Keeping tabs on your competitors isn’t just smart in 2025—it’s necessary. The digital space evolves quickly, and if you’re not monitoring the brands your audience is paying attention to, you could be missing out on valuable opportunities. SEMrush equips marketers with a powerful toolkit to uncover competitor strategies and improve their positioning.
Your biggest competitors aren’t always the ones offering identical products. They’re the ones capturing your audience’s attention. A company may not have the same offerings as yours. Still, if they consistently engage the people you want to reach—whether through content, community, or advertising—they’re still competing with you for visibility, trust, and, ultimately, market share.
That’s why understanding your “attention competitors” is just as crucial as knowing your direct business rivals.
Even if you’ve never considered some of these domains as competitors, their ability to draw in your audience means they could be siphoning off valuable attention and potential leads. Recognizing these players helps you benchmark more accurately and discover new strategic angles to differentiate your brand.
Examining who’s showing up in the search engine results pages (SERPs) for the keywords you care about is essential. Often, the companies ranking for your target search terms aren’t your traditional competitors—they might be content publishers, review blogs, or tools offering free alternatives.
By using SEMrush’s Organic Research tool , you can analyze which domains consistently rank for the keywords you want to target and what types of content (e.g., blog posts, videos, product pages) are winning. This insight reveals the SEO landscape of your niche and helps you pinpoint who’s dominating valuable organic traffic.
Talk to Your Sales and Support Teams Don’t underestimate the value of internal, qualitative insights. Your sales and customer support teams regularly contact leads and clients, making them a valuable source of competitor intelligence. Ask them what other brand prospects are considering, which alternatives are mentioned during calls, or what concerns nearly prevented a sale.
These conversations often reveal emerging players or indirect competition, such as do-it-yourself tools or outdated solutions, that data tools might miss. Pair this with research on review platforms like G2, Capterra, and Trustpilot, where customer comparisons and pain points are front and center. This layered approach gives you a more complete picture of your competitive environment.
2. Evaluate Their Offerings and Positioning Source: Canva
SEMrush can help you evaluate how your competitors present themselves in the market:
Analyze Their Pricing and Packaging Most competitors will showcase this information directly on their websites, especially on pricing or product comparison pages. Look closely at how they structure their offerings—do they provide multiple tiers for different buyer needs? Are there freemium or trial versions available to attract entry-level users? What features are included at each price point?
This type of analysis gives you insight into their monetization strategy. It helps you evaluate whether your offerings are aligned with market expectations—or if there’s an opportunity to provide more value, simplify pricing, or introduce new plans.
Look for Differentiators Look for differentiators—those qualities or features your competitors use to set themselves apart. These could be speed (“fastest results in the industry”), price (“best value”), customer service (“24/7 live support”), or innovation (“AI-powered technology”). Many companies highlight these in their taglines, feature lists, or About pages. Pay attention to the words they use repeatedly.
Understanding how they position their brand helps you assess your position. Are you emphasizing the same benefits, or are they overlooking something important that you can own in your messaging?
Spot Weak Points It’s equally important to spot weak points in your competitors’ customer experience. Browse their websites as a potential buyer would. Are the designs outdated or hard to navigate? Is their messaging inconsistent across platforms? Do customer reviews point out flaws in usability, responsiveness, or performance? Use this information to your advantage.
For instance, if users are frustrated with poor support from a competitor, you can highlight your dedication to customer service. Or, if their website is cluttered, yours can stand out by being clean and intuitive.
From here, adjust your positioning. The goal is to showcase your brand’s strengths more clearly and fill in the gaps your competitors leave open. When you align your offerings with customer expectations, while standing apart from what everyone else is doing, you strengthen your brand’s appeal and increase your chances of winning in a crowded market.
3. Understand Their Content and Traffic Channels Source: Canva
Use SEMrush’s Traffic Analytics and Organic Research tools to discover how your competitors attract visitors:
Top Content Formats Not all content is created equal—some formats naturally perform better depending on the audience and platform. You can determine which content types are most effective in your industry by studying your competitors.
For example, some brands may drive massive engagement through how-to blogs, while others dominate with video tutorials, webinars, or podcasts. Others might rely heavily on gated content like eBooks, whitepapers, or downloadable templates to collect leads.
With SEMrush’s tools, especially the Traffic Analytics and Domain Overview features, you can uncover which content formats bring in traffic and keep users engaged. Once you see what works for your competitors, you can adopt similar formats or innovate by offering something fresh and more valuable.
Best-Performing Channels Depending on their strategy and audience preferences, competitors will have a unique traffic mix. Some rely heavily on SEO, others invest heavily in paid search or display ads, and many brands focus on social media engagement or influencer partnerships.
SEMrush’s Traffic Analytics tool helps break down this mix by showing you how much of a competitor’s traffic comes from different sources: organic, paid, direct, referral, and social. Understanding these sources helps you prioritize your marketing efforts where they’re likely to yield the best ROI.
Publishing Cadence and Topics Consistency in publishing matters—brands that post regularly tend to perform better in search and audience engagement. Studying how frequently your competitors publish (weekly, monthly, etc.) can help set benchmarks for your content calendar. Beyond frequency, it’s crucial to evaluate what topics are getting traction.
Map these insights to your content strategy. Look for opportunities to fill content gaps or experiment with underused formats.
