential gaps in knowledge.
• Collaboration and Partnerships: Look for collaborations or partnerships with influencers, industry experts, or other brands to enhance the credibility and reach of competitors' content.
• Ethical Considerations: Consider the ethical implications of competitors' content, such as accuracy, transparency, and adherence to industry regulations and standards.

By carefully analyzing these aspects of your competitors' content, you can gain valuable insights that inform your content strategy, helping you to create more impactful and engaging content that resonates with your audience and sets you apart from the competition.

What Makes This Different From a General Competitor Analysis?

While a general competitor analysis might focus on pricing, services, or branding, competitive content analysis focuses only on content and SEO.

It helps you build a content plan that targets real gaps in the market, rather than just repeating what’s already out there.

The average top-ranking blog post has over 1,400 words and covers multiple related questions. Over 90% of pages on the internet get no organic traffic at all, often because they don’t target keywords strategically or answer user intent. Google now favors helpful, experience-based content, not just keyword-heavy posts.

This means it’s not about writing more, it’s about writing better and more strategically than your competitors.

How do I know who my real competitors are? Search your top keywords in Google and look at who ranks on page one. Those are your search competitors, even if they’re not in your direct industry.

Can I do this without expensive tools? Yes. You can start by manually analyzing top-ranking pages and using free tools like:

• Ubersuggest (limited free searches)
• Google Search Console
• Keywords Everywhere (browser plugin)

Paid tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and SpyFu give deeper insights but aren’t required to get started. This shift aligns closely with changes in customer behavior analysis and how people interact with search results.

What if my competitors are already ranking well?

Even top-performing content usually has weak spots. Maybe the content is outdated. Maybe it doesn’t explain key steps clearly. Maybe it lacks visuals or skips over local context. Your job is to close those gaps and deliver something more complete.

Competitive content analysis gives you a clear view of what’s working for others so you can create something even more helpful. It’s one of the fastest ways to improve your SEO strategy, identify high-impact opportunities, and turn traffic into leads.

Why You Should Care About Content Analysis

If you don’t know what your competitors are doing, you might waste time creating content that doesn’t perform. Here’s why competitive content analysis matters:

• Only 19% of content marketers say they have a documented content strategy. If you're part of that group, you have a major advantage.
• Google’s AI and search systems now prioritize helpful, in-depth content over keyword stuffing.
• 60% of B2B marketers say their biggest challenge is producing content that drives results.

A smart content analysis can help solve all of this. It shows you what topics people care about, what type of content ranks best, and how to structure your content to beat what’s already out there.

How to Perform a Competitive Content Analysis

If you want your content to rank, convert, and outperform others in your space, you need to know what your competitors are doing, and how to do it better. That’s what competitive content analysis is all about. This step-by-step guide walks you through the process of analyzing your competition’s content and turning those insights into a smarter, stronger content strategy.

Step 1: Find the Right Competitors

Start by identifying who you’re really up against in search results, not just in your industry.

Look at Google Search Results

Search your top keywords (like “Miami SEO agency” or “Florida roofing contractor”) and take note of the websites that appear on the first page. These are your SEO competitors, even if you don’t compete with them in your local market.

Use SEO Tools for Deeper Insight

Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, and SpyFu can help you:

• See which keywords other sites rank for
• Discover overlapping topics
• Compare domain authority and backlink strength

Pro Tip: Focus on pages ranking for the same search intent (informational, transactional, etc.) as yours. That’s your real competition. This same approach applies whether you are analyzing national brands or local markets, such as those discussed in local SEO strategies.

Step 2: Compare Content Depth and Structure

It’s not just about how much your competitors write, it’s how they structure it.

What to Check:

• Word Count: The average first-page blog post is 1,500–2,000 words.
• Headings: Are they using H2s and H3s to break up content?
• Visuals: Do they include charts, videos, or infographics?
• FAQs: Are they answering common questions?

Question to Ask: Does the content make it easy for readers to find answers quickly?

If your competitor covers a topic in 800 words, and you can do it more thoroughly in 1,500 with examples and visuals, you have a strong chance of outranking them.

Step 3: Review Keyword Usage

Even with changing algorithms, keywords still matter. You just need to use them naturally and strategically.

