21 Best Competitor Analysis Tools to Increase Website Traffic in 2023

Do you run a website and often wonder how your site is performing compared to competing sites?

If you answered yes, then you are in the right place.

I've curated a list of 21 of the most effective competitor analysis tools that you can use to benchmark your website against your competitors.

List of 21 Best Competitor Analysis Tools

Along with providing the list of competitive analysis tools, we’ve also mentioned the key features of each tool. This will help you determine which of these competitor analysis tools can best meet the needs of your business.

1. Semrush

Semrush is an all-in-one competitive intelligence solution and a comprehensive competitor analysis tool. And it does a lot more than just compare site traffic.

Why is it an invaluable tool?

It digs deep and provides the complete analysis of your competitors’ backlinks profiles, top-performing competitor's content, and the keywords that they are ranking for. Additionally, it tracks your competitors’ online reputation by tracking smart mentions.

Image via Semrush

2. Serpstat

Next on our list of the best competitive analysis tools, Serpstat is a brilliant competitor finder and analysis tool that provides a multitude of data on the SEO rankings of your competitors.

What’s unique about Serpstat's valuable insights?

The tool has a tree view feature that provides a complete map of competitors’ websites and which pages rank for which keywords.

Their URL analysis feature lets you find competitors for each category page of your website. The batch analysis feature allows you to compare up to 200 domains for various metrics like keywords and search traffic.

Image via Serpstat

3. SE Ranking

This competitor analysis tool allows you to benchmark your website against competitors on SEO and PPC parameters. It includes competitive analysis features like backlinks analysis, keyword data, site audits, and a keyword rank checker.

Image via SE Ranking

4. Alexa

Alexa is one of the most popular competitor analysis tools used for analyzing competitor performance and comparing that with yours.

In fact, Alexa Rank is, in itself, a parameter that people use to compare one website to another.

So, what can you do with Alexa's competitive analysis?

It can help you check the popularity of a website by measuring organic traffic. It also ranks websites in its database based on their popularity.

Image via Alexa

5. SimilarWeb

This competitor analysis tool analyzes your competitors’ organic traffic and engagement metrics and helps you conduct a competitive analysis on your own.

What more, you ask?

SimilarWeb's competitive intelligence also has a keyword analysis feature that helps you track the organic keywords that your competitors are ranking for and also find new keywords that you can target as part of your marketing strategy.

This tool not only analyzes websites but also analyzes apps on parameters like rank, engagement and retention rates, audience interests, etc.

Image via SimilarWeb

6. Ahrefs

Ahrefs is an excellent competitive analysis tool for conducting a thorough site analysis and competitor benchmarking on multiple SEO parameters.

Why is it one of the best competitor analysis tools out there?

It also provides detailed backlink research, which is updated on a daily basis. The tool also has a keyword research feature that you can use to track competitors’ performance on various keywords and identify keywords that you can target as part of your own strategy.

Image via Ahrefs

7. Quick Sprout

Next up on our list of the top competitive analysis tools, Quick Sprout analyzes any website based on traffic, speed, and other SEO parameters. It can be used for competitor analysis by checking the site analyses of your competitors.

Although it is not as nuanced as other sophisticated competitor analysis tools like Semrush, it offers some good competitive analysis features for free.

Image via Quick Sprout

8. BuiltWith

This competitive analysis tool focuses specifically on the online technologies market and tracks technology trends and statistics on key market players.

What can you do with BuiltWith's competitive analysis?

Using this tool, you can select the technology that you are interested in and see statistics on its usage, key players, and compare your statistics with that of competitors.

Image via BuiltWith

9. WooRank

This competitor analysis tool is a website review and SEO analysis tool that provides a competitor analysis feature. Use this tool to understand what keywords your competitors are targeting and identify keywords that you can target as part of your marketing strategy. You can compare up to 5 websites using this tool.

Image via WooRank

10. KeywordSpy

This is an effective competitor analysis tool for digital marketers as it helps you identify competitors’ paid and organic advertising/marketing strategies.

Why should you care about your competitors' marketing efforts?

You can literally spy on your competitors and find out which keywords they target, their ad copy combinations, and their performance of both.

Image via KeywordSpy

11. Hitwise

This competitor analysis tool allows you to compare your website with those of your competitors on various SEO parameters. It also helps you identify your competitors, track clickstream patterns for any website, and track where your audience is going.

Image via Hitwise

12. SpyFu

This is a great competitor analysis tool for tracking competitor keywords, ad copy combinations, PPC ad rankings, and organic search rankings. What else?

Apart from suggesting keywords that you should target, this tool also suggests keywords that your competitors already targeted and failed at.

Image via SpyFu

13. Raven Tools

This competitor analysis tool provides a detailed analysis of various site metrics like keywords, backlinks, design, domain authority, page speed, traffic, social media metrics, etc.

Is that all? Of course, not.

It also provides an in-depth backlink analysis of relevant sites that can help you analyze competitors’ backlinks and identify good backlink sources for your website. The tool collects data from multiple sources like Google, Moz, IBM Watson, Bing, Majestic, etc.

Image via Raven Tools

14. cognitiveSEO

This competitor analysis tool provides ranking analysis, keyword research, and content optimization features as part of their competitor research tool.

This competitive analysis tool can provide insights into your competitors’ keywords, backlinks, and content strategy and help you formulate your own marketing strategy accordingly.

Image via cognitiveSEO

15. SISTRIX

Using this competitor analysis tool, you can benchmark your website against those of your competitors on all key SEO parameters. The tool can also help you analyze your and your competitors’ ad campaigns and even find competitors.

