Running a competitive SEO audit is a vital step in evaluating your position against others in your industry. It lets you discover what’s working for your competitors and where you can improve to boost your rankings in search engines. Start by identifying your main competitors. These aren’t necessarily the biggest brands but the websites that rank well for the keywords you’re targeting. Leverage platforms such as Google Search or competitive intelligence software to discover which sites show up on the first page for your most important keywords.

After compiling your competitor list, analyze their on-site optimization. Look at their title tags, search result summaries, H1s, H2s, H3s, and the organic placement of keywords in their content. Take note of content length and structure. Do they incorporate bullet points, images, 横浜市のSEO対策会社 or videos? Is their content kept current? These details can provide insights about what search engines and users prefer.

Next, examine their link profile. Use backlink analysis tools to see what domains point to their site. Look at the authority and niche alignment of those linking domains. Do they come from trusted sources in your niche? Spot common sources. Do many links come from resource pages,.edu sites, or press releases? This can guide your own link building efforts.

Check their technical SEO health. Use tools to scan their site for issues like 404 errors, delayed rendering, or non-responsive design. Even small technical issues can hurt rankings, so if your competitors are fixing these, you should too. Also, look at their information architecture. Is it intuitive and logical? Do they have a well-defined URL structure?

Be sure to evaluate their content strategy. What topics are they covering that you’re not? Do they address pain points your audience has? Use tools like Answer the Public or SEMrush’s content gap feature to find keyword opportunities they’re ranking for that you’re missing.

Lastly, track their online community engagement. Are they engaging with followers? Do their posts get viral traction and meaningful responses? While social metrics don’t directly affect SEO, they often indicate high-quality, shareable material.

Keep track of all your findings in a SEO benchmarking document. Refresh it regularly to track their progress over time. Use this data to refine your SEO approach. Competitive SEO analysis isn’t about imitating competitors. It’s about gaining insights from their success so you can outperform them with better content, stronger backlinks, and a optimized, customer-centric platform.