If there’s one thing every SEO professional or business owner knows, it’s that visibility in search engines is critical. However, simply tracking your own website’s performance isn’t enough. To truly dominate your niche, you need to keep an eye on the competition.
This is where SERP competitor ranking analysis comes into play. But what is it, why does it matter, and how can you leverage it for your benefit?
Here’s everything you need to know to master SERP competitor rankings and gain the competitive edge.
What is a SERP Competitor Ranking Analysis?
SERP (Search Engine Results Page) competitor ranking analysis involves analyzing how your competitors rank for specific keywords in search engine results. This process helps you understand who your competition is, what they’re doing right (or wrong), and how you can adjust your SEO strategy to outperform them.
When we analyze SERP competitors, the goal isn’t just to see who’s ranking, it’s to understand why they’re ranking. It gives us a sense of what Google thinks is the best answer for that search intent, and what we’ll need to do to compete.
- Chris Coussons, Founder of Visionary Marketing
Simply put, it’s about answering questions like:
- Who holds the top positions for your target keywords?
- What strategies are helping them rank higher?
- What opportunities are available for you to rank better?
By having a clear understanding of your competitors’ rankings, you can refine your own approach and uncover untapped opportunities.
Why Check SERP Competitor Rankings?
Tracking SERP competitor rankings isn’t just a "nice to have" task; it’s a must for businesses aiming to grow their online presence. Here are the key reasons why:
1. Understand Industry Trends
Competitor rankings reveal which keywords and search trends are currently dominating your industry. If a competitor starts ranking for new trending keywords, it might be an indicator those areas are gaining traction among your target audience.
2. Identify Gaps and Opportunities
Through competitor analysis, you can spot:
- Keywords they’re missing that you can target.
- Content gaps within their strategies that you can capitalize on.
- High-performing pages you can use as inspiration.
3. Benchmark Your Performance
By comparing your site's rankings to your competitors’, you get a better idea of where you stand in the market.
This allows you to set realistic goals and identify areas for improvement.
4. Refine Your SEO Strategy
Being able to effectively monitor competitors’ ranking changes over time will help you anticipate their next moves.
You can tweak your content, off-page SEO, or technical strategies before they outpace you.
How to Check SERP Competitor Rankings
Now that we’ve established the importance of SERP competitor rankings, the next question is how to check them.
Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to check SERP competitor rankings:
1. Identify Your Top Competitors
Start by listing the competitors in your niche. A simple Google search for your target keywords will reveal who’s ranking on Page 1.
Alternatively, use tools like SEOptimer's Keyword Research Tool to identify competing domains.
Simply just go to Keyword Research in your account dashboard.
Then, search for one of your primary keywords and click the "SERP" button to open the SERP for your chosen keyword.
Here you will see who's ranking for the keyword you've chosen.
Let's say that I own an online wine store in Australia, and I want to find my top 3 competitors.
I'll head to the Keyword Research Tool and search for "buy wine online" and I'll set my country to Australia in the applicable field.
Here are some of the top competitors for my online wine store:
- Wine Direct
- Just Wines
- Naked Wines
I'd add these to my list of competitors that I want to monitor in my SERP competitive analysis.
2. Choose Your Target Keywords
The next step in the process is to pin down the keywords most relevant to your business and industry, or niche.
And these include both your primary keywords and long-tail variations.
Ideally, you want to start off with the keywords that you're already ranking for in Google.
You can easily find what these keywords are by using the "Search By URL" function in our Keyword Research Tool.
Just paste your website's URL and our tool will show you the keywords you're already ranking for.
These are the keywords that you're going to use in your SERP competitor ranking analysis.
3. Use Tools to Check SERP Competitor Rankings
The next step is to actually analyze and check SERP competitor rankings.
While manually checking rankings is possible, SEO tools make this process significantly easier and more accurate.
Again, we're going to be using our Keyword Research Tool for this.
So take the keywords that you've discovered in step 2 and add them all to the Keyword Research Tool.
Going back to our example of an online wine store, I'm going to paste the following keywords:
- buy wine online
- buy red wine online
- buy wine online australia
Our tool will show a range of different metrics for these keywords and their variations.
This includes:
- Monthly Search Volume
- CPC
- Competition
Note: from here you can also add keywords that you want to track and monitor on a weekly basis. (more on this later)
By clicking on the blue "SERP" button, you will see a list of the top 10 ranking websites for each keyword.
You want to check each ranking website individually for quantitative metrics such as keyword rankings, Domain Strength and their backlink profile.
You should also check how each ranking website answers the search intent for the keyword you're studying.
