Competitive Analysis with Semrush: A Practical Guide
Understanding what your competitors are doing online can help you make better decisions about your own marketing. Semrush brings together tools for researching competitors’ search visibility, keywords, advertising and content. Used thoughtfully, it can help you spot opportunities, identify gaps and set more informed priorities.
This guide explains how to use Semrush for competitive analysis, what to look for in the data and how to turn your findings into an action plan.
What is competitive analysis?
Competitive analysis is the process of assessing other businesses that compete with you for customers, visibility or search traffic. In digital marketing, this might include reviewing:
- the keywords competitors rank for;
- the pages that attract organic search traffic;
- their paid search activity and advertising keywords;
- the websites linking to them;
- their content topics and publishing approach; and
- changes in their search visibility over time.
The aim is not to copy a competitor. It is to understand the market, learn what appears to be working and find areas where your business can offer something more useful or distinctive.
Why use Semrush for competitor research?
Semrush provides a range of research tools that can help marketers explore a competitor’s presence in search. Depending on your plan and the current product interface, these may include domain and keyword analysis, competitor comparisons, backlink research, position tracking and advertising research.
Bringing several types of information together can reveal a more complete picture than looking at rankings alone. For example, a competitor may rank well because it has strong pages, a broad backlink profile or a long-standing presence in a particular topic area. Semrush data can help you investigate these possibilities and decide what to examine further.
Choose the right competitors
Start by listing businesses that compete with you in the real world, then compare that list with the websites appearing in search results for your key products or services. These groups will overlap, but they will not always be identical.
A business that sells similar products may not be your strongest search competitor. A publisher, directory or specialist website could rank for the same queries and compete for your audience’s attention.
In Semrush, enter your domain and review the competitor or organic research data available. Look for websites that share a meaningful number of ranking keywords with you. Check each one manually before adding it to your analysis: make sure it targets a relevant audience and competes in a comparable market.
It is often useful to separate competitors into categories:
- Direct competitors: businesses offering similar products or services to the same audience.
- Search competitors: websites competing for the same keywords, even if they sell something different.
- Content competitors: publishers or organisations attracting attention around the topics your audience cares about.
Compare organic search visibility
Organic research tools can help you explore the keywords for which a competitor appears in search results, along with estimated traffic and ranking pages. Treat these figures as estimates rather than exact measurements: third-party tools model search activity and may differ from analytics data in your own website accounts.
When comparing domains, focus on patterns rather than a single headline number. Consider:
- which topics generate visibility for each competitor;
- whether their visibility is concentrated on a few pages or spread across many;
- which pages appear to attract the most search traffic;
- whether they rank for informational, commercial or transactional searches; and
- how their visibility changes over time.
A competitor with lower overall visibility may still be worth studying if it performs particularly well in a valuable product category or location.
Find keyword opportunities
Keyword gap or domain comparison features can show terms for which competitors rank but your website does not. This can provide a starting point for content and search optimisation research.
Before adding a keyword to your plan, assess whether it is genuinely relevant. Ask:
- Does the search reflect a need your business can meet?
- Does the searcher appear to be looking for information, comparing options or ready to take action?
- Can you create a page that answers the query more clearly or comprehensively?
- Is the term relevant to the products, services and locations you serve?
Prioritise useful opportunities, not just keywords with high estimated search volume. A smaller, specific query may be more valuable if it attracts people who are a good fit for your offer.
Analyse competitors’ top pages
Keywords show what people search for; landing pages show how a competitor tries to meet that need. Use organic research reports to identify pages with strong visibility, then review them directly.
Look at the page’s purpose, structure and usefulness. Does it provide a clear answer? Is it easy to navigate on a mobile device? Does it include original expertise, examples, pricing information or helpful next steps? Consider what could make your own page more accurate, relevant and useful—not merely longer.
Also check whether the page is designed to inform, generate leads or sell. This can help you understand the role it plays in the customer journey.
Review backlinks and authority signals
Backlink analysis tools can help you examine websites linking to competitors. These links may point to useful assets such as research, guides, tools or newsworthy announcements. They can also help you identify publications and organisations that cover your industry.
Do not treat every competitor backlink as a link-building target. Review the linking website and the context of the link. A relevant, editorially earned link may be more meaningful than a large number of unrelated links. Use competitor findings to identify opportunities to create genuinely valuable resources and build appropriate relationships.
Explore paid search activity
If paid search is part of your marketing mix, Semrush’s advertising research features may help you investigate competitors’ paid keywords, ad copy and landing pages where data is available.
Use this information to understand the language competitors test and the types of offers they promote. It can inform your own experiments, but it should not replace testing. An advert that appears in a tool does not reveal the competitor’s complete strategy, budget, conversion rate or profitability.
Track changes over time
A one-off snapshot can be misleading. Competitors may publish new content, adjust their websites or experience short-term ranking changes. Position tracking and regular reviews can help you see whether a trend is sustained.
Choose a manageable set of important keywords and track them consistently. Record significant changes alongside what happened on your own site, such as a content update or technical improvement. This makes it easier to distinguish meaningful patterns from normal fluctuations.
Turn the research into an action plan
Competitive analysis is only useful if it influences your decisions. Summarise your findings in a simple plan, with each opportunity linked to a clear action. For example:
- Keyword gap: assess whether an existing page should be improved or a new page created.
- Strong competitor page: identify what it answers well and where your business can add greater value.
- Relevant referring website: consider whether you have a suitable resource or story to share with its audience.
- Paid search message: use it as inspiration for a test, then measure your own results.
