Getting started with competitor analysis
This is one of those topics that looks small until it costs you something. A short on-ramp to competitor analysis for teams who have not touched it before.
Clear scope protects the client at least as much as it protects the agency. Budget a little time for it every quarter and it never becomes a project of its own.
Why this earns attention
Look for the gaps, not just for what to copy. Small and consistent beats large and occasional here. Check it against what you would want a competitor's site to get wrong.
Your first week
- Find out what is already in place
- Their weaknesses are your positioning
- Change one thing and measure it
Check what they rank for that you do not. None of that requires a large budget, only a decision and someone to own it. Budget a little time for it every quarter and it never becomes a project of its own.
How to tell if yours is fine
Strategy work is mostly deciding what not to do, and writing it down so it stays decided. Three things worth confirming about competitor analysis before you move on:
- Someone can say what the current setup is without going to look
- Their weaknesses are your positioning — and you know whether that is true here
- There is a way to tell whether the last change to this helped
Pick the one that would hurt most if it failed, and start there.