Google rankings can feel like a race where the finish line keeps moving. One day you’re neck-and-neck with your competitor, the next they swoop by ahead. If someone else is getting your ideal customers, you’re not just trailing, they’re capturing your leads, phone calls, and sales.
Sounds frustrating, right? Here’s what’s actually happening and what you can do about it. Let’s unpack why your competitor ranks higher, and give you a practical plan to overtake them.
1. Conduct a Deep Competitor SEO Analysis
Before you make any moves, you need a clear picture of where your competitor’s winning—and how they’re doing it. Without lifting the curtain on their SEO playbook, you’re guessing in the dark.
You’ll want to gather data on:
- The keywords they rank for
- How many backlinks they have—and from where
- Their on-page SEO elements
- Content topics, formats, and freshness
Tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz (plus free Google Search Console insights) help you see the full landscape. Pull lists of their top organic keywords, note which pages perform best, and map out where they’re gaining traction. That’s your roadmap for improvement.
2. Evaluate Their On‑Page SEO & Content Quality
Once you know what keywords they rank for, dig into their actual pages. Look for:
- Precise, keyword‑focused title tags and meta descriptions
- Headings laid out clearly (H1, H2, H3 …)
- Rich, well‑structured content with images, bullet points, and quick scannability
- Fast-loading, mobile‑friendly layouts
If their pages hit all these marks and yours don’t, you have a clear opportunity. Dive in and upgrade your pages: update titles, add meaningful subheads, improve layout, and supercharge readability.
3. Analyze Their Backlink Profile
Backlinks remain a major signal Google considers. Those high-quality sites linking to your competitor boost their authority and push their rankings ahead of yours.
Identify:
- Which sites link to them
- What types of pages attract links (e.g. blog posts, local citation pages)
- Whether their links are one-off or part of a broader campaign
Then use that intel: start outreach to the same sites, offer your expertise for guest posts, build partnerships, and get listed in relevant local directories or industry hubs.
4. Examine Their Technical SEO
Even well-optimized sites can slip if their technical SEO isn’t solid. Check your competitor for:
- Clean crawlability and correct sitemap/robots setup
- Page speed (especially on mobile)
- Usage of structured data (e.g. local business, FAQ schema)
If they’ve nailed any of those and you haven’t, this is quick low-hanging fruit. Small fixes—like compressing images, tweaking sitemaps, or adding FAQ schema—can move the needle.
5. Look Into Their Local SEO Tactics
For small businesses, local visibility is everything. Your competitor may be dominating local searches by:
- Having a fully optimized Google Business Profile (photos, accurate categories, regular updates, solid reviews)
- Being listed consistently across local directories with matching name, address, and phone number (NAP)
- Targeting geo-specific keywords in site content and metadata
Even if you’re doing this, a few strategic improvements—like adding city‑specific pages or optimizing for “keyword + near me”—can boost your local authority.
6. Study Their User Engagement Signals
Google cares about user behavior. If people click your competitor’s result and stay engaged—measured by bounce rate, time on site, pages per session—Google sees that as a strong signal that users find that content helpful.
Look at:
- Whether their pages have interactive elements (like videos, tables, calculators)
- If they incorporate internal links to keep users browsing
- Whether their content satisfies search intent—answers questions clearly
Match or exceed them: add media, internal links, and interactive elements, and make sure your content answers user questions more thoroughly.
7. Track Their Updates & Algorithm Wins
Keyword rankings don’t stay static. If a competitor suddenly jumps ahead, they probably tweaked something—published a new post, picked up a backlink, refreshed old content.
Use tools like Ahrefs Alerts or SEMrush Position Tracking to monitor their movements. When they spike, reverse-engineer what they did. Did they add new content? Improve site speed? Reclaim links? Then do it and do it better.
8. Develop Your Competitive SEO Action Plan
Now that you know what they’re doing well, create a three-tiered plan:
- Quick wins (0–1 month)
- Optimize titles/matched metadata
- Fix technical issues (speed, mobile, broken images)
- Add internal links and structured data
- Mid-term (1–3 months)
- Create content targeting competitor keywords
- Outreach for the same backlinks they earned
- Boost local listings and citation consistency
- Long-term (3+ months)
- Develop authority-building content (e.g. expert guides, case studies)
- Build strong local partnerships and collaboration
- Cultivate reviews, social proof, and brand mentions
Tracking progress is essential: watch keyword position changes, traffic trends, and conversion metrics to see what’s working–and what needs adjustment.
9. Measure Results & Keep Iterating
You can’t optimize what you don’t measure. Define clear KPIs at the outset:
- Ranking improvements (CTR and SERP position)
- Organic traffic changes
- Conversion signals (leads, form submissions, calls)
Monthly reporting lets you tie updates to growth. Ask: did fixing page speed help rankings? Did fresh content lift traffic? Then keep investing in what’s delivering results.
10. Common Pitfalls & How to Avoid Them
When chasing rankings, it’s tempting to chase every shiny SEO tactic—but that dilutes focus. Avoid:
- Chasing low-priority signals while neglecting site fundamentals
- Resorting to black-hat SEO—penalties are not worth it
- Ignoring mobile experience or local intent
Stick to a focused, consistent plan—especially since SEO is a long game.
Final Thoughts
Your competitor might seem out of reach, but they’ve just built a better SEO strategy and you can follow their lead, only smarter. It starts with insight (what they’re doing), goes into action (making improvements), and stays strong with ongoing measurement.
What’s more, this is an ongoing process. The web isn’t static, and neither are rankings.
Take the Next Step with Bluesoft Design
Are you ready to start outranking competitors and gaining local market share? Bluesoft Design can help you:
- Conduct a full competitor SEO audit
- Fix technical and on-page issues quickly
- Develop an SEO roadmap with measurable milestones
- Build backlinks and local partnerships
Let’s put your site on top—and keep it there. Request your free competitor SEO audit at BluesoftDesign.com. Head over now, and let’s start winning together. Schedule your consultation today.
