Competitive Research

Competitive research in SEO means, in a nutshell, stealing your competitors’ rankings and traffic.

Well, not exactly stealing.

But it does involve reverse-engineering what's working for your competitors, and using that information to your advantage!

Competitive research typically follows a few common lines of inquiry: identifying competitors, keyword research, content gap analysis, and backlink exploration . If you're not sure where to start when it comes to establishing your competitors, check out the True Competitor feature in Moz Pro, and start building your competitive strategy.

In addition, we've listed some companion resources on competitive research and analysis for SEO.

How to Do a Competitor Analysis for SEO : A terrific introduction to SEO competitive analysis with a free template to copy for your own campaigns.

The SEO Keyword Research Master Guide : An effective competitive research process starts with keywords, and this guide outlines a step-by-step process you can implement today to identify keyword opportunities.

Link Gap Analysis for SEO : Identify opportunities to increase your authority based on your competitors’ backlink strategy.

SEO Competitive Analysis Certification : Learn how to confidently build an SEO competitive analysis plan and get certified with this 6-part series. This certification combines on-demand video lessons with tasks and quizzes to affirm your understanding.

Most Recent Articles on Competitive Research

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Guide to SEO Competitor Analysis

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Competitive Advantage in a Commoditized Industry
Heather Physioc

Competitive Advantage in a Commoditized Industry

In a world where search companies are a dime a dozen and brands tout bland "unique selling propositions" that aren't unique at all, how can you avoid drowning in the sea of sameness? What are you doing that's any different from every other SEO firm? In this article, you'll learn how to find, activate, and articulate your competitive advantage. You’ll discover how to identify unique st...