How many competitors should a small business compare itself with?
Three or four: the ones your customers would also consider.
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Why I always look at the competition
Because most businesses never have, and the comparison changes the conversation. Competitor analysis was part of 32 of the 55 audits I ran and was consistently one of the most valuable parts, showing where a business was behind, where it was ahead, and where nobody in its sector was doing anything well. One business convinced it had the best website in its sector found that two of three competitors had better content, clearer calls to action and faster pages.
What do businesses learn when they compare themselves with competitors?
Usually one of two things: "I had no idea they were doing all that", or "we are better than I thought". Competitor analysis was part of 32 of the 55 audits and consistently one of the most valuable exercises, and the one that produced the most uncomfortable conversations. Most businesses had glanced at a rival's website or knew what a competitor charged, but had never sat down and systematically compared websites, content, search rankings, social activity and reviews. The first reaction creates urgency and the second creates confidence, and neither happens without looking.
What uncomfortable things did the comparisons reveal?
Gaps the business had not seen. One was convinced it had the best website in its sector; two of the three competitors I showed it had better content, clearer calls to action and faster pages. Another had no idea a newer competitor was ranking for all the search terms it assumed it owned: twenty years of experience and reputation counted for nothing in Google's results because the competitor had written better meta descriptions. A third found that nobody in its sector was publishing anything useful, which left an opening to own the search results by being first.
What should a competitor comparison cover?
Five areas. Website quality: design, speed, mobile experience and clarity of message. Content depth: blog posts, guides, case studies and how detailed the service descriptions are. Search visibility: what they rank for, their domain authority and whether they run paid ads. Social media: which platforms, how active and what kind of engagement. Reviews on Google, Trustpilot and industry platforms. The aim is to find where you are behind, where you are ahead and should lean in, and where nobody is doing anything.
How can you run your own comparison?
Pick the three competitors your customers would also consider and put their websites beside yours. Be honest about whose homepage is clearer, whose service pages have more detail, who ranks higher for what you both sell, who has more Google reviews and whose social media feels more alive. Write down three things they do better, three things you do better, and one thing nobody in the sector does well. That last one is the biggest opportunity.
Related evidence: 55 digital audits. Here’s what I found.. Earlier in this journey: “Our web developer disappeared”.
Questions people ask
Is competitor analysis about copying what others do?
No. It is about finding where you are behind, where you are ahead and should lean in, and where nobody in the sector is doing anything well.
Not sure where to start?
Most clients begin with a conversation. No pitch, no hard sell.
Just a straightforward discussion about where you are and whether I can help.
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