competitor-analysis

This skill should be used when the user asks to "analyze competitors", "competitor SEO", "who ranks for", "competitive analysis", "what are my competitors do...

Security Scan

The skill's public instructions match a competitor-analysis purpose, but there are gaps around what the single required credential (SKILLBOSS_API_KEY) actually grants and which external connectors/credentials it will use — this mismatch warrants caution before installing or providing secrets.

Purpose & Capability

The skill is an instruction-only competitor/SEO analysis tool and reasonably needs API access to an aggregator or SEO service. However, the SKILL.md references pulling data from "~~SEO tool", analytics, Search Console, and an "AI monitor" while the registry declares only one required env var (SKILLBOSS_API_KEY). That could be coherent if SKILLBOSS is a gateway that integrates those services, but the relationship is undocumented, so it's unclear whether the single API key is sufficient or overly broad.

Instruction Scope

Instructions describe collecting rankings, backlink profiles, content metrics, and AI citation patterns and offer a manual mode where users supply URLs/metrics. The SKILL.md does not instruct reading local files or other system secrets, but it does imply automated network calls to third-party SEO/analytics/AI monitoring services. The scope is appropriate for competitor analysis, but the skill gives agents broad discretion to fetch external data absent detail on endpoints or required connectors.

Install Mechanism

This is instruction-only with no install spec and no code files — minimal install risk (no archives downloaded or binaries installed).

Credentials

Only SKILLBOSS_API_KEY is required and marked as primary, but the skill references accessing Search Console, analytics, and third‑party SEO tools which normally require separate credentials. It's unclear whether SKILLBOSS_API_KEY is a narrow API key or a gateway that, once provisioned, can access many downstream accounts and data. Requesting one opaque key without explaining its scope is disproportionate and merits verification.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill does not request always: true and is not installing persistent code. Autonomous invocation is allowed by default (platform standard) but there is no indication the skill modifies agent/system configs or persists credentials beyond its own use.

What to consider before installing

Before installing or providing SKILLBOSS_API_KEY: 1) Ask the publisher what SKILLBOSS_API_KEY actually grants (what API endpoints, which downstream connectors, what data is accessible and whether it can access your Search Console/GA). 2) Confirm where collected data is sent/stored and retention/ownership policies. 3) Prefer running the skill in manual mode (provide only public competitor URLs and non-sensitive metrics) until you trust the service. 4) Avoid handing over your Google Analytics / Search Console credentials unless you understand why and can audit access; ask whether those integrations are optional or mediated by SKILLBOSS. 5) If you proceed, test with minimal, non-sensitive data and ensure you can revoke the SKILLBOSS key easily. 6) If the author/site cannot clearly document the key's scope, treat the request as potentially over-broad and consider alternative, transparent tools.

SEO & GEO Skills Library · 20 skills for SEO + GEO · Install all: npx skills add aaron-he-zhu/seo-geo-claude-skills

<details> <summary>Browse all 20 skills</summary>

Research · keyword-research · competitor-analysis · serp-analysis · content-gap-analysis

Build · seo-content-writer · geo-content-optimizer · meta-tags-optimizer · schema-markup-generator

Optimize · on-page-seo-auditor · technical-seo-checker · internal-linking-optimizer · content-refresher

Monitor · rank-tracker · backlink-analyzer · performance-reporter · alert-manager

Cross-cutting · content-quality-auditor · domain-authority-auditor · entity-optimizer · memory-management

</details>

This skill provides comprehensive analysis of competitor SEO and GEO strategies, revealing what's working in your market and identifying opportunities to outperform the competition.

When to Use This Skill

• Entering a new market or niche
• Planning content strategy based on competitor success
• Understanding why competitors rank higher
• Finding backlink and partnership opportunities
• Identifying content gaps competitors are missing
• Analyzing competitor AI citation strategies
• Benchmarking your SEO performance

What This Skill Does

1. Keyword Analysis: Identifies keywords competitors rank for
2. Content Audit: Analyzes competitor content strategies and formats
3. Backlink Profiling: Reviews competitor link-building approaches
4. Technical Assessment: Evaluates competitor site health
5. GEO Analysis: Identifies how competitors appear in AI responses
6. Gap Identification: Finds opportunities competitors miss
7. Strategy Extraction: Reveals actionable insights from competitor success

How to Use

Basic Competitor Analysis

Analyze SEO strategy for [competitor URL]

Compare my site [URL] against [competitor 1], [competitor 2], [competitor 3]

Specific Analysis

What content is driving the most traffic for [competitor]?

Analyze why [competitor] ranks #1 for [keyword]

GEO-Focused Analysis

How is [competitor] getting cited in AI responses? What can I learn?

Data Sources

See CONNECTORS.md for tool category placeholders.

