How to Choose SEO Competitors

When choosing SEO competitors, start with search results for your target keywords, then check keyword overlap to confirm which sites compete with yours. Do not simply copy a list of industry peers. Sites worth analyzing may include brands selling similar products, as well as media sites, blogs, or knowledge platforms competing for visibility in the same searches. Clarify which business activities and content you want to compare before narrowing your list. This helps you avoid spending time analyzing well-known websites that are unrelated to the searches you want to target.

Search your target keywords first, rather than just listing familiar brands

Search each target keyword related to your services, products, or content. Record the top-ranking websites and the queries they appear for. awoo recommends checking the first and second pages of search results; Screaming Frog’s article also uses target keyword searches as the starting point for identifying competitors.

A list of industry peers can provide leads, but use search results or SEO tools to confirm whether those sites compete with yours. Likewise, do not exclude websites in other industries if they compete for the same keywords.

• Record competing domains and their corresponding target keywords.
• Identify whether the ranking pages are service pages, product pages, or informational articles.
• Note which websites appear repeatedly across several related queries.

Distinguish business competitors from content competitors based on your goals

You do not need to compare every website on your list in the same way. awoo identifies three groups: direct competitors offering the same services and targeting the same keywords; indirect competitors targeting the same audience and addressing the same search intent; and content competitors whose content ranks highly, even if they operate in other industries. These categories help clarify what to compare; industry alone should not determine which sites belong on the list.

For example, awoo’s dental clinic case study found both news articles and clinic service pages in search results for “牙齒矯正” (“orthodontics”). The case study selected service pages from other dental clinics for comparison. That choice makes sense when the goal is to compare service pages, but it does not mean news outlets can never be SEO competitors. If you are analyzing how informational content gains visibility, content-focused websites are still worth keeping on the list.

Check keyword overlap, then narrow your list

Tools can help identify domains targeting the same keywords as your website. According to awoo, the greater the overlap in target keywords, the more likely a site is to be a primary competitor. But overlap is only a clue; it is not enough to reach a conclusion on its own. Review the shared keywords and search results to confirm that both sites target the search needs you want to study.

Keep the list small enough to allow an in-depth comparison. Semrush’s article recommends starting with around three to five competitors; Screaming Frog’s 2019 article recommends narrowing the list to fewer than ten. Both are suggestions for managing workload, not search engine rules. You can start with a small group most relevant to your goals. For later comparisons, note each site’s competitor category and the keywords that led you to include it.