Competitor Analysis: Reverse Engineer Top Rankings

How to Find SEO Competitors

1. Google your main target keywords (5-10 keywords)
2. Note which sites appear repeatedly in top 10
3. Ignore mega-brands (Wikipedia, Amazon, major news sites)
4. Focus on sites with similar domain authority (within 20 points)
5. List 5-10 direct SEO competitors

Use SEMrush Organic Research

Step-by-step:

1. Enter your domain in SEMrush
2. Go to "Organic Research" > "Competitors"
3. See sites competing for same keywords
4. Focus on "Competitor Level" of 60%+

Top Competitor Keywords Report

Using Ahrefs:

1. Enter competitor domain in Site Explorer
2. Go to "Organic Keywords"
3. Sort by Traffic (shows highest-traffic keywords)
4. Filter for position 1-10 only
5. Export keywords you could also target

What to Look For

• Keywords with 100-1,000 monthly searches (easier to rank)
• Keywords you don't currently rank for
• Question-based keywords (often easier to rank)
• Commercial intent keywords that drive conversions
• Trending keywords gaining search volume

Analyzing Competitor Backlinks

Using Ahrefs Backlinks Report:

1. Enter competitor domain in Site Explorer
2. Go to "Backlinks" section
3. Filter: Dofollow, Domain Rating 30+
4. Sort by "Domain Rating" (highest first)
5. Note link types: guest posts, resource pages, mentions

Using Ahrefs Content Gap

1. Go to Site Explorer > Content Gap
2. Enter your domain in first field
3. Enter 2-4 competitor domains below
4. Select "Show keywords that all of the below targets rank for"
5. Click "Show keywords"
6. Sort by Volume or Keyword Difficulty

Example Results

If 3 competitors rank for "email marketing software for nonprofits" but you don't, that's a clear content gap to fill.

Action: Create comprehensive content targeting that keyword.

Set Up Rank Tracking

Tools to use:

• SEMrush Position Tracking: Track your keywords + competitor rankings side-by-side
• Ahrefs Rank Tracker: Monitor your position changes vs competitors
• Google Search Console: Free tracking of your own rankings

What to Monitor

• When competitors jump from position 5 to 1 (what did they change?)
• When they drop rankings (opportunity to overtake them)
• New pages they create that start ranking quickly
• Seasonal patterns in their rankings

Analyze Top-Ranking Pages

For each target keyword, analyze top 3-5 ranking competitor pages:

• Word Count: How long is their content?
• Content Depth: How comprehensive is it?
• Content Format: Lists, guides, comparisons, videos?
• Images/Media: How many visuals do they use?
• Internal Links: How many relevant internal links?
• Freshness: When was it last updated?

Create Better Content

The 10x Content Rule:

Your content should be 10x better than what currently ranks:

• More comprehensive (not just longer)
• Better organized with clear structure
• More up-to-date information
• Better visual design and media
• Unique insights or data they don't have