competitor-research

# SEO Content: Competitor Research

Guides competitor research for SEO, content, backlinks, and positioning. Use when planning content, auditing articles, building links, or evaluating market position.

**When invoking**: On **first use**, if helpful, open with 1–2 sentences on what this skill covers and why it matters, then provide the main output. On **subsequent use** or when the user asks to skip, go directly to the main output.

## Research Types

| Type | Purpose | Output |
|------|---------|--------|
| **Keyword/topic** | Topics competitors rank for; gaps | Keyword opportunities; content ideas |
| **Content** | Structure, length, gaps vs top rankers | Length target; H2 structure; content gaps |
| **Backlink** | Link profile; sites linking to competitors | Link gap; outreach targets |
| **Pricing** | Competitor pricing, positioning | Pricing context; differentiation |
| **SEO metrics** | Organic traffic, rankings vs competitors | Benchmark; opportunity areas |

## Competitor Keyword / Topic Analysis

| Method | Practice |
|--------|----------|
| **Reverse engineering** | Analyze competitor titles, H1, URL; identify topics they rank for |
| **SERP overlap** | Keywords with overlapping top-ranking pages → same cluster; #4–10 = opportunity |
| **site: operator** | `site:competitor.com` to see indexed pages |
| **Tool** | Ahrefs, Semrush—competitor keyword overlap, gap analysis |

**Output**: Keyword opportunities; topics competitors cover that you don't.

## Competitor Content Analysis

| Element | Check |
|---------|-------|
| **Word count** | Top 10 average; length target for your content |
| **H2 structure** | Topics covered; structure to adopt |
| **Content gaps** | What top rankers cover that you miss |
| **Keyword placement** | Primary keyword in title, H1, first 100 words |
| **Format** | Lists, tables, FAQ; match or improve |

**Use when**: Auditing or creating articles; see **article-page-generator** for Research Phase integration.

### Competitor Article Fetch Workflow (for Article Analysis)

When analyzing or auditing a single article, use this lightweight workflow to obtain competitor articles:

1. **Obtain URLs**: From user, project-context Section 11, or web search for `"[target keyword]"` to find top-ranking pages
2. **Fetch content**: Use mcp_web_fetch or WebSearch to fetch 2–3 top-ranking pages
3. **Analyze**: Word count, H2 structure, keyword placement, content gaps, CTA, schema
4. **Output**: Competitor URLs, brief structure comparison, content gaps, length target, keyword opportunities

**Output format**: Competitor URLs; word count and H2 structure per URL; content gaps vs your article; recommended length target; keyword opportunities (terms top rankers use that your article misses).

## Competitor Backlink Analysis

| Action | Purpose |
|--------|---------|
| **Compare profiles** | Your backlinks vs competitors |
| **Link gap** | Sites linking to competitors but not you |
| **Opportunity** | Outreach to those sites; content they might link to |

**Tools**: Ahrefs, Semrush—Link Intersect, competitor backlink reports. See **backlink-analysis**.

## Competitor Pricing

| Use | Practice |
|-----|----------|
| **Positioning** | Where you sit vs competitors |
| **Differentiation** | Value prop when price differs |
| **Alternatives pages** | Who to include; how to position |

See **pricing-strategy**, **alternatives-page-generator**.

## Data Sources

| Source | Use |
|--------|-----|
| **SimilarWeb** | Traffic, engagement, traffic sources by domain |
| **Ahrefs** | Competitor domains, backlinks, DR |
| **SEMrush** | Organic competitors, traffic share |
| **GA** | Referral traffic, acquisition by source |
| **PostHog** | Competitor feature usage (if tracked) |

## Report Workflow

1. **Parse** — Read Excel/CSV, infer domain, visits, traffic sources, etc. from headers
2. **Enrich** — Web search, visit competitor sites; read `project-context.md` if present
3. **Build** — Structure data for report
4. **Generate** — Output report in chosen format

## Output Format

- **Competitors** identified
- **Research type** (keyword, content, backlink, pricing)
- **Findings** (gaps, opportunities, benchmarks)
- **Recommendations** (content to create, links to pursue, positioning)

### Report Structure Reference

| Section | Content |
|---------|---------|
| Executive Summary | Key findings (top 3), top 3 recommendations |
| Competitor Overview | Competitor, category, market position, key strength |
| Product Comparison | Feature/capability vs Us vs Competitors |
| SWOT Analysis | Our strengths/weaknesses/opportunities/threats; competitor deep dives |
| Marketing & Messaging | Value prop, target audience, key channels |
| Gaps & Opportunities | Gap, opportunity, priority |
| Prioritized Recommendations | Recommendation, impact, effort, owner |

## Related Skills

- **keyword-research**: Competitor reverse; keyword discovery
- **article-page-generator**: Competitor article analysis in Research Phase
- **content-strategy**: Competitor analysis for topic mapping
- **content-optimization**: Competitor length and structure as reference
- **backlink-analysis**: Competitor backlink comparison; link gap
- **seo-monitoring**: Competitive comparison; organic vs competitors
- **alternatives-page-generator**: Competitor selection; comparison framing
- **migration-page-generator**: Competitor migration paths
- **pricing-strategy**: Competitor pricing context
- **affiliate-marketing**: Find affiliates promoting competitors
- **directories**: Competitor info for directory submissions