Who are your real online competitors?
The biggest national brand is not necessarily your main competitor. Find out which options your customers compare when making the same decision. The relevant alternatives for urgent local repairs differ from those for a lengthy B2B procurement.
Direct competitor
Offers a similar service in the same area or to the same type of buyer, often in a similar enquiry situation.
Alternative solution
A different product or service the customer might still consider to solve the same problem.
Visible search alternative
A page or offer that appears for a relevant customer search. It may not be a similar-sized company or a direct market substitute.
Three to five relevant businesses may provide a manageable initial comparison. Collect observations for the same customer need and, where possible, comparable areas.
Where should you look at their messaging?
Review competitors' public service pages, quote-request interfaces, references and the visible parts of relevant Google Search and Maps results. If social media matters to the customer journey, examine public social posts and publicly accessible advertising creatives as well.
Competitors' public adverts can suggest how they communicate, but cannot show how many enquiries turned into orders. Record the offers, messages and audiences you can see, then compare them with your own website's communication.
What is public, and what can't you know from outside?
You can inspect ad copy, contact pages and case studies. You cannot see another company's internal Analytics, conversions, closed sales or profits. Do not treat third-party SEO or traffic estimates as verified customer numbers, or assume one day's search result order is permanent.
The seven-question competitor analysis template
Choose a few relevant businesses. Ask each the same seven questions and record brief observations, sources and dates. This creates a genuine comparison, not just a collection of impressions.
Who is it for?
Question: Which customer type and buying situation does it address?
Fictional example: “Property manager with an urgent entrance repair.”
What exactly is the offer?
Question: Is it clear what they provide and how work begins?
Fictional example: “Written quote after a site survey.”
Why is it credible?
Question: Are there genuine project examples, detailed processes or references?
Fictional example: “Dated project write-up and service explanation.”
Where is it visible?
Question: Which public search and social platforms feature the business?
Fictional example: “A service page in search and a Maps listing.”
What's the next step?
Question: Is it obvious how customers can request a quote or information?
Fictional example: “Phone number visible, but required details unclear.”
What's the recurring cliché?
Question: Which claims do nothing to help customers choose?
Fictional example: “Only 'quality and reliability', with no specifics.”
Which question remains unanswered?
Question: Where is customer-critical information missing?
Fictional example: “The survey and quotation process isn't explained.”
The result should not be a score for “who is best”, but an answer to which customer questions you can address more clearly with evidence. These notes are illustrative, not observations gathered from real companies.
Three steps: turning observations into better business decisions
- Choose three to five real alternatives
From your target customers' perspective, identify companies, substitute solutions and search results that may compete for the same enquiry.
- Record seven consistent observations
Use the same criteria, dates and public sources. Distinguish visible facts, external estimates and assumptions.
- Define one achievable improvement
For instance, clarify your offer's steps, show a real reference, simplify quote requests or answer an important missing customer question.
Why don't follower counts equal customer acquisition?
A flashy metric can distract from genuine differences. A page's followers, adverts or momentary search position do not prove the quality of enquiries it receives.
“They have more followers, so they must have more customers. Let's copy their posts.”
“They show a clear service process and genuine references. Let's see which questions our customers need us to answer better.”
“They're first in one search, so they're always the market leader.”
“They're highly visible for this search in this location. Let's examine which content and offer help buyers and how we can communicate credibly.”
Four business improvements that can follow from the analysis
Your offer is vague
Explain exactly what the service covers, the first step and what the quotation includes.
There is little proof of trustworthiness
Show actual work, your process and genuine customer feedback — not invented success stories.
Contact is difficult
Make phone and form options visible and explain what information helps you respond.
Everyone makes the same claims
Find a genuine difference or customer situation you can discuss with evidence.
FROM COMPETITORS TO YOUR OWN POSITIONING
Need to turn your observations into useful positioning?
When you need to choose among many market participants, enter a new area or explain your own differences, market research is more than making lists: it is about interpreting customer situations, offers and signs of demand together.
Fictional example: Kertkapu Workshop's first analysis
Kertkapu Workshop is an imaginary business. It compares three local alternatives. One makes requesting a quote easy, another shows detailed project photos and the third promises general “quality solutions”. The workshop does not guess the other companies' revenues or ad costs.
Instead it writes a clear, short explanation of its own repair process: what faults customers should report, which photos help and what happens next before a quote. This example only illustrates the principle; it is not evidence of increased orders.
When is deeper market research worthwhile?
If you're entering a new market, comparing many different competitors, making pricing or service-development decisions and lack the capacity to interpret the information internally, a professional assessment may help. The goal is not to collect screenshots in more tools, but to turn findings into a specific marketing and offer decision.
For competitor analysis, compare publicly visible offers, content and customer journeys. The aim is to develop a better independent solution, not reuse competitors' copy.
Frequently asked questions about competitor analysis
How many competitors should I look at initially?
A few — such as three to five genuinely comparable alternatives — may be manageable to start with. The exact number depends on your market.
Is looking at Google results enough?
Not always. Offers, websites, Maps visibility, public content and enquiry routes can all influence decisions.
Can I see which adverts competitors run?
Some public advertising libraries show creatives, but they do not give access to competitors' exact conversions or profits.
How is this different from market research?
Competitor analysis is one part of market research; broader market decisions also require understanding the target audience, demand and your own offer.
Should I copy the strongest competitor?
No. Another business's customers, capacity and evidence may differ. Aim for your own verifiable distinction.
Related Knowledge Base guides
BE DIFFERENT, NOT A COPY
Don't copy competitors: know where you can be more credible
Comparing competitor websites is useful when it helps you make your offer clearer, better and more supportable for your own customers. If you need structured market research, we can begin with the real business decision.