4. Study Their Sales Funnel Source: Canva
How do your competitors turn traffic into paying customers? Use insights from SEMrush and hands-on research:
Lead Magnets Lead magnets are valuable resources companies offer in exchange for a visitor’s contact information—usually an email address. They play a crucial role at the top of the sales funnel, helping brands convert passive website visitors into active leads.
Examples include downloadable eBooks , checklists, how-to guides, webinars, and industry reports. These pieces of content are typically “gated,” meaning users must fill out a form before gaining access.
Free Trials and Demos Offering a free trial or product demo is a proven way to lower the barrier to entry and allow potential customers to experience your solution without risk. Many high-performing competitors use these tactics to give users a “try before you buy” experience, which builds confidence and shortens the decision-making process.
Some may offer a limited-time full-featured trial, while others provide access to only basic functions. Others might guide users through a live or recorded demo tailored to specific pain points.
Follow-up Tactics What happens after a lead downloads a resource or signs up for a trial is just as important as the initial conversion. Strong competitors often have sophisticated follow-up strategies to keep leads engaged and move them further down the funnel.
These tactics can include email nurture sequences (drip campaigns). These retargeting ads appear on social media or search platforms, personalized recommendations, and dynamic calls-to-action based on user behavior.
To evaluate this, you can sign up for your competitors’ mailing lists, download a lead magnet, or initiate a trial to observe what messages they send and how frequently. Apply your knowledge to refine your sales process and fill any funnel gaps.
5. Combine SEMrush Tools for a Holistic View Source: Canva
The real power of SEMrush lies in using its tools together:
Traffic Analytics: Analyze website performance by benchmarking site visits, bounce rates, and session durations to understand audience behavior. Gain insights into competitors’ traffic metrics for data-driven decisions.Organic Research: Identify SEO gaps and discover new keyword opportunities to enhance organic visibility. Uncover competitor strategies to stay ahead in search rankings.Advertising Research: Monitor competitor spending on paid search to optimize your own ad campaigns and gain insights into the most effective ad strategies in your industry.Social Media Tracker: Track social media engagement metrics and analyze platform focus to maximize audience interaction. Monitor competitor performance to improve your social strategy.Backlink Analytics: To strengthen your backlink profile, identify link-building opportunities, and uncover domain authority gaps. Benchmark against competitors to enhance SEO efforts. Layering these tools gives you a full picture of how competitors attract, engage, and convert. Use that knowledge to strengthen your strategy, not mimic theirs.
Final Thoughts Staying competitive online requires more than good content—it demands smart, data-driven decisions backed by the right tools. If you’re serious about understanding your market and outperforming others in your niche, it’s time to explore how SEMrush can elevate your strategy.
Whether focused on national reach or using SEMrush local insights to dominate your region, the platform offers everything from in-depth traffic data to advanced keyword research capabilities. While some may look into a group buy SEO tools, investing in a trusted solution like SEMrush provides the accuracy, support, and scalability that free or shared options often lack.
If you’re ready to uncover real competitor insights, optimize your website, and fine-tune your marketing strategy, visit the SEMrush site and explore the toolkit firsthand. From traffic analysis to backlink intelligence, SEMrush is a great tool to guide your next move and help you win in a crowded digital space.
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FAQs What Is a SEMrush Group Buy? A SEMrush group buy refers to a collaborative purchasing plan that allows multiple users to share the cost of a SEMrush subscription. This approach makes it more affordable for marketers, freelancers, and small businesses to access SEMrush’s comprehensive suite of SEO tools and features.
How Can I Join a Group Buy for SEMrush? To join a group buy for SEMrush, you can find a reputable group buy platform that offers access to SEMrush plans. Once you locate a trustworthy provider, you can follow their instructions to sign up and contribute to the shared cost of the subscription.
What Pricing Plans Are Available for SEMrush? SEMrush offers several pricing plans, including the Pro, Guru, and Business plans. Each plan provides different features tailored to specific marketing needs, allowing users to choose the best fit for their budget and requirements.
What Features of SEMrush Are Included in the Group Buy Plans? Group buy plans for SEMrush typically include access to essential features such as keyword research, site audit, competitive research, and the content marketing toolkit. However, verifying with the group buy provider for specific features included in their offering is advisable.
How Does SEMrush Compare to Ahrefs? SEMrush and Ahrefs are leading SEO tools, but offer different features and strengths. SEMrush excels in competitive research and social media management , while Ahrefs excels in backlink analysis and keyword tracking. The choice between SEMrush and Ahrefs depends on the user’s specific needs.
Can I Use SEMrush to Manage My Social Media? Yes, SEMrush provides tools for social media management , allowing marketers to schedule posts, track performance, and analyze audience engagement. This feature is part of the SEMrush social toolkit, which is beneficial for enhancing online presence.
Are There Any SEMrush Alternatives Available? Yes, several SEMrush alternatives are available, including Ahrefs, Moz, and Ubersuggest . Each tool offers different features and pricing plans tailored to various SEO and digital marketing needs.
Is There a Free Version of SEMrush Available? SEMrush does not offer a free version, but it provides a free trial period for new users to explore its features. After the trial, users must choose a pricing plan to continue using SEMrush.
How Can SEMrush Help with Content Marketing? SEMrush helps with content marketing by providing tools for keyword research, topic suggestions, and content optimization. These features enable content marketers to create data-driven strategies that enhance online visibility and engage their target audience effectively.
