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Competitor tracking and analysis
Add a competitor; hear about their new pages and changes, and see the keywords you are missing.
Steps
- 1
Go to "More" → "Rankings & competitors" → the "Competitors" tab and add your competitor's domain. You can add 1 competitor on Free, 3 on Tracker, 10 on Pro and 25 on Agency.
- 2
Lokman checks your competitor's ranking pages and the new pages in their sitemap every few hours. When it finds a new page or a change in title, description or content, you get an alert on the bell and an e-mail.
- 3
The "Analysis" link next to a competitor shows both sites' strength, keywords they rank for where you don't, shared keywords where they are ahead and their most visited pages. It refreshes every month on its own; you can refresh it right away too.
- 4
Press "Track" in the missing keywords list to add that keyword to rank tracking; follow its progress on the Keywords page.
Tip: We read competitor sites gently and follow their bot rules (robots.txt). Start with shared keywords where they are ahead: improving your page is often faster than writing a new one.
Why it matters
When a competitor publishes a new page, changes a title or refreshes its content, it is hard to notice by yourself; tracking does it for you and tells you. Competitor analysis collects the keywords they rank for where you do not appear, and the shared keywords where they are ahead, in one list. That way you pick the first page to write or update by looking at data rather than guessing.
If you get stuck
If you cannot add a competitor, your plan's limit may be reached; remove one you no longer need. Enter just the site address, for example rival.com. An empty analysis usually means the competitor was just added: it is ready in a few minutes, so refresh. If "Track" does nothing, your plan's keyword limit is reached. An empty change list means the first check is still running or their pages have not changed.
Frequently asked questions
- Who should I add as a competitor?
- The sites you meet most often on Google for your keywords. They are listed under "Found in Google results" on the Competitors tab; just press "Add as competitor". If you run a local business, look at sites offering the same service in your city rather than big brands: those are the ones you really compete with.
- What changes are tracked on a competitor?
- We check the competitor's pages that rank for your keywords and the new pages that appear in their sitemap. A new page, a changed title and a content update (more words, new sections) each show up with their own label. Only public pages are read, and the competitor is never notified.
- How accurate are the numbers in the analysis?
- They are estimates: monthly visits and keyword counts are calculated from Google data at country level, so use them to compare two sites, not as exact figures. The analysis refreshes every month by itself, and "Analyse now" refreshes it right away. Your own Search Console numbers are real measurements; do not mix the two up.
- What happens when I track a missing keyword?
- "Track" adds the keyword to rank tracking and it counts toward your plan's keyword limit. Your rank appears on the Keywords page as it is measured. If the limit is reached the keyword is not added and you see a notice; remove a keyword you no longer need and try again.
Read next
- Rank finder and keyword trackingSee where you rank on Google for a keyword instantly; track important keywords daily.
- AlertsWe tell you when your site is down, SSL is about to expire, or keywords/traffic drop.
- Reading the dashboardWhat the cards, the health score and the "What happened this week?" section on your dashboard mean, and how to read them.
- Applying suggestionsHow to apply the tasks in "What should you do now?": importance order, ready-made text, one-click WordPress apply and the effect on rankings.
Still stuck? Contact us