B2B SEO Competitor Analysis: How to Do It Right

IB2B SEO Competitor Analysis: How to Do It Right

Your competitors may already be ranking for searches your buyers make. Competitor analysis helps you find those pages and understand what could be supporting their performance.

When a B2B buyer starts looking for a vendor, they often review the search results first. The companies ranking there may be the ones they look at next.

What B2B SEO Competitor Analysis Actually Means

It means checking where your competitors appear on Google and comparing those results with your own website.

The analysis answers three questions:

What do they rank for? Review the searches giving them visibility and the pages appearing for those searches.
Why might they rank? Examine what those pages contain and which factors could be supporting them.
Where is their coverage weak? Look for searches they rank poorly for, cover briefly, or ignore.

The answers can help you identify relevant gaps and decide where your website needs attention.

How This Analysis Can Help Your Business

Competitor analysis can provide information that guesswork does not.

Here is what it tends to help with:

It shows you which pages to consider next: instead of relying entirely on topic ideas, you can review searches already bringing visibility to competing businesses.
It reveals gaps competitors have not covered properly: narrow searches can sometimes reflect a clearer buying requirement.
It helps assess difficult topics: checking the current results before writing can prevent resources from being spent on an unsuitable page.
It can explain ranking differences: comparing two pages can reveal content or authority differences.
It gives your sales team useful context: competitor-related searches can indicate what buyers are researching.
It provides a benchmark: you can review the depth and authority of the pages currently ranking.

The Step-by-Step Competitor Analysis Process

Step 1: Pick the Right Competitors

Start with companies selling a similar product or service to the same type of customer. Then include websites competing with you in Google results.

Use three competitor groups:

Direct business competitors: companies offering a similar product or service to the same target customers.
Search competitors: websites appearing for keywords you want to rank for. A directory or industry publication can be a search competitor without selling your service.
Aspirational competitors: larger businesses with stronger search visibility. Their websites can provide ideas for future work, although their approach might not fit your current resources.

Start with three to five direct competitors. Add one or two search competitors that appear regularly for your main service terms.

Search your main services on Google and record the websites that appear repeatedly. Your sales team can also tell you which companies buyers regularly mention.

Step 2: Gather Their Ranking Data

Use an SEO tool to find the keywords and pages reported for each competitor.

Record:

Keyword: the search phrase.
Position: the competitor’s reported ranking.
URL: the page appearing for that keyword.
Search volume: the estimated number of searches.
Search intent: the reason behind the search.

Semrush currently provides competitor keyword data through its Organic Rankings reports.

Follow this process:

Open your Semrush account
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Open Domain Overview
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Enter the competitor domain  -->  select Search
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Open Organic Rankings
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Open the Positions report
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Review the reported keywords and ranking URLs
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Filter by positions 1-10
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Export the relevant data
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Repeat for each competitor

The Positions report covers keywords found in Semrush’s database where the domain appears within Google’s top 100 results. It does not represent every search connected to the website.

Search volume and estimated traffic are also not exact figures. Use them to compare keywords instead of predicting exact results.

Google Search Console’s Performance report provides data from your own website. It shows clicks and impressions. The Queries tab shows the searches connected to that activity.

Check for queries receiving impressions but few clicks. A competitor could currently hold a stronger position for some of them.

Step 3: Run a Keyword Gap Analysis

A keyword gap shows searches where a competitor ranks but your website does not. It can also show keywords where both websites rank but the competitor holds a higher position.

Divide the findings into four groups:

Competitor ranks, but you do not: check whether your website has a suitable page for that search.
Competitor ranks above you: compare both pages to find information your page could improve.
You rank above the competitor: keep the page updated and monitor its position.
The search results have weak pages: check Google manually for outdated or incomplete results.

Do not create a new page for every missing keyword. First, check whether different keywords have the same meaning.

For example, “inventory management software” and “inventory management system” are likely to need the same product page. Separate pages could repeat the same information.

Create different pages when the searches need different answers. “Warehouse management software” has commercial intent and suits a product page. “How to reduce warehouse picking errors” is informational and would suit a guide.

Step 4: Study What Their Ranking Pages Contain

Keyword data tells you which competitor page is visible. Open that page to understand what it provides.

Check:

Page type
Main topic
Important subtopics
Proof or examples
Internal links
Next step for the reader

Compare the competitor page with your own. Look for information they explain more clearly. Also note useful details your page already provides that theirs does not.

Check Whether a Newer Website Is Ranking

A newer website ranking beside established brands deserves closer review.

Look at how directly its page answers the search. Check whether the explanation is clear and whether it includes useful information missing from other results.

Content quality could be one reason for its position. Backlinks or technical performance could also contribute, so do not assume that content is the only factor.

Step 5: Look for Industry Gaps

A competitor may cover a broad service but leave specific buyer requirements unexplained. These smaller gaps can show where useful content is missing.

