Template

Competitor Analysis Template

Compare the sites that outrank your client: what they rank for, which pages win, and the gaps your client can fill.

TemplateSpreadsheetIntermediate

Description

Competitor research answers “why are they ahead of us?” with evidence. One row per competitor keeps the comparison honest and makes the final opportunity list easy to defend.

Use case

Use it when a client asks why a competitor outranks them, when planning content, or at the start of a new campaign.

Instructions

Pick three to five competitors that rank for the client’s main keywords, not just the businesses the client names.
Record a sample of shared and missing keywords from your keyword tool.
Note the competitor pages that rank best and why (depth, format, freshness, links).
List content gaps: topics they cover that your client does not.
Finish each row with one concrete opportunity.

Preview

Column headers with example rows. Replace the examples with your client’s data.

Example rows use a fictional client. Replace them with real data from your tools.

Competitors
Row	Competitor	Domain	Shared keywords (sample)	Keywords they rank for that we don't	Top pages	Content gaps	Backlink notes	Strengths	Weaknesses	Opportunity
2	Oak & Iron Furniture	oakiron.example	solid wood dining table	dining table size guide	/guides/table-sizes/	Buying guides	Featured in two design blogs	Detailed guides with diagrams	Slow product pages	Publish a sizing guide with room diagrams
3	Nordic Nest	nordicnest.example	scandinavian sofa	small apartment sofa ideas	/blog/small-spaces/	Small-space content	Few links	Strong category copy	No FAQs	Add FAQs to sofa categories

Download

A CSV file that opens in Google Sheets, Excel or Numbers. Keep the header row, delete the example rows and add your own.

Download template (CSV)

My notes

Keep private notes next to anything you read or practice.