Competitor Analysis Methods for Better Business Decisions
A structured research method helps businesses collect reliable information about competitors, markets and customer behaviour. This guide explains how to plan research, gather evidence and assess findings that support informed decisions.
Competitor Research isn’t the be-all and end-all of your success. But if you had to make a list of the top ten ways to make your company a success, it would be right up there in the top three.
I try to say that competitor research is essential, but I don’t obsess about it. Never react to a competitor’s move without sleeping on it and asking why they have done what they did. But you’ll be in a better position than 60% of your industry by actually knowing about it. Get a Competitor Research agency like ourselves to obsess for you. That way, you could understand what they will do next before they do it.
How should you analyse competitor information?
Competitor research analysis starts by gathering reliable evidence and grouping it around a clear business question. Analysts then compare sources, find patterns, test assumptions and explain what the findings mean.
Just knowing what they do is not enough
Whatever you do, there are companies out there offering something similar to you. And in an increasingly crowded marketplace, you need as much foresight to gain an edge. But just knowing what they do is not enough.
With new technology platforms, you can learn more about your competition.
Software
So, find your Competitive Intelligence software provider. Give them a couple of thousand of your hard-earned pounds or dollars. Sit back. And watch all the Competitor Research Intelligence come rolling onto your desktop. If only life is so simple. As we stand now and for the foreseeable, all you get is a lot of data. Sorted data sometimes but rarely Intelligence. Unless you need to know your Competitor has changed the colour on its website, you need human input. You need the “so what’s” and the “why’s that”.
Consistency is key
To stay ahead, it’s imperative to conduct Competitor Research consistently. (Or whatever you call it. From Competitor Analysis, Competitor Intelligence or Competitive Intelligence). Marketers and business owners can know more about their competition than ever before. It is imperative to conduct Competitive Analysis to stay one step ahead regularly.
Why Competitor Analysis Needs Good Evidence
Competitor research (or Competitive Intelligence) collects information about competitors and then collates and analyses the results. It’s just collecting public information and collating data from various accessible databases, such as Dun & Bradstreet, Experian, Mintell, Gartner, PR Newswire, and industry magazines. The more money you have in your budget, the more access you have to databases. But beware: the more data available, the lazier you will be. Think you have the answer right away without any digging.
Some projects need information that desk research cannot provide. Octopus Intelligence can research competitors through human-led primary research and published sources when a business needs an independent answer.
However, the more in-depth analysis you go, the more insight you get—all from desk research.
Find your top eight
Do you know who your eight key competitors are? If you sell online, you compete with dozens or thousands of companies. Companies all over the world are looking for your prospects and customers. You will likely be able to list your competitors quickly and why they are rubbish. But what’s your list based on? And what’s your opinion on them? Facts with evidence or rumour and opinion? Third-party opinions? And you really need to ask if they are the right competitors.
Start with a Google search of the types of products and services you provide. You will find that not all the people you thought were your competitors will show up. A few may even surprise you. You can also use SEO tools like SEMRush or Ubersuggest. They let you search by keywords and phrases and check their ranking compared to you. They will show you other competitors and perhaps how they are beating you online.
Compare competitor content
Once you’ve decided who your competitors are, you can start competitor research. To dig a little deeper to find out what they are telling the world about their offerings and themselves. What content are they publishing? How are they describing themselves through tone of voice?
Looking at what they are writing will create opportunities to outperform them. Determine what they are offering in terms of content. Is it just a blog with a few pictures, or is it case studies, special reports, white papers, etc.? What do they give away? Are they open about their product specification? Do you have to enter your email to view content? Do they have a newsletter to sign up for? Are they fans of video presentations or podcasting?
Do they post new content frequently? Do they update what they already have? Understanding what topics are important to them and their customers is wise.
What is your content’s quality, and how does it compare to your offering? Is there anything they are doing they are not??
You also need to determine if the leads they generate result from their content.
Look at their blog and see how often a competitor publishes. Suppose they write an article every other day and generate interest. In that case, you must write more than them, making your topics even more relevant to potential customers and, most importantly, better than theirs.
Next, look at their blog.
Analyse their SEO
If you have a blog, you need to understand how important SEO is. Competitive Analysis must include your competitors’ SEO strategy.
It’s not the case of stuffing unrelated to the content keywords into your article CI. Like us with Competitive intelligence, Market Analysis, Competitor Analysis, Corporate Investigations, Commercial Intelligence, Market Intelligence, Competitor Research, competitors analysis, Analysis of competitors, etc. :-)
You have to beat them at their own game. If they outrank you for some articles, find out what they are talking about and write better articles on that subject.
- Are they using featured snippets?
- Are their page titles tight and well-controlled SEO?
- Do they link well to their pages?
- Do they have any broken pages?
Where are the holes in their SEO strategy? There will be some. You just have to find them. We know it takes a lot of time to keep up with SEO.
Several websites can help businesses identify their direct competitors. Here are a few examples:
- SimilarWeb: This website provides businesses with insights on website traffic, audience demographics, and competitor activity. It can help businesses identify their top competitors and analyze their digital marketing strategies.
