Signs it is time to revisit competitor analysis

The version of this that works is simpler than the version most people imagine. A few signals that competitor analysis is due some attention.

Clear scope protects the client at least as much as it protects the agency. If two people in the business would answer this differently, that gap is the actual problem.

The signals

• Nobody can say when it was last reviewed
• The answer depends on who you ask
• Look for the gaps, not just for what to copy
• Their weaknesses are your positioning

What good looks like

Check what they rank for that you do not. Small and consistent beats large and occasional here. The failure mode is not doing it wrong, it is doing it once and assuming it stays done.

In practice

The projects that go badly are rarely the ones with the hardest technical problems. Three things worth confirming about competitor analysis before you move on:

• Someone can say what the current setup is without going to look
• Look for the gaps, not just for what to copy — and you know whether that is true here
• There is a way to tell whether the last change to this helped

If you want a second opinion on how yours is set up, ask.