Analyzing Your Competitors: Staying Ahead in Local SEO

Precision Pair Marketing
Apr 29
3 min read

If you're not keeping an eye on what your competitors are doing online, you're likely falling behind. In local SEO, understanding who ranks above you—and why—is key to closing the gap and outranking them. Whether you're a plumber in Tulsa or an HVAC contractor in Madison, competitive analysis gives you the roadmap to better visibility.

At Precision Pair Marketing, we help service-based businesses analyze and outperform their local competition using proven SEO tools and strategies. Here's how you can do it too.

Why Competitor Analysis Matters in Local SEO

Your competitors are already showing up in the local map pack or top organic results. That means Google sees them as more relevant, trustworthy, or authoritative than you—at least for now.

By analyzing their SEO strategies, you can:

Discover what’s working for them
Identify gaps in your own SEO
Find opportunities to outperform them
Build a better, data-driven content and link strategy

Step 1: Identify Your Top Local Competitors

Start with a Google search for your top keywords + city (e.g., “drain cleaning Tulsa” or “AC repair Madison”). The businesses that show up in the local 3-pack and top 5 organic listings are your direct competitors.

Use tools like:

Google Maps (for local pack visibility)
BrightLocal or Whitespark (for local citation analysis)
SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest (for organic competitor tracking)

Step 2: Analyze Their Website SEO

Look at your competitors’ websites and answer:

What keywords are they targeting?
How is their site structured?
Do they have location pages or service-specific pages?
How fast and mobile-friendly is the site?

Use tools like:

Ahrefs Site Explorer – See which pages get the most traffic
Screaming Frog – Crawl their site structure and metadata
PageSpeed Insights – Analyze loading speed
Mobile-Friendly Test – Check their mobile responsiveness

Step 3: Evaluate Their Content Strategy

Content is king in SEO. Your competitors may be ranking well because of consistent, relevant content.

Ask:

Are they blogging regularly?
Do they use FAQs or how-to content?
Are they using city/region-based keyword phrases?
Do they include video, photos, or reviews?

Look for pages you don’t have—or topics you haven’t covered yet.

Step 4: Review Their Backlink Profile

Links from other reputable websites help build authority. Use backlink analysis to:

See how many referring domains they have
Find where they’re getting links (local blogs, business directories, suppliers, etc.)
Identify industry or location-specific backlink opportunities

Use:

Ahrefs
Moz Link Explorer
SE Ranking
BrightLocal Citation Tracker

Step 5: Check Their Google Business Profile (GBP)

Your competitor’s GBP listing may outperform yours due to:

Better keyword usage in the business description
More 5-star reviews
Regular posts and photo updates
Accurate service area information

Compare your GBP with theirs using the PlePer Chrome extension or Local Falcon to map their visibility radius.

Step 6: Monitor and Track Their Progress

Set up tools to keep an eye on competitors:

Google Alerts (brand name or service keywords)
SEMrush or Ahrefs Alerts (new backlinks or content changes)
Whitespark Local Rank Tracker (track local pack rankings)

This lets you respond quickly if they launch a new campaign or gain an edge.

Real-World Example: Beating the Competition

One of our clients was stuck behind a competitor who dominated local search. By analyzing their content, we discovered they had dozens of blog posts targeting seasonal services. We created a stronger content plan, optimized the client's Google Business Profile, and earned several new local backlinks. In 90 days, they jumped into the map pack for 6 new keywords and saw a 28% increase in organic leads.

Final Thoughts

Competitive analysis isn’t about copying—it’s about strategically improving what your competition is doing and finding your unique edge. Local SEO success isn’t just about optimizing your own presence, but about understanding how you stack up—and what it takes to move ahead.

At Precision Pair Marketing, we use powerful tools and custom strategies to help service businesses stay competitive, visible, and profitable in their local markets.

Want a personalized competitor SEO report for your business?