Business owners probably compare their competitors based on store size, the time they’ve been open, and their local standing. But that’s not the case with online competition. A smaller store could show up in the Google Map Pack ahead of a big-name competitor because they have a better local search presence. A local search competitor analysis shows which businesses show up for significant search queries. It also shows the reasons for their ranking. The analysis aims to identify search ranking gaps, assess their impact, and create a process to address them, not to copy the other company.
Find Your Real Local Search Competitors
Start with the search terms customers are likely to use. A dentist might try family dentists near me, emergency dentists, or teeth whitening in Dallas. A plumber might try water heater repair, emergency plumber, or any other service-based search term.
You should search from the location where your business serves its customers. Write down the companies that show up in the Google Map Pack and in the results listed right below it. Don’t guess that the same three companies will show up for all search terms.
The search results may show different companies based on the location of the searcher, the device the searcher is using, and the search term being used. A business may even rank great near the address of the business but disappear a few miles out. If you can, check multiple zip codes or neighborhoods. Local rank-tracking grids work great to show how search results change over the service area of a business.
Create a different list for competitors that show up in the Map Pack and in the organic search results. Some businesses may show up in both lists, while others may only perform well in one area.
Choose Competitors Based on Search Visibility
A business doesn’t need to check every company in an area. Choose around three to five competitors that frequently appear in the selected keywords and locations.
Note these details:
- The keywords each competitor ranks for
- Their Map Pack position
- Their organic search position
- The search location
- The date of the search
- The page ranking in organic results
This step makes sure the analysis isn’t all about one search. It shows which businesses have good visibility and which ones only show up in a small number of searches.
A local SEO software and agency tool such as Local Howl can support analyzing your local search competitors across map rankings, profiles, reviews, citations, and website content. However, business owners can perform a simple review as well, with just a basic spreadsheet and a little manual checking.
Compare Google Business Profiles
The Google Business Profile is one of the first areas to examine. Start with the primary business category shown on each competitor’s profile. Category choice helps Google understand what a company does, so a more accurate primary category may explain why one business ranks for a certain service.
As for the additional business categories, they are used to explain the other services the business offers. These categories must be accurate, and they must reflect what the business offers. Adding other categories just because a competitor has them may hurt the business profile.
After that, check out how complete their profile is. Look at their business hours, services, products, and photos. Check out their business description and attributes and their appointment and contact links. Also note whether the information matches the company’s website.
Having a complete profile may not land you in the top rankings, but having incorrect or missing information will definitely make your profile less relevant and less helpful to customers.
Measure Review Volume and Velocity
Don’t just look at review scores. A company that has a 4.7 review score with hundreds of reviews may be more respected and established in the area compared to a company that has a 5.0 review score with only ten reviews.
Track four review measures:
- Total number of reviews
- Average star rating
- Number of new reviews added each month
- Owner response activity
Review velocity is how frequently a business earns new reviews. Look at the date of each review and estimate how many were added in the last three months. It is a better estimate of review frequency than simply checking the total number.
Check out a sample of some reviews as well. Look for things mentioned frequently, like the staff, the services, the different neighborhoods, and most importantly, what the customer concerns are. Do not replicate what is in reviews or ask the customers to use forced keywords.
The goal is to encourage customers to write about their experiences in an honest way, so you have to practice an assertive strategy.
Check Citation Accuracy and Coverage
A citation lists your business’s name, address, and phone number somewhere on the internet. You need to look for all your competitor’s citations on all search engines. This includes any site that lists businesses, local chambers of commerce, industry-specific directories, and sites focused on your local community.
Keep track of where competitors are listed, and determine if their information is consistent. Then compare your results to the business. If there aren’t many listings, this indicates a good opportunity to create citations. Incorrect phone numbers, old addresses, and different business names should be corrected first.
When building citations, focus on a small number of listings that support the business and are high quality. See which directories are industry or community specific and are likely to support the business the most.
Review Website and Location-Page Signals
The next step is to analyze pages that appear in local organic results. Identify whether competitors are using a dedicated service page, a dedicated location page, or are simply relying on a general homepage.
Look at the title, header, service content, and info about the locality, check the internal links, contact information, and CTA. Effective pages usually answer the questions that the customers have and show what the business does in that locality.
It’s important to ensure that the location page contains valuable and up-to-date information. If you see pages that have the same content and pictures but change the city name, that is not a valuable page. A better page may include service details, local customer needs, service-area information, photos, testimonials, and clear contact options.
Also examine how easy it is to find the pages that are most important and useful. A useful page cannot perform well if search engines and customers struggle to find it.
Build a Simple Competitor Scorecard
Give each business a score from zero to five for the main areas below.
| Area | What to Measure |
| Search visibility | Map Pack and organic appearances |
| Profile quality | Categories, accuracy, services, and completeness |
| Reviews | Volume, rating, velocity, and responses |
| Citations | Accuracy, relevance, and coverage |
| Website | Service pages, location content, and internal links |
Score the business and its competitors the same way. Provide notes for each score. This will help provide context for the numbers. You should also consider creating separate totals for the strength of the Map Pack, and the strength of the organic results.
Final Thoughts
Start with tasks that are easy and will provide the most noticeable impact. Please address the incorrect profile information, select the appropriate categories, complete all sections, correct any citation errors, and improve the title tags and headings first.
After that, focus on strength improvements that require the most effort. This would involve requesting reviews, creating service content, improving the content on local pages, and enhancing local relevance through citations.
Quarterly, conduct a full analysis for your competitors while reviewing business rankings and reviews on a monthly basis. Local search results rely heavily on business profile updates, new business reviews, and new pages. A scorecard is an easy way to capture progress and keep actions predictable for the best results regarding local business visibility.
