SKILL.md
Beat Competitors
Turn competitor keyword data into a prioritized attack plan: identify winnable
gaps, defend threatened positions, and sequence content production.
Before You Start
Gather this context (ask if not provided):
- Your domain. The site you're optimizing.
- Known competitors. 3-5 domains competing for the same audience. If unknown, identify them by searching your primary keywords and noting which domains appear repeatedly.
- Your strengths. What does your site do well? (authority, content depth, product features, niche expertise)
- Goals. Grow traffic? Protect existing rankings? Target specific keywords?
Step 1: Competitor Identification
If competitors aren't known, identify them:
- Search your top 5 keywords — which domains appear in positions 1-10 for multiple terms?
- Check who ranks for your brand + "alternative" or "vs" queries
- Distinguish between direct competitors (same product/service) and content competitors (compete for same keywords but different business)
Focus on 3-5 competitors maximum. More dilutes the analysis.
Step 2: Keyword Overlap Analysis
For each competitor, categorize keywords into:
Keywords You Both Rank For (Battleground)
- You're competing head-to-head
- Assess position gap: are you within striking distance (1-3 positions away)?
Keywords Only They Rank For (Their Territory)
- These are your content gaps
- Assess: is the topic relevant to your business? Worth pursuing?
Keywords Only You Rank For (Your Territory)
- These are your defensible positions
- Monitor for competitors entering these terms
Keywords Neither Ranks For (White Space)
- Uncovered topics with search demand
- First mover advantage opportunity
Map this:
Keyword
Your Position
Competitor Position
Gap Type
Volume
Action
...
5
3
Battleground
2,400
Improve content
...
—
7
Their territory
1,800
Create new page
...
4
—
Your territory
900
Defend
...
—
—
White space
500
First mover
Step 3: Opportunity Scoring
Score each gap using:
Attack Score = Volume x Winnability x Business ValueWinnability factors (1-5):
- 5: Competitor has thin content, low authority page, no backlinks
- 4: Competitor has decent content but you have stronger domain/expertise
- 3: Roughly equal — need better content + promotion to win
- 2: Competitor has strong content and authority — long-term play
- 1: Competitor has dominant position (Wikipedia, major brand) — skip
Business Value (1-5):
- 5: Directly drives revenue (transactional keyword, product-related)
- 4: Drives qualified leads (commercial investigation)
- 3: Builds authority in a core topic area
- 2: Drives traffic but low conversion potential
- 1: Vanity keyword with no business connection
Step 4: Attack Plan
Organize into three tracks:
Quick Wins (execute first)
Keywords where:
- You already rank on page 1 (positions 4-10)
- Position gap with competitor is small (1-3 positions)
- Content refresh + better internal linking could close the gap
Action: optimize existing pages, improve title/meta, add internal links, update content.
Content Gaps to Fill (execute next)
Keywords where:
- Competitor ranks but you don't
- Topic is directly relevant to your business
- Winnability is 3+
Action: create new content targeting these keywords. Use brief skill for each.
Long-Term Plays (sequence over months)
Keywords where:
- Head terms with high difficulty
- Requires building topical authority first (use build-clusters)
- Needs backlink acquisition to compete
Action: build supporting content first, then tackle the head term.
Defend (monitor)
Keywords where:
- You rank well but competitors are gaining ground
- Position has dropped 2+ spots in recent months
Action: refresh content, strengthen internal links, monitor monthly.
Step 5: Competitive Battlecard
For each key competitor, build a battlecard — a living document for ongoing competitive intelligence:
Battlecard Template
COMPETITIVE BATTLECARD: [Competitor Name]
Last Updated: [Date] | Confidence: [High/Medium/Low]
OVERVIEW
- Domain: [url] | DR: [score] | Est. Organic Traffic: [monthly]
- Tagline: [their positioning statement]
- Target Customer: [who they sell to]
- Pricing: [range or model]
THEIR STRENGTHS (be honest)
| Strength | Evidence | Impact on Your Rankings |
|----------|----------|----------------------|
| ... | ... | ... |
THEIR WEAKNESSES
| Weakness | Evidence | How to Exploit |
|----------|----------|---------------|
| ... | ... | ... |
YOUR DIFFERENTIATORS
| Differentiator | Proof Point |
|---------------|------------|
| ... | ... |
CONTENT COMPARISON
| Metric | You | Competitor |
|--------|-----|-----------|
| Total indexed pages | ... | ... |
| Keywords in top 10 | ... | ... |
| Publishing frequency | ... | ... |
| Top content format | ... | ... |
| Backlink count | ... | ... |
OBJECTION HANDLING
| When They Say... | You Respond With... |
|-----------------|-------------------|
| ... | ... |
DISCOVERY QUESTIONS
Questions to ask during sales calls that surface this competitor's weaknesses:
1. [question that highlights your advantage]
2. [question about a feature they lack]Quarterly Review Triggers
Update battlecards when:
- Competitor launches a new feature or product
- Competitor changes pricing
- Competitor raises funding or makes an acquisition
- Significant shift in review sentiment (G2, Capterra, TrustRadius)
- You launch a competing feature
- Significant win or loss in a competitive deal
Step 6: Content Production Sequence
Order the attack plan for maximum ROI:
Priority
Keyword
Action
Page
Track
Est. Timeline
1
...
Optimize existing
/blog/post
Quick win
1-2 weeks
2
...
Create new
/blog/new-post
Gap fill
2-4 weeks
3
...
Build cluster
/guides/topic/
Long-term
2-3 months
Output Format
Competitive Attack Plan: [domain] vs [competitors]
Battlecards
[One battlecard per key competitor — see Step 5 template]
Competitive Landscape
Competitor
Keyword Overlap
Keywords They Win
Keywords You Win
Avg Position Gap
...
...
...
...
...
Top Opportunities
[Scored keyword table from Step 3]
Attack Plan
Quick Wins (this month)
[List with specific actions per keyword]
Gaps to Fill (next 1-3 months)
[List with content recommendations]
Long-Term Plays (3-6 months)
[List with cluster-building approach]
Defend (ongoing monitoring)
[Keywords and pages to watch]
Production Schedule
[Table from Step 5]
Pro Tip: Use the free SEO Benchmark Tool
to compare your site against competitors on key metrics. SEOJuice MCP users can run
/seojuice:competitor-analysis for instant keyword overlap, position battles, and content
gap opportunities — the list_competitors and list_content_gaps tools provide the exact
data needed for this attack plan.