Key Areas to Review:

• Page Title and Meta Description
• First 100 Words
• Header Tags
• Image Alt Text
• URL Slug

Also check for related keywords. Tools like Keywords Everywhere or the “People Also Ask” section in Google can help you identify supporting terms your content should include.

Stat: Content that ranks on page one typically ranks for 1,000+ other related keywords, not just the primary one.

Step 4: Spot Gaps in Topic Coverage

Even high-performing competitors miss things. That’s your chance to stand out.

Look for:

• Missing angles or subtopics
• Outdated content that hasn’t been refreshed
• Short posts that don’t go deep enough
• Missing internal links to related services

You can use this intel to create something better. If they missed a key question or didn’t explain a process well, you can fill that gap with detailed, helpful content.

Step 5: Check Engagement and User Experience

A page might look nice, but if users aren’t engaging with it, it won’t rank for long.

Metrics to Consider:

• Time on Page: Are users sticking around?
• Bounce Rate: Are they leaving too soon?
• CTA Clicks: Are visitors taking action?
• Load Speed: Does the page load in under 2.5 seconds?
• Mobile Friendliness: Is it easy to use on all devices?

Use tools like Google PageSpeed Insights, Hotjar, or Similarweb to review competitor performance.

Fact: Pages that load in under 2.5 seconds see 24% more engagement on average.

Step 6: Study Their Backlinks

Backlinks are a signal of trust and authority. The more high-quality sites that link to a competitor’s content, the more likely it is to rank.

Use Tools Like:

• Ahrefs
• Moz
• SEMrush

Check:

• Which of their pages are getting the most backlinks?
• Who is linking to them?
• Can you create better content and pitch it to those same sources?

Insight: Look for broken links on other sites that point to outdated competitor content. Offer your newer, better version as a replacement.

Step 7: Watch Their Publishing Frequency

Fresh content often ranks better. If your competitors publish more often than you, they have more chances to take up search space.

Watch:

• How often they publish new blog posts
• Whether they update old content
• How often they create seasonal or trend-based content

If they’re posting every week and you haven’t published in three months, it’s time to catch up.

Tip: Regular updates can help older posts maintain or regain rankings.

Step 8: Analyze Tone, Voice, and Trust

This is the part most businesses skip, but it can make all the difference.

Ask:

• Does their content feel human or robotic?
• Are they actually helping the reader, or just selling?
• Do they speak directly to their target audience’s pain points?
• Are they using real examples, client stories, or case studies?

At THAT Agency, we focus on writing for decision-makers like “Marketing Minded Matt” who value clarity, results, and real insights. If your competitor’s content feels generic, this is your opening to win on tone and trust.

Competition Monitoring: How to Stay Ahead Long-Term

Doing this once is helpful. Doing it consistently is how you stay ahead. That’s where competition monitoring comes in.

Here’s How to Keep an Eye on the Market:

• Set Google Alerts: Get notified when competitors publish new content.
• Track Rankings Weekly: Use Ahrefs or SEMrush to see when they gain or lose positions.
• Watch Their Socials: Are they promoting new offers? Launching campaigns? Engaging users?
• Monitor Site Changes: Use tools like Visualping or PageCrawl to track new service pages or updates.

Pro Tip: Build a spreadsheet to track competitor activity month-to-month. This helps you see patterns, shifts in strategy, and new opportunities before they gain traction. Our full breakdown of this process is covered in competition monitoring and competitive content analysis.

Real Example: Using Analysis to Outrank a National Brand

One of our clients, a Florida-based staffing agency, wanted to rank for “construction staffing Florida.” Their main competitor was a national company with a strong domain.

After our content audit, we found:

• The national company wasn’t localizing their pages
• Their articles lacked real employer insights
• They had outdated blog content with broken links

We wrote new pages with local keywords, added stats and FAQs specific to Florida, and built internal links across their site.

In 90 days, our client hit page one, and within 6 months, they took the top 3 spots for several high-value keywords.

Tools That Make Analysis Easier

Here are some tools you can use to speed up the process:

Make It Count!

Competitive content analysis helps you stop guessing and start planning. When you know what’s already out there, you can build something better, something more helpful, more relevant, and more likely to convert.

Pair that with ongoing competition monitoring, and you’ll always know where you stand, and how to improve.

Content without strategy is just noise. We help you create content that works hard for your business; every page, every post, every word.

Check out our SEO services to see how we turn content into a measurable, scalable advantage.