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:

• Obtain URLs: From user, project-context Section 11, or web search for "[target keyword]" to find top-ranking pages

• Fetch content: Use mcp_web_fetch or WebSearch to fetch 2–3 top-ranking pages

• Analyze: Word count, H2 structure, keyword placement, content gaps, CTA, schema

• 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

• Parse — Read Excel/CSV, infer domain, visits, traffic sources, etc. from headers

• Enrich — Web search, visit competitor sites; read project-context.md if present

• Build — Structure data for report

• 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