4. Monitor Changes Continuously
Competitor rankings are always fluctuating. As a result, you need to implement a system to monitor these changes regularly and receive alerts for significant ranking shifts.
For this, you can use our Keyword Tracking tool to automatically monitor and notify you of changes to your competitor's rankings.
Take your top 3 competitors and add these to our Keyword Tracking tool. You can choose to manually add relevant keywords or our tool will suggest the keywords that your competitors are already ranking for.
You should try to track the keywords you’re targeting on your own site alongside your competitors’ keywords. This allows you to see how your pages stack up in the SERPs and identify opportunities to outperform them.
By tracking overlapping keywords, you can pinpoint which competitors are consistently ranking above you.
5. Analyze and Adjust
Use the data from your SERP analysis to create actionable insights. For example:
If a competitor ranks #1 for a keyword, analyze their landing page and find ways to outperform it.
If they drop in rankings, consider why and avoid making similar mistakes.
What Metrics to Look at for SERP Competitor Analysis?
To make the most out of SERP competitor ranking analysis, pay close attention to the following key metrics:
1. Keyword Rankings
The priority metric is understanding which keywords your competitors rank for, and on what positions. Focus on keywords that drive high traffic and conversions.
2. Domain Strength
A higher Domain Strength typically correlates with better rankings. Understanding your competitors’ Domain Strength can reveal how much effort they’ve put into link-building and overall domain health.
To check the Domain Strength of any competitor, head to our Backlink Research Tool and add a competitor's URL.
Our tool will show you detailed backlink metrics including:
- Domain Strength
- Page Strength
- Backlinks
- Referring Domains
- Top Pages
3. Content Performance
Analyze their most successful content:
- Is it blogs, videos, or product pages?
- How long is their content, and what’s the quality like?
- Are they using specific keywords in H1s, meta tags, and body copy effectively?
I like to get an understanding of the overall topical coverage of the competitor in relation to the initial target keyword, and then for its broader cluster.
- James Taylor, SEO Consultant at James Taylor SEO Consultancy
4. Backlink Profile
The number and quality of links pointing to your competitors’ sites can impact their performance.
To check this, click on the "Backlinks" tab under our Backlink Research Tool. Here you will see useful backlink metrics including:
- Total Backlinks
- Nofollow Backlinks
- Dofollow Backlinks
- Edu and Gov Backlinks
You will also see a table with a list of all your competitor's backlinks.
5. Search Intent Alignment
Review how well your competitors’ content aligns with search intent for the targeted keywords. Are they solving user pain points effectively?
The first thing you would want to address is what Google thinks the users want. Look to see the types of articles and pages it's rewarding. Are there "how-to" guides, product pages, or articles? Getting the type and format of the page is key.
Also, look at any SERP features that may be there. Maps, videos, and shopping results, all of these can give you insight into exactly the information Google is looking to serve.
- Adam Truszkowski, Founder of Painted Brick Digital
FAQs on SERP Competitor Rankings
1. How often should I monitor SERP competitor rankings?
It depends on your industry. For highly competitive niches, weekly monitoring is ideal. For less dynamic industries, checking monthly might suffice.
2. Can I track rankings in specific geographical locations?
Yes, many SEO tools allow you to track rankings in specific locations, helping businesses with local SEO strategies.
SEOptimer can help you track rankings in more than 70 different countries for both Desktop and Mobile devices on Google and Bing search engines.
3. How do I outcompete bigger players ranking at the top?
Focus on niche keywords (long-tail keywords) that the larger players may have overlooked, improve your content quality, and enhance user experience.
4. What’s the best free tool for checking SERP competitor rankings?
While premium tools provide more depth, free options like Google Search Console and Ubersuggest are good starting points.
5. Can tracking competitors guarantee higher rankings for my site?
While it improves your chances, ultimately, success depends on how you use the insights. Pair competitor analysis with consistent SEO efforts for the best results.
6. Can I check SERP rankings for local SEO?
Yes, checking SERP rankings for local SEO is crucial to understanding your business's visibility within targeted geographic areas.
Tools like Local Ranking and Google Business Profile Insights can help you track how well your site ranks for location-specific keywords.
Regularly monitoring these rankings enables you to optimize your content, keywords, and overall strategy to attract more local customers and improve your presence on local search results.
Final Thoughts
SERP competitor ranking analysis is a foundational aspect of any effective SEO strategy.
It doesn’t just tell you where you stand but also shows paths to improve and grow. By identifying opportunities, understanding trends, and staying ahead, you can turn your competition's strengths into your biggest advantages.
Start by analyzing your top competitors today and taking actionable steps to refine your SEO strategy.
