The playbook
SEO Competitor Analysis: Template and Field Guide
This SEO competitor analysis template turns a broad task into a record another person can use. It captures topic, competing URL, reader gap, then connects that information to a decision. Copy the table into your working document or system and create a separate record for each item in scope.
Put the task in context
Compare the strongest relevant pages for a query on evidence, clarity, practical utility, and completeness. A competing article may define a topic well but omit a usable worksheet. That is a concrete improvement opportunity; merely matching its headings is not a strategy.
Copyable worksheet
| Field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| topic | Record the topic associated with this page or query record. Use a stable reference so later updates can be matched. |
| competing URL | Record the competing URL associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| reader gap | Record the reader gap associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| planned asset | Record the planned asset associated with this page or query record. Keep the value specific enough for another owner to interpret. |
| Decision field | Entry instructions |
|---|---|
| Observed problem | Describe the actual condition and where it was observed. |
| Recommended action | State the smallest action that resolves the documented problem. |
| Evidence | Link to the record, observation, or test supporting the action. |
| Owner and next review | Name the accountable person and when the decision should be revisited. |
How to complete the worksheet
Begin with topic. Use the same reference throughout the record so notes are not attached to the wrong item. Then identify competitors appearing for priority topic groups. This establishes the information required before the worksheet becomes a request for action.
Next, compare useful page features evidence and navigation. Use the observed problem and evidence fields to explain why that step is needed. A useful entry describes an actual condition, such as copying a competitor's page structure without understanding its audience, rather than a broad instruction to “improve performance.”
Finally, document an improvement your site can realistically offer. Put use competitor observations to define a better reader outcome in the action field only when it addresses the observed condition. If the problem is different, change the action. The template is a structure for judgment, not a reason to apply the same fix everywhere.
Illustrative completed decision
| Part | Illustrative entry |
|---|---|
| Problem | Copying a competitor's page structure without understanding its audience |
| Action | Use competitor observations to define a better reader outcome |
| First check | Identify competitors appearing for priority topic groups |
| Follow-up check | Document an improvement your site can realistically offer |
| Outcome to define | priority gaps addressed |
Adapt the fields without losing meaning
You can add fields required by your team, but each should change a decision or preserve necessary context. Keep factual observations separate from recommendations. If competing URL changes, record the new value and its effective date instead of silently rewriting the context of an earlier decision.
Use the record in a handoff
Ask the receiving owner to explain the next action using only the worksheet. Missing context becomes visible quickly during that exercise. Repair the record before applying the structure to a larger batch. Keep priority gaps addressed connected to the item so the team can later assess whether the action was useful.
Use query and landing-page context when comparing results. A page serving a broad informational query has a different job from a page answering a purchase question. Review whether the next step remains useful to the person arriving.
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