Your SEO competitive analysis template (what we use for clients)

Most businesses want to improve their SEO, but few know exactly where they stand compared to their competitors. And even fewer know who their real competitors are.

An SEO competitive analysis fixes that.

When you understand why another site is outranking you (and what you can do about it), your SEO strategy becomes focused, practical, and effective. SEO doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It occurs in context. A competitive analysis gives you that context.

Below is the simplified version of the template we use at Backslash Creative — something you can copy, customize, and use for your own business or nonprofit.

SEO Competitive Analysis checklist

For each competitor, check the following:

Technical & basic SEO setup

• Meta tags are set up correctly (check: https://www.heymeta.com)
• Website is mobile-friendly (check: https://seranking.com/free-tools/mobile-friendly-test.html)
• Website is accessible to search engines (check: https://seositecheckup.com/tools/noindex-tag-test)
• XML sitemap exists and is detectable (check: https://www.seoptimer.com/sitemap-checker)
• Website uses HTTPS, not HTTP
• Google core web vitals are passing or close to passing (check: https://pagespeed.web.dev/)

Content & blogging activity

• The website has a blog or article section
• A blog post was published in the last 30 days
• New content is published at least weekly or close to it
• The average length of the previous three posts is 500 words or more
• At least 12 blog posts have been published in the past year

Local & trust signals

• A map and physical address are listed clearly on the site
• Social media links are visible on the website
• Each linked social media account has been active in the past 30 days

Authority metrics

• Domain Authority (DA) or Domain Rating (DR) is competitive (check: https://moz.com/domain-analysis)
• Organic traffic and ranking keywords appear stable or growing (various tools can estimate this)

Use this list for your site and each competitor to see precisely where you stand.

How to use this template

Choose two or three competitors who show up for the same Google searches you want to rank for.

• Evaluate your own site using the checklist above.
• Evaluate each competitor using the same checklist.
• Highlight the areas where competitors outperform you.
• Turn those gaps into your SEO priorities for the next quarter.

No tables. No spreadsheets. Just clarity.

Section 1 — Identify your true SEO competitors

Your business competitors aren’t always your SEO competitors. A business competitor offers similar services. An SEO competitor shows up in the search results where you want to show up.

How to find them:

• Google your services and key questions customers ask
• Look at the first page of results
• Ignore national giants you can’t compete with
• Focus on local businesses or organizations similar in size

These are the competitors you should analyze.

Section 2 — Domain authority & overview metrics

Domain Authority doesn’t tell the whole story, but it’s helpful for context. Check here: https://moz.com/domain-analysis

Look at:

• Domain Authority (DA)
• Estimated monthly organic traffic
• Total ranking keywords

These numbers reveal whether competitors are building momentum — or losing it.

Section 3 — Top ranking keywords comparison

This is where things get interesting. Look for:

• Keywords competitors rank for that you don’t
• Gaps in your content that competitors cover well
• Local keywords (e.g., “OKC plumber,” “Dallas nonprofit marketing tips”)
• Question-based searches you could answer in blog posts

Missing keyword topics often result in quick SEO wins.

Section 4 — Content gap analysis

Content gaps are one of the clearest opportunities for growth. Compare:

• Blog topics
• Depth of content (long guides vs. short posts)
• FAQs, how-tos, or resource sections
• Service page content length and clarity

If a competitor covers a topic more thoroughly, or more often, you’ve found an area to improve.

Section 5 — On-page optimization comparison

These are foundational pieces that directly affect rankings. Check:

• Page titles and meta descriptions
• Header structure (H1s, H2s, H3s)
• URL structure (shorter and clearer is better)
• Internal links between related pages
• Keyword usage that feels natural, not stuffed

Minor on-page improvements can lead to significant ranking improvements.

Section 6 — Backlink analysis

Backlinks show who the internet “trusts” more. Look for:

• A healthy mix of links from reputable sites
• No obvious spammy backlinks
• Industry-relevant sites linking to their content
• Directory or citation listings for local businesses

You don’t need hundreds of backlinks — just good ones.

Section 7 — Technical SEO snapshot

Technical issues can completely block SEO success. Check:

• Page speed
• Mobile responsiveness
• Core Web Vitals
• Whether pages are being indexed
• XML sitemap presence
• HTTPS, not HTTP
• Clean navigation and crawlable menus

All of these impact both user experience and Google’s ability to rank you.

Run this audit once a year (or twice if you’re serious)

SEO changes fast. Competitors change. Search behavior changes. A simple competitive analysis:

• Gives you clarity
• Highlights easy wins
• Shows what’s worth prioritizing
• Saves you from wasting time on tactics that don’t matter

And it takes less time than you think — especially with a checklist.

If you’d like us to conduct a deeper competitive analysis for your organization, including keyword research, content strategy, and a technical audit, we’re here to help.