The data from Competitor Analysis only becomes valuable when it informs a strategy tailored to your specific situation. Where you stand relative to your competitors — your authority level, the size of your content library, and the maturity of your link profile — should directly shape what you focus on and how aggressively you pursue different tactics.
This guide outlines strategic approaches for three common competitive positions.
When You're the Underdog
Your situation: Your Domain Rating, backlink count, and referring domains are significantly lower than your main competitors. You're competing against established sites with larger teams and bigger budgets.
This is the most common starting position, and it's not a disadvantage if you approach it correctly. Being the underdog means you have the freedom to be nimble, targeted, and strategic in ways that larger competitors can't.
What to Focus On
Target long-tail keywords competitors ignore. Larger sites tend to chase high-volume, competitive keywords. There's often an underserved layer of more specific queries — "best CRM for solo consultants" instead of "best CRM software" — where competition is lighter and you can realistically reach page one. Use Content Gap Analysis to find these by setting a lower keyword difficulty threshold.
Invest in content quality over quantity. You can't outproduce a competitor with a 10-person content team. What you can do is create one piece of content that's meaningfully better than anything else ranking for a target keyword — more thorough, more current, better structured, or more practical. In SEO, this is sometimes called the "10x content" approach. One exceptional article will earn more links and rankings than ten average ones.
Build links from smaller, niche-relevant sites. You don't need links from Forbes to grow. Links from respected sites in your specific niche — industry blogs, trade publications, professional communities — carry significant relevance signals and are far more attainable. Use Link Gap Analysis filtered to DR 20–50 to find these opportunities.
Focus on content gaps with lower difficulty. When running Content Gap Analysis, set your maximum keyword difficulty to 30–40. These are the terms where you have a realistic chance of ranking within 3–6 months, even with a modest link profile.
Be consistent. Sustainable link building and content creation, done consistently over 6–12 months, compounds. A competitor with 10× your DR didn't build that overnight. Set realistic monthly targets for content published and outreach sent, and hold yourself to them.
What to Avoid
Trying to compete head-to-head on high-difficulty keywords against sites with dramatically higher authority. You'll spend resources for minimal return. Going after link quantity over quality — 50 low-quality links are worth less (and potentially harmful) compared to 5 relevant, authoritative ones. Copying a competitor's strategy wholesale without considering whether it fits your resources and authority level.
When You're Evenly Matched
Your situation: You and one or more competitors have similar Domain Ratings, comparable backlink profiles, and overlap on many of the same keywords. Small advantages in execution can swing rankings significantly.
This is the most dynamic competitive position. The gap between you and your nearest competitor is narrow enough that consistent effort in the right areas can put you ahead.
What to Focus On
Win on content freshness. When two sites have comparable authority, Google often favors the one with more recently updated content. Audit your existing pages that compete with evenly-matched competitors and update them more frequently — new data, current examples, expanded sections. Set a quarterly refresh schedule for your most important pages.
Invest in user experience. At similar authority levels, signals like page speed, mobile usability, time on page, and bounce rate can serve as tiebreakers. Run your site through LinkRocket's Site Audit tool to identify and fix technical issues that could be costing you.
Go deeper on shared topics. If both you and a competitor have content on the same keyword, make yours more comprehensive. Add sections they didn't cover, include original data or examples, and structure the content so it's easier to navigate. Depth and completeness are ranking factors that reward effort.
Diversify your link sources. When profiles are similar in size, diversity becomes a differentiator. If your competitor's links come primarily from guest posts, earn links through digital PR, resource pages, or original research. A more diverse link profile is both harder to replicate and more resilient to algorithm changes.
Execute faster on new opportunities. When competitive monitoring reveals a new keyword trend, content angle, or link source, move on it quickly. In an evenly matched race, speed of execution matters. Set up weekly alert reviews so you're among the first to act on emerging opportunities.
What to Avoid
Becoming complacent because you're "already competitive." Even matching is an unstable state — one of you will pull ahead. Ignoring emerging competitors who may be growing faster than either you or your current rivals.
When You're the Leader
Your situation: You have a higher Domain Rating, more referring domains, and stronger rankings than most competitors in your niche. Your primary risk isn't being outpaced — it's becoming complacent while challengers improve.
Leading is the most comfortable competitive position, but it's also where many sites stagnate. The strategies that got you here — aggressive link building, prolific content creation — may give way to maintenance mode if you're not intentional about defending and extending your lead.
What to Focus On
Maintain content quality ruthlessly. The content that earned your current rankings may be aging. Competitors are studying your pages right now, looking for weaknesses to exploit. Review your top-performing content quarterly and update it before competitors publish something better. A leader who stops improving is a leader in decline.
Defend rankings with proactive updates. Don't wait for a ranking drop to update content. Use Rank Tracking to identify pages where positions are slowly declining (a drop from position 2 to position 4 over three months is a warning sign) and refresh them before the damage accelerates.
Build hard-to-replicate advantages. Original research, proprietary data, exclusive tools, or strong brand recognition create moats that competitors can't easily copy by just building more links or writing more content. Invest in assets that compound your lead over time.
Monitor new competitors. Established rivals aren't your only threat. New entrants with fresh approaches, well-funded startups, or adjacent brands expanding into your space can disrupt the competitive landscape. Use Competitive Monitoring to keep tabs on emerging domains that start appearing for your keywords.
Expand to adjacent keyword territories. Once you've secured your core keyword set, look for related topics where your authority gives you a head start. Content Gap Analysis can reveal these by comparing you against competitors in adjacent niches.
What to Avoid
Assuming your current rankings are permanent. Every leading position is borrowed — you keep it only as long as you continue earning it. Neglecting technical SEO and site health. At high authority levels, technical issues (slow pages, crawl errors, poor mobile experience) can cause disproportionate ranking losses. Becoming so focused on defense that you stop experimenting with new content formats, link strategies, or keyword targets.
Choosing the Right Strategy
If you're unsure where you fall, use the Comparison Dashboard to benchmark your DR and referring domain count against your top 3–5 competitors:
Your Position | DR Gap | Referring Domain Ratio | Recommended Focus |
|---|---|---|---|
Underdog | 15+ points below competitors | Less than 50% of competitor average | Long-tail keywords, niche links, quality content |
Evenly matched | Within 10 points of competitors | 50%–120% of competitor average | Freshness, UX, depth, speed of execution |
Leader | 10+ points above competitors | 120%+ of competitor average | Content maintenance, moats, monitoring, expansion |
Tip: Your competitive position may vary by keyword cluster. You might be the leader for one set of keywords and the underdog for another. Apply the relevant strategy to each cluster independently.
Next Steps
Identify your competitive position using the Comparison Dashboard.
Choose 2–3 focus areas from the strategy that matches your situation.
Set measurable goals for the next 3 months (e.g., "close the referring domain gap with Competitor B by 20%").
Review and reassess quarterly — competitive positions change, and your strategy should evolve with them.