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

Skill's functionality (competitor SEO analysis) matches the AHREFS credential it names, but the skill is vague about which credentials/connectors it will actually use and has a metadata inconsistency (primary credential declared but not listed in required envs), so proceed with caution and ask clarifying questions before providing any API keys.

Purpose & Capability

The skill is clearly aimed at competitor SEO/GEO analysis and naming AHREFS as the primary credential is sensible for that purpose. Templates and instructions focus on keyword, content, backlink, and technical analysis which legitimately map to SEO tooling.

Instruction Scope

SKILL.md stays within expected SEO/competitive-intelligence activities and gives templates for outputs. It supports both automated collection (via “SEO tool + analytics + AI monitor”) and manual-data workflows. However the automated workflow is described at a high level with no explicit endpoints, no clear guidance on which connectors will be used, and vague phrasing like “Optional: MCP network access for SEO tool integrations.”

Install Mechanism

Instruction-only skill with no install spec or code files — nothing will be written or executed on disk by installation, which lowers delivery risk.

Credentials

Metadata declares AHREFS_API_KEY as primaryEnv but the requires.env list is empty — an internal inconsistency. The SKILL.md references other connectors (analytics, search console, AI monitor) without declaring required credentials. That ambiguity could lead the agent to request additional unrelated credentials later. Requiring a single Ahrefs key would be proportionate; requiring many unrelated secrets would not.

Persistence & Privilege

always is false and the skill is user-invocable; it does not request persistent system-level privileges or modify other skills. Autonomous invocation is allowed (platform default) but is not combined here with unusual privileges.

What to consider before installing

Plain-language next steps and cautions: - The skill's purpose (SEO competitor analysis) aligns with an Ahrefs API key — that's expected. But the skill metadata is inconsistent: it names AHREFS_API_KEY as the primary credential but does not list required env vars. Ask the publisher which exact API(s) and connectors the skill will call and whether they require other credentials (Google Search Console, Google Analytics, etc.). - Prefer testing with manual data first (provide competitor URLs and public metrics) rather than handing over API keys immediately. - If you must provide AHREFS_API_KEY: create a least-privilege / time-limited key if possible, monitor its usage, and rotate it after testing. Do not provide unrelated secrets (Google account, cloud credentials, or platform admin tokens) unless the skill explicitly documents why and how they'll be used. - Ask for documentation or example API calls (which endpoints will be used, what data is fetched) and for a privacy/data-handling statement (how fetched data is stored, transmitted, and whether any third-party endpoints are contacted). - Because the skill can run autonomously (normal behavior), be extra conservative with credentials: prefer manual invocation and review outputs before enabling any automation that has network access. If the publisher clarifies the connector list and updates metadata to list exact required env vars (or removes the primaryEnv discrepancy), confidence in coherence will increase.

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