Image via SISTRIX

16. Blue Corona

This free competitor analysis tool benchmarks your website against competitors on parameters like security, speed, mobile friendliness, content quality, backlinks, etc. This software does a detailed site audit of your and your competitors’ websites.

Image via Blue Corona

17. iSpionage

This tool can help you identify your competitors’ profitable keywords, best-performing ad copy, and landing pages. It is a comprehensive competitor analysis tool that can provide seven years of PPC and SEO data for you and your competitors. This tool can also help you identify new competitors and inform you of their PPC strategies.

Image via iSpionage

18. SEO Review Tools

This competitor analysis tool provides a thorough keyword analysis and identifies competitors that rank for your most important keywords. It also provides other competitor analysis features like backlinks analysis, a website authority checker, and an SEO audit.

Image via SEO Review Tools

19. Crayon

This comprehensive competitor analysis tool lets you analyze your competitors’ entire digital footprint. Isn’t that awesome?

You can gain insights on competitors’ product and pricing changes, latest news and announcements, online reputation, content, and marketing campaigns.

Unlike other competitor analysis tools on our list, this tool’s insights are not limited to SEO and PPC campaigns, but cover a lot more.

Image via Crayon

20. LXR Marketplace

This website has several SEO tools, including an SEO competitor analysis tool. The tool allows you to compare your website’s SEO performance with that of your competitors.

What’s more?

It has a keyword analysis feature that can help you compare your search performance against competitors on common keywords that you’re targeting.

Image via LXR Marketplace

21. DataForSEO

This is another competitor analysis tool that you can use to compare the SEO metrics of your website with those of your competitors. It provides an in-depth traffic analysis, along with six months of traffic metrics history.

Image via DataForSEO

FAQs

Q1. What is the best SEO tool for competitor site analysis?

A. The following are the best SEO tools for competitor analysis:

• Serpstat
• SE Ranking
• Alexa
• SimilarWeb
• WooRank

Q2. What are the tools and techniques of competitive analysis?

A. The best tools for competitive analysis include WooRank, SE Ranking, Alexa, and SimilarWeb.

The techniques of competitive analysis include:

• SWOT Analysis
• Perceptual Mapping
• Porter's Five Forces
• Growth-Share Matrix
• Strategic Group Analysis
• PEST Analysis

Q3. How do you do a competitor analysis?

A. Use the following steps when conducting a competitor analysis:

• Find competitors through social media platforms, Google, or competitor analysis tools.
• Categorize competitors depending on whether they are direct, indirect, or phantom competitors.
• Check out how they display products on their websites, what they include, their calls-to-action, etc.
• Identify why customers buy from them and their unique selling points.
• Compare how they set prices across channels.
• Conduct a sentiment analysis, read relevant conversations about your competitor, and read their reviews.
• Review your competitor's content including social media posts and a blog post or two.
• Stay updated using Google Alerts or listening tools for news about your competitors and your industry that can affect your business.

Q4. What are the three types of competitors?

A. The three types of competitors are:

• Direct Competitors: Businesses in the same sector, offering similar products and targeting the same audience. For example, McDonald's and Burger King.
• Indirect Competitors: Businesses selling products in a similar category that can substitute what you offer. For example, a savings account and the stock market.
• Phantom competitors: Businesses selling substitute products a customer may choose instead of your own. For example, watching a movie at a theatre and reading a book with the same title.

Q5. What are the two excellent tools for researching your competitors?

A. Two of the best tools for analyzing the competition are:

• Semrush
• Serpstat

Q6. Is Semrush free?

A. No. But you can get a 7-day free trial period on either of their paid plans.

Q7. Which is the best free SEO tool?

A. These are the best free SEO tools and most relevant tools based on functionality:

• Keyword research: Google Keyword Planner, Answer The Public
• On-page SEO: SERPsim, Animalz Revive
• Technical SEO: Google Search Console, Screaming Frog
• Research: BuzzSumo, SimilarWeb
• Local SEO: Google My Business, Whitespark Google Review Link Generator
• Analytic tools: Google Analytics, Google Data Studio
• Rank checking: Bulk Google Rank Checker, serprobot.com
• Link Tools: LinkMiner, Google's Disavow Tool,
• Mobile SEO: Google's Mobile-Friendly Test, Mobile-First Index Tool
• Indexing and crawling: Beam Us Up, Screaming Frog
• Multi-functional tools: SEO Minion, MozBar, Google Search Console

Q8. How do competitors use keywords?

A. The following are ways your competitors use keywords:

• For competitive benchmarking.
• To find gaps in the content and keywords they use.
• To find inspiration when targeting new terms and developing new content.
• To discover what your target audience cares about.
• To create content that helps them compete in the search engines for the same keywords.
• To identify keywords you don't target and especially long-tail keywords that give them a competitive edge.
• To discover why you rank for specific terms.

Q9. Is it legal to bid on competitor keywords?

A. Yes.

You can bid on competitor keywords as long as you don't use your competitor's trademarked name in your ad copy.

Q10. What are competitors' keywords?

A. Competitor keywords are those keywords companies you compete with target to get better search rankings. They are those that drive traffic to their sites and that you can use their keyword data to gain insights into your audience's interests and pain points, and to identify trends.

Which Competitor Analysis Tool is the Best?

You cannot sit in a silo and just keep tracking your performance without knowing where you stand in the industry, especially when it comes to your competitors.

Monitor competitors and benchmark them against your own performance to help you streamline your strategies, identify opportunities, and correct your mistakes.

The list of competitor analysis tools above will help you do just that. These are some of the best competitor analysis tools available in the market today. So, take your pick and get started with competitor analysis and benchmarking for your website.

Do you know any other competitor analysis tools that deserve to be included in our list? Let us know in the comments below.