---
name: competitor-analysis
description: Conduct full competitor strategy breakdowns across SEO, ads, social, email, pricing, and positioning. Use when the user asks to analyze competitors, benchmark against rivals, understand competitive landscape, find competitor weaknesses, or build a competitive matrix. Trigger phrases include "competitor analysis", "competitive analysis", "who are my competitors", "competitor research", "competitive landscape", "benchmark competitors", "competitor ads", "competitor SEO", "competitor pricing", "SWOT analysis", "competitive matrix".
---

# Competitor Analysis Framework

You are an expert competitive intelligence analyst. When the user asks you to analyze competitors, build competitive matrices, or identify competitive advantages, follow this framework.

## Step 1: Gather Context

Establish: user's product, industry/vertical, target audience, known competitors, key concerns (pricing, features, marketing), available tools (SEMrush, Ahrefs, SimilarWeb), goal (strategy, launch decision, investor deck, repositioning).

## Step 2: Competitor Identification

### Three Categories

- **Direct** (same product, same audience): 3-5 competitors
- **Indirect** (different product, same problem): 2-3 competitors
- **Aspirational** (market leaders to learn from): 1-2 competitors

### Discovery Methods

Google "[category]" (ads + organic top 10), G2/Capterra "Compare" pages, Reddit/Twitter "[competitor] alternative", customer interviews, job postings, funding announcements, SEMrush "Competing Domains" report.

## Step 3: SEO Analysis

For each competitor:

```
COMPETITOR SEO PROFILE: [Company Name]
DA/DR: [score] | Monthly Organic Traffic: [volume] | Ranking Keywords: [total]

TOP KEYWORDS: [keyword, position, volume, traffic share]

CONTENT STRATEGY:
  Post frequency, avg length, content types, top 5 performing URLs

BACKLINK PROFILE:
  Total backlinks, referring domains, top linking domains, acquisition rate

TECHNICAL: Site speed, mobile optimization, schema markup, architecture
```

### Gap Analysis

- **Keyword gaps**: Keywords competitors rank for that you do not
- **Content gaps**: Topics competitors cover that you do not
- **Backlink gaps**: Domains linking to competitors but not you

## Step 4: Paid Advertising Analysis

```
COMPETITOR AD PROFILE: [Company Name]
Est. Monthly Spend: [range] | Platforms: [list] | Active Ads: [count]

GOOGLE ADS: Top keywords, ad copy themes, landing pages, extensions
META ADS: Ad count (from Ad Library), formats, running duration, creative themes
LINKEDIN ADS (B2B): Formats, targeting signals, content themes
```

**Key questions**: Which keywords bid most aggressively? What landing pages do ads point to (reveals best offers)? How long have top ads been running (long = profitable)? Running retargeting?

## Step 5: Social Media Analysis

```
| Platform | Followers | Frequency | Avg Engagement | Top Content Type |
|----------|-----------|-----------|----------------|-----------------|
| Twitter/X | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| LinkedIn | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Instagram | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| YouTube | ... | ... | ... | ... |

CONTENT THEMES: [theme, engagement level] x3
TOP POSTS (last 90 days): [platform, description, metrics]
COMMUNITY: Response time, tone, UGC, community spaces
```

## Step 6: Email and Lifecycle Marketing

Sign up for every competitor's list, trial, and newsletter. Track:

- **Newsletter**: Frequency, content type, subject line style, personalization
- **Onboarding sequence**: Day-by-day breakdown with subject, purpose, CTA
- **Promotions**: Discount frequency, seasonal campaigns, urgency tactics
- **Retention**: Churn prevention emails, re-engagement campaigns

## Step 7: Pricing and Positioning

### Pricing Comparison

```
| Feature/Plan | You | Comp A | Comp B | Comp C |
|-------------|-----|--------|--------|--------|
| Free Tier | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Starter | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Pro | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Enterprise | ... | ... | ... | ... |
```

Note model type, billing options, add-ons, discounts, price anchoring.

### Positioning Map

Create a 2x2 map on the two most important dimensions (e.g., Price vs. Simplicity). Identify white space opportunities.

### Messaging Extraction

For each: tagline, value proposition, key differentiator, target persona, tone, primary proof points.

## Step 8: SWOT Analysis

For each major competitor:

```
STRENGTHS: [with evidence]
WEAKNESSES: [with evidence from reviews, complaints, feature gaps]
OPPORTUNITIES: [market trends in their favor]
THREATS: [your advantages or market shifts against them]
```

**Weakness sources**: G2/Capterra 1-2 star reviews, Reddit/Twitter complaints, Glassdoor, Down Detector, feature comparison gaps, support forums.

## Step 9: Competitive Matrix

```
| Dimension | You | Comp A | Comp B | Comp C |
|-----------|-----|--------|--------|--------|
| Founded | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Funding/Revenue | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Target Market | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Entry Price | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Key Differentiator | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| DA | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Monthly Traffic | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| G2 Rating | ... | ... | ... | ... |
| Feature 1-3 | Y/N | Y/N | Y/N | Y/N |
```

## Step 10: Strategic Recommendations

```
STRATEGIC RECOMMENDATIONS
==========================
1. POSITIONING: Current vs. recommended position, key message, differentiation
2. CONTENT: Priority keywords, content types, topics to own
3. PAID: Keywords competitors miss, ad angles, channel priorities
4. PRODUCT: Features to build (from gaps), features to deprioritize
5. PRICING: Adjustments, packaging opportunities
6. QUICK WINS: 3 actions to implement this week
```

Ground every recommendation in specific competitor data. Prioritize by impact and ease of implementation.