Website Competitor Analysis Using SEMrush Tool: A Step-by-Step Guide

In the current cutthroat digital arena, knowledge isn’t just power—it is profit. Conducting a thorough website competitor analysis is similar to getting a backstage pass to your rivals’ playbook. It reveals what is working (and what is not) in your niche, allowing you to craft relevant strategies that don’t just compete, but dominate.

One of the best tools for conducting an effective website competitor analysis is SEMrush, a powerful SEO and competitive intelligence platform. We have already discussed about the importance of SEMRush tool in digital marketing and how it can help in taking vital decisions to improve SEO strategies and execution. In this blog, we will take you through how to conduct a comprehensive competitor analysis using SEMrush tool, covering key metrics like traffic, keywords, backlinks, and more.

Why Competitor Analysis Matters

Before diving into the how-to, let us understand why competitor analysis is essential:

  1. Identify Market Gaps – Discover untapped opportunities your competitors may be missing.
  2. Improve SEO Strategy – Learn which keywords and backlinks are driving their traffic.
  3. Enhance Content Marketing – See what type of content performs best in your niche.
  4. Optimize Paid Campaigns – Analyze competitor ad strategies to refine your PPC efforts.
  5. Benchmark Performance – Compare your website metrics against competitors to set realistic goals.

Now, let’s explore how SEMrush can help you achieve these insights.

Step 1: Identify Your Competitors

Before analyzing the competitors, you need to know who they are. SEMrush tool provides multiple ways to find them:

A. Organic Competitors

These are websites ranking for similar keywords as yours.

  1. Log in to SEMrush account and go to the Competitive Research Map under the “Competitors” tab.
  2. Enter your domain name and click “Analyze.”
  3. SEMrush will display a list of websites that compete for the same organic keywords.

B. Paid Competitors

These competitors run ads targeting similar keywords.

  1. Navigate to Advertising Research > Competitors.
  2. Enter your domain to see who’s bidding on the same keywords in Google Ads.

C. Industry-Specific Competitors

If you already know your top competitors, add them manually in the “My Competitors” section for tracking.

Step 2: Analyze Competitor Traffic & Engagement

Understanding how much traffic your competitors get and how users engage with their site is crucial.

A. Traffic Analytics Overview

  1. Go to Traffic Analytics > Overview and enter a competitor’s domain.
  2. Key metrics to check:
    • Total Visits – How much traffic they receive monthly.
    • Pages per Visit – Engagement depth.
    • Average Visit Duration – How long users stay.
    • Bounce Rate – Percentage of visitors who leave without interaction.

B. Traffic Sources

See where their traffic comes from:

  • Organic Search (SEO performance)
  • Paid Search (Google Ads)
  • Direct Traffic (Brand searches)
  • Referral Traffic (Backlinks)
  • Social Media (Facebook, Twitter, etc.)

This helps you identify which channels are most effective for them.

Step 3: Keyword Gap Analysis

Keywords are the backbone of any search engine optimization (SEO). SEMrush is an amazing keyword research tool that can help you in identifying the right keywords to rank higher and beat the competition. SEMrush’s Keyword Gap Tool helps you find:

  • Shared Keywords (What you and competitors rank for)
  • Missing Keywords (Opportunities you haven’t targeted yet)
  • Weak Keywords (Where you rank lower than competitors)

How to Use the Keyword Gap Tool

  1. Go to Keyword Analytics > Keyword Gap.
  2. Enter your domain and up to 4 competitors.
  3. Click “Compare” to see overlapping and unique keywords.
  4. Filter by position, search volume, and difficulty to prioritize opportunities.

Actionable Tip: Target high-volume, low-competition keywords your competitors rank for but you don’t.

Step 4: Backlink Analysis

Backlinks significantly impact SEO rankings. Analyzing competitor backlinks helps you:

  • Identify high-authority sites linking to them.
  • Discover guest posting and outreach opportunities.
  • Spot toxic links to avoid.

A. Backlink Analytics

  1. Navigate to Backlink Analytics and enter a competitor’s domain.
  2. Key metrics:
    • Total Backlinks – Number of referring domains.
    • Referring Domains – Unique websites linking to them.
    • Authority Score – Domain strength (higher = better).

B. Top Pages by Backlinks

See which pages attract the most backlinks—this reveals their best-performing content.

C. New & Lost Backlinks

Track recent backlink gains/losses to understand their link-building strategies.

Actionable Tip: Reach out to the same referring domains for potential backlinks.

Step 5: Content & On-Page SEO Analysis

Content is king, and SEMrush helps you analyze competitors’ top-performing pages.

A. Top Pages Report

  1. Go to Organic Research > Pages.
  2. See which pages get the most organic traffic.
  3. Analyze their structure, word count, and keyword usage.

B. Content Audit

Use SEMrush’s SEO Content Template to compare your content with competitors:

  • Keyword density
  • Readability score
  • Backlink opportunities

C. On-Page SEO Checker

Enter a competitor’s URL to see:

  • Meta title & description optimization
  • Header tags (H1, H2, H3)
  • Internal linking structure

Actionable Tip: Improve your content by incorporating missing elements from competitors’ best pages.

Step 6: Paid Advertising (PPC) Analysis

If competitors are running Google Ads, SEMrush helps you spy on their strategies.

A. Advertising Research

  1. Go to Advertising Research > Ads Copies.
  2. Enter a competitor’s domain to see:
    • Active ad copies
    • Keywords they bid on
    • Ad spend estimates

B. PLA (Product Listing Ads) Research

For eCommerce sites, analyze competitor shopping ads.

Actionable Tip: Use competitor ad copies as inspiration (but don’t copy directly).

Step 7: Social Media & Brand Visibility

SEMrush’s Social Media Tracker helps monitor competitors’ social performance.

  1. Go to Social Media Tracker.
  2. Add competitor profiles (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.).
  3. Track engagement metrics (likes, shares, comments).

Actionable Tip: Identify trending topics and replicate successful strategies.

Step 8: Generate a Competitor Analysis Report

SEMrush allows you to export data for further analysis:

  1. Click “Export” on any report.
  2. Choose CSV, PDF, or Google Sheets.
  3. Share insights with your team for strategy refinement.

Final Thoughts

Competitor analysis isn’t about copying others—it’s about learning, adapting, and outperforming. By leveraging SEMrush, you gain actionable insights into:
✅ Traffic sources & engagement
✅ Keyword opportunities
✅ Backlink strategies
✅ Content & on-page SEO
✅ Paid advertising tactics

Regularly monitoring competitors ensures you stay ahead in SEO, content, and digital marketing.