Prioritise actions by relevance, likely impact, effort and available evidence. Assign an owner and a review date so that research leads to practical work rather than a spreadsheet that is never revisited.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Copying competitors: their strategy may not suit your audience, resources or business goals.
- Taking estimates as exact figures: use Semrush data as directional research and compare it with your own analytics and search performance data.
- Chasing every keyword: relevance and intent matter more than a long list of terms.
- Ignoring the search results page: review the actual results to understand what kinds of pages and formats are being rewarded.
- Analysing too many competitors: begin with a small, relevant group and expand only when there is a clear reason.
- Forgetting your own strengths: competitor research should help you find a distinctive advantage, not erase it.
How often should you run a competitive analysis?
For many businesses, a detailed review every few months is a useful starting point, with lighter checks in between. The right frequency depends on how quickly your market changes, how often you publish and how important search is to your business. Revisit your competitor list when new businesses enter the market or search results change noticeably.
Frequently asked questions
Can Semrush identify all of my competitors?
No tool can provide a complete list in every situation. Semrush can help surface websites that overlap with you in search, but you should combine its findings with your knowledge of the market and your customers.
Is Semrush competitor data exact?
Many competitor metrics are estimates based on available data and modelling. They are useful for comparison and research, but should not be treated as a substitute for your own analytics, advertising accounts or business records.
What should a beginner analyse first?
Start with three to five relevant competitors. Compare their organic visibility, shared and missing keywords, and most visible pages. Then choose a small number of opportunities that match your business goals.
Conclusion
Semrush can make competitive analysis more structured by helping you explore search visibility, keyword gaps, landing pages, backlinks and paid search activity. Its greatest value comes from combining those insights with careful judgement. Verify what matters, focus on your audience and use the findings to create a clearer, more useful experience than the alternatives.
Top 8 FAQs on Conducting Competitive Analysis with Semrush for SEO Success
- How to do competitive analysis for SEO?
- What is Semrush analysis?
- What is competitive analysis for SEO?
- What is competitive analysis in SEO?
- How to do an SEO competitive analysis?
- How do social media competitors analyze on Semrush?
- How do you do a competitor analysis on Semrush?
- Can ChatGPT do a competitor analysis?
How to do competitive analysis for SEO?
To carry out competitive analysis for SEO with Semrush, identify websites that compete with yours in search results, then compare their organic keywords, rankings and top-performing pages with your own. Use the Keyword Gap tool to find relevant search terms they rank for that you do not, and review those results to understand search intent and content opportunities. You can also examine competitors’ backlinks and track important keywords over time. Treat Semrush metrics as estimates, check the actual search results, and prioritise opportunities that fit your audience and business goals rather than simply copying competitors.
What is Semrush analysis?
Semrush analysis is the process of using Semrush’s digital marketing tools to assess a website’s search visibility, keywords, backlinks, content and paid advertising. It can help you understand how your site performs, compare it with competitors and identify opportunities to improve your online strategy. The figures are estimates, so it’s best to use them as a guide alongside your own website analytics and business data.
What is competitive analysis for SEO?
Competitive analysis for SEO is the process of examining websites that compete with yours in search results to understand how they attract organic visibility. It can involve comparing their keyword rankings, content, high-performing pages and backlinks with your own, then using those insights to identify relevant opportunities and gaps. Tools such as Semrush can help organise this research, but the figures are estimates and should be considered alongside your own data and knowledge of your audience. The goal is not to copy competitors, but to create more useful, relevant content and strengthen your SEO strategy.
What is competitive analysis in SEO?
Competitive analysis in SEO is the process of examining other websites that compete with yours in search results. It involves comparing factors such as the keywords they rank for, the pages attracting organic traffic, their backlink profiles and the content they publish. The aim is to understand where competitors are visible, identify relevant gaps or opportunities, and use those insights to improve your own SEO strategy—not simply to copy what others are doing.
How to do an SEO competitive analysis?
To do an SEO competitive analysis with Semrush, identify a small group of genuine search competitors and compare their organic visibility, ranking keywords and top-performing pages with your own. Use the Keyword Gap tool to find relevant terms they rank for that you do not, and review their backlink profiles to spot credible websites and content opportunities. Check the search results and competitor pages yourself to understand what searchers need and where you could provide more value. Treat Semrush metrics as estimates, prioritise opportunities that fit your business goals, and turn your findings into a focused plan for improving existing pages or creating useful new content.
How do social media competitors analyze on Semrush?
To analyse social media competitors with Semrush, use its Social Tracker to add your profiles and those of selected competitors, then compare their audience growth, posting activity and engagement across supported networks. Review which posts attract the strongest response and look for patterns in topics, formats and publishing frequency. Treat the figures as estimates and use them to inform your own social media strategy rather than simply copying competitors.
How do you do a competitor analysis on Semrush?
To analyse a competitor in Semrush, enter their website domain into the relevant research tool, such as Domain Overview or Organic Research, to review estimated search visibility, ranking keywords and top-performing pages. Use the Competitors report to find other sites that overlap in search, then compare domains with Keyword Gap to uncover relevant terms they rank for that you do not. You can also review their backlinks and, where relevant, paid search activity. Treat the figures as estimates, check the actual pages and search results, and prioritise findings that fit your audience and business goals.
Can ChatGPT do a competitor analysis?
Yes, ChatGPT can help with competitor analysis by organising information, comparing messaging, summarising public material and suggesting questions or opportunities to investigate. For a more reliable assessment, provide current, relevant sources—such as competitor websites, reports or Semrush exports—and check any conclusions against the original data. ChatGPT cannot independently guarantee complete or up-to-date market information, so treat its findings as a starting point rather than a substitute for verification and expert judgement.