With ~~SEO tool + ~~analytics + ~~AI monitor connected: Automatically pull competitor keyword rankings, backlink profiles, top performing content, domain authority metrics from ~~SEO tool. Compare against your site's metrics from ~~analytics and ~~search console. Check AI citation patterns for both your site and competitors using ~~AI monitor.

With manual data only: Ask the user to provide:

1. Competitor URLs to analyze (2-5 recommended)
2. Your own site URL and current metrics (traffic, rankings if known)
3. Industry or niche context
4. Specific aspects to focus on (keywords, content, backlinks, etc.)
5. Any known competitor strengths or weaknesses

Proceed with the full analysis using provided data. Note in the output which metrics are from automated collection vs. user-provided data.

Instructions

When a user requests competitor analysis:

1. Identify Competitors

   If not specified, help identify competitors:

   ### Competitor Identification Framework
   
   **Direct Competitors** (same product/service)
   - Search "[your main keyword]" and note top 5 organic results
   - Check who's advertising for your keywords
   - Ask: Who do customers compare you to?
   
   **Indirect Competitors** (different solution, same problem)
   - Search problem-focused keywords
   - Look at alternative solutions
   
   **Content Competitors** (compete for same keywords)
   - May not sell same product
   - Rank for your target keywords
   - Include media sites, blogs, aggregators
   

2. Gather Competitor Data

   Collect for each competitor: URL, domain age, estimated traffic, domain authority, business model, target audience, and key offerings.

3. Analyze Keyword Rankings

   Document total keywords ranking, top 10/top 3 counts, top performing keywords (with position, volume, traffic, page URL), keyword distribution by intent, and keyword gaps.

4. Audit Content Strategy

   Analyze content volume by type, top performing content, content patterns (word count, frequency, formats), content themes, and success factors.

5. Analyze Backlink Profile

   Review total backlinks, referring domains, link quality distribution, top linking domains, link acquisition patterns, and linkable assets.

6. Technical SEO Assessment

   Evaluate Core Web Vitals, mobile-friendliness, site architecture, internal linking quality, URL structure, and technical strengths/weaknesses.

7. GEO/AI Citation Analysis

   Test competitor content in AI systems: document which queries cite them, GEO strategies observed (definitions, statistics, Q&A, authority signals), and GEO opportunities they are missing.

8. Synthesize Competitive Intelligence

   Produce a final report with: Executive Summary, Competitive Landscape comparison table, CITE domain authority comparison, Strengths to Learn From, Weaknesses to Exploit, Keyword Opportunities, Content Strategy Recommendations, and Action Plan (Immediate / Short-term / Long-term).

   Reference: See references/analysis-templates.md for detailed templates for each step.

Validation Checkpoints

Input Validation

• Competitor URLs verified as relevant to your niche
• Analysis scope defined (comprehensive or specific focus area)
• Your own site metrics available for comparison
• Minimum 2-3 competitors identified for meaningful patterns

Output Validation

• Every recommendation cites specific data points (not generic advice)
• Competitor strengths backed by measurable evidence (metrics, rankings)
• Opportunities based on identifiable gaps, not assumptions
• Action plan items are specific and actionable (not vague strategies)
• Source of each data point clearly stated (~~SEO tool data, ~~analytics data, ~~AI monitor data, user-provided, or estimated)

Example

Reference: See references/example-report.md for a complete example analyzing HubSpot's marketing keyword dominance.

Advanced Analysis Types

Content Gap Analysis

Show me content [competitor] has that I don't, sorted by traffic potential

Link Intersection

Find sites linking to [competitor 1] AND [competitor 2] but not me

SERP Feature Analysis

What SERP features do competitors win? (Featured snippets, PAA, etc.)

Historical Tracking

How has [competitor]'s SEO strategy evolved over the past year?

Tips for Success

1. Analyze 3-5 competitors for comprehensive view
2. Include indirect competitors - they often have innovative approaches
3. Look beyond rankings - analyze content quality, user experience
4. Study their failures - avoid their mistakes
5. Monitor regularly - competitor strategies evolve
6. Focus on actionable insights - what can you actually implement?

Reference Materials

• Analysis Templates — Detailed templates for each analysis step (profile, keywords, content, backlinks, technical, GEO, synthesis)
• Battlecard Template — Quick-reference competitive battlecard for sales and marketing teams
• Positioning Frameworks — Positioning maps, messaging matrices, narrative analysis, and differentiation frameworks
• Example Report — Complete example analyzing HubSpot's marketing keyword dominance

Related Skills

• domain-authority-auditor — Compare CITE domain authority scores across competitors for domain-level benchmarking
• keyword-research — Research keywords competitors rank for
• content-gap-analysis — Find content opportunities
• backlink-analyzer — Deep-dive into backlinks
• serp-analysis — Understand search result composition
• memory-management — Store competitor data in project memory
• entity-optimizer — Compare entity presence against competitors