- SEMRush: This website provides competitive research data on organic and paid search traffic, backlinks, and keyword rankings. It can help businesses identify their online competitors and analyze their search engine marketing strategies.
- Alexa: This website provides businesses with data on website traffic, engagement, and audience demographics. It can help businesses identify their direct competitors and analyze their website performance.
- Crunchbase: This website provides businesses with data on competitors, investors, and funding rounds. It can help businesses identify their industry competitors and analyze their funding and investment strategies.
- Hoovers: This website provides businesses with data on industry analysis, competitors, and market research. It can help companies to identify their direct competitors and analyze their financial performance
In addition to SEO websites, there are several other ways to identify your competitors:
- Industry Associations: Many industries have associations that provide information on industry trends, market research, and member directories. These can be useful resources for identifying competitors and understanding industry dynamics.
- Trade Shows and Conferences: Attending trade shows and conferences can be a great way to network with industry peers and identify competitors. Exhibitor lists and attendee directories can provide valuable information on companies in your industry.
- Social Media: Social media platforms can be a great source of information on competitors. You can gain insights into their marketing strategies and customer engagement by following industry influencers and engaging with competitors’ social media accounts.
- Customer Feedback: Listening to customer feedback can provide insights into competitors. By understanding why customers choose your competitors over your brand, you can identify areas for improvement and develop more effective marketing strategies.
- Online Directories: Online directories, such as Yellow Pages and Yelp, can provide information on competitors in your local area. These directories can help you identify businesses that offer products or services similar to yours.
Using these methods in conjunction with SEO websites, you can develop a comprehensive understanding of your competitors and effective marketing strategies to compete in your market. These websites can provide valuable insights to businesses looking to identify their direct competitors and develop effective marketing strategies to compete in their market.
Look at their social media engagement.
Your Social media presence is significant.
Social media is good for increasing your network. To talk to customers and share some of that SEO content. To grab some Google Juice (other juices are available)
Look at your competitors’ use of social media and answer these questions:
- How do they integrate social media into their marketing strategy?
- How effective are they on social media?
- What are they posting, and how many times a day are they posting?
- What do the photos and style tell you?
- Does social media reveal any flaws in the product or service offerings? Something You can exploit?
- How do they react to certain situations?
- Do they reveal patterns or habits? To allow you to predict their future actions?
- How up-to-date is their social media management?
- Do their social media post gain any clicks from their followers?
- Are their posts popular and liked?
- Does their social media reveal anything else about them? Such as the company culture, and locations. New products, appointments etc.
- What can you do better?
Identify areas for improvement
The purpose of the exercise is to make sure you have an understanding of your competitors. A pretty report will not cut it if it does not offer what options you have to take to beat them. Options to improve your own performance and offering
You will definitely find something useful that you can use against a competitor. The hardest part of Competitive Analysis is always starting the exercise. You need to know how to do competitor research analysis. And what is product competitive analysis?
What Is Competitor Analysis?
Competitor research analysis is the process of checking and interpreting information about rival businesses. It goes beyond collecting facts. Analysts compare sources, look for patterns and assess what the evidence may mean for customers, sales, products and future competitor actions.
What Competitor Analysis Should Tell You
This article, how to do competitor research analysis helped you explain why finding out what competitors are doing is essential. And what sort of threat they present to your success is really important to know.
Octopus Intelligence analyses competitor information using both published sources and human-led primary research. The team checks evidence from several sources before drawing conclusions. This helps clients understand what competitors are doing, why it matters and what the evidence may mean for future business decisions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
What is competitor research analysis?
Competitor research analysis is the process of checking, comparing and interpreting information about rival businesses.
What information is used in competitor analysis?
Sources can include company websites, accounts, product information, customer reviews, job adverts, news, interviews and market data.
How do you analyse competitor information?
Group the evidence around a clear question. Compare sources, look for patterns and test whether the findings support or reject your original assumptions.
What is competitor benchmarking?
Competitor benchmarking compares selected measures between businesses. These may include pricing, products, service, sales activity or market position.
Why should competitor research use more than one source?
One source may be wrong, old or biased. Comparing several sources makes it easier to check whether a finding is reliable.
What should a competitor analysis report contain?
It should state the question, summarise the evidence, explain the main findings and show what those findings may mean for the business.
How does Octopus Intelligence analyse competitor information?
Octopus Intelligence combines primary and secondary evidence, checks sources and assesses what the information means for the client’s business question.
Can AI analyse competitor research?
AI can help organise material and find themes. People still need to check sources, understand context and judge whether the findings make sense.
We are Octopus. The Global People-Powered Competitive Intelligence Agency.
Outsmart your competition. Make the unknown known. Octopus helps you gain clarity in complex markets. With clients and tentacles around the world, we deliver sharp, actionable competitive intelligence through a blend of deep primary (HUMINT) and secondary research. If you’re looking to make smarter decisions, beat the competition, and reduce uncertainty, we’re the partner you want on your side.