For example:

SaaS: a competitor has a general CRM software page but does not explain CRM migration, integrations, or data transfer.
Fintech: a payment provider explains its platform but gives little information about recurring billing or payment reconciliation.
Manufacturing: a supplier has a general machining page but does not explain prototype production, material selection, or tolerance requirements.

These searches may have lower reported volume than broader terms, but the search itself can show a more specific requirement.

Step 6: Review Competitor-Related Keywords

Some searches include a competitor’s name because the buyer is already comparing different options. These searches can show what information people want before choosing a provider.

Common patterns include:

Alternative searches: “[Competitor] alternative”
Comparison searches: “[Competitor A] vs [Competitor B]”
Pricing searches: “[Competitor] pricing”

Check which page types currently rank for these searches.

For an alternative search, buyers usually need a clear explanation of how the available options differ. For a pricing search, they need accurate cost information or an explanation of the pricing model.

Keep comparison content factual. Do not exaggerate a competitor’s weaknesses. Unsupported statements can reduce trust and create legal concerns.

Step 7: Check How Their Pages Are Structured

Page structure can affect how easily buyers understand the content. It also shows how the competitor connects that page with the rest of its website.

Compare:

Title tag: does it describe the page clearly?
Headings: do they answer relevant buyer questions?
Answer position: is the main information easy to find?
Internal links: does the page connect to related content?
Content depth: are important points properly explained?

A competitor page connected to several related articles could be part of a larger content cluster. This structure can support discovery and help search engines understand the relationship between pages.

Structure alone does not explain a ranking. Content relevance and backlinks can also contribute.

Step 8: Study Their Backlink Sources

Total backlink count provides limited context on its own. Review the websites linking to the competitor.

Look for:

Trade publications: websites publishing industry news or expert commentary.
Industry associations: organisations listing members or approved suppliers.
Partner pages: businesses listing the competitor as a partner.
Research citations: pages linking to the competitor’s original data or reports.

Suppose a logistics competitor receives links from supply-chain publications. Those publications could be worth reviewing for interview opportunities or expert contributions.

The purpose is not to copy every backlink. Focus on sources that are relevant to your industry and suitable for your business.

Step 9: Turn Findings Into a Prioritised List

Not every keyword gap deserves immediate work. Review whether the search relates to your service and whether your team has useful information to add.

Also check the pages already ranking. Their content and backlinks can indicate the amount of work involved.

Mark each opportunity as:

Create: a relevant page is missing.
Improve: a suitable page exists but needs work.
Merge: two pages answer the same search.
Monitor: no immediate change is required.

Work first on opportunities closely connected to a service or active buyer need.

Step 10: Repeat the Analysis

Competitor rankings and pages can change over time. Use a quarterly review as a starting schedule.

During each review, check:

New competitor pages
Competitor ranking losses
Your ranking losses
Changes in important search results

A business publishing frequently can review its main competitors more often. A company working in a stable market could use a longer interval.

Common Mistakes in B2B Competitor Analysis

1. Copying Competitor Content

Competitor pages should be used for research, not copied as drafts.

Similar content alone is not a violation of Google’s spam policies. The problem becomes more serious when a website publishes large amounts of copied or lightly changed content without providing additional value. Google describes this behaviour under its scaled content abuse policy.

Use your own knowledge and evidence. If a competitor explains what a service does, your page could add a real project example or answer a buyer question they missed.

2. Choosing Keywords Only by Search Volume

A high-volume keyword can attract people who do not need your service.

For example, “CRM definition” has a broad informational purpose. “CRM migration service” is connected to a more specific business need.

Review the search results and decide whether the query fits what your company provides. Do not reject a useful B2B keyword only because its reported volume is low.

3. Ignoring Search Competitors

A direct business competitor is not always the website taking your desired ranking.

A directory or review platform could appear above both companies. Ignoring that page can lead you to misunderstand what Google is showing for the search.

Review every type of result. Check what information it provides before deciding what kind of page to create.

4. Assuming the Tool Explains Why a Page Ranks

An SEO tool can show reported keywords and backlinks. It cannot confirm which factor caused a specific ranking.

For example, a competitor page could have more backlinks than yours. That does not prove backlinks are the only reason it ranks higher.

Use tool data to identify what needs manual review. Open the ranking page and check the live search results before drawing a conclusion.

5. Creating a New Page for Every Gap

Several keyword variations can represent the same search need.

Creating a separate page for each variation can lead to overlapping content. The pages could then compete with one another or repeat the same information.

Check whether an existing page can cover the keyword first. Create a new page only when the search requires a clearly different answer.

6. Finishing Without an Action Plan

A spreadsheet does not show what the team should work on next unless each finding has an action.

For every selected opportunity, record whether the page should be created or improved. Assign a priority and decide who will handle the work.

This turns the analysis into a clear list of SEO tasks.