When you’re running a B2B business, you’re not just competing for attention you’re competing for trust, authority, and long-term partnerships. That’s why knowing what your competitors are doing online isn’t optional anymore; it’s a must. A proper competitive analysis in digital marketing helps you see where you stand, what strategies work in your industry, and how you can position yourself better.
In this article, let’s break down how to do a competitive analysis for B2B digital marketing in a simple, practical way.
What is a Competitive Analysis in Digital Marketing?
Competitive analysis is a structured way to study your competitors’ online strategies. It means checking their website, SEO performance, content marketing, paid ads, social media, and overall digital presence to understand what’s working for them.
For B2B, this is especially important because decisions are slower, involve multiple stakeholders, and often require trust-building. Knowing your competitors’ approach gives you ideas on how to position yourself uniquely.
Why is Competitive Analysis Important for B2B Marketing?
- Understand Industry Trends – It helps you see what’s trending in your industry.
- Find Content Gaps – You can discover topics your competitors aren’t covering well.
- Identify Strengths & Weaknesses – Learn what your competitors are good at and where they’re lacking.
- Improve Your Strategy – By seeing what works for them, you can refine your own approach.
- Benchmark Your Performance – It gives you a realistic view of where you stand in the market.
Steps to do Competitive Analysis in Digital Marketing for B2B
Step 1: Identify Your True Competitors
Your competitors aren’t just the ones selling the exact same thing. They could also be companies solving the same problem differently.
- Direct Competitors: Sell the same product/service to the same audience.
- Indirect Competitors: Offer different solutions to the same problem.
- Content Competitors: Publish similar content targeting your audience, even if they don’t sell the same product.
Use tools like Google Search, LinkedIn, or industry forums to find out who is ranking for your keywords and actively engaging with your audience.
Step 2: Analyse Their Website and SEO
For B2B, your website is your digital office. Start by looking at:
- Design and User Experience – Is it easy to navigate? Does it look professional?
- Messaging & Positioning – How do they talk about their services?
- SEO Performance – Use tools like SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest to see their top-ranking pages, backlinks, and keywords.
Look for:
- Which keywords are bringing them traffic?
- How strong is their backlink profile?
- What type of content ranks for them (blogs, guides, case studies)?
Step 3: Study Their Content Marketing Strategy
B2B marketing thrives on valuable content. Go through their blogs, case studies, whitepapers, and videos.
Ask yourself:
- Are they educating or just selling?
- Which topics do they focus on?
- How frequently do they publish?
- Are they ranking for long-tail keywords?
See what kind of content gets the most engagement or shares. It tells you what your audience cares about.
Step 4: Check Their Social Media Presence
For B2B, LinkedIn is often the main platform, but Twitter, YouTube, and even Instagram might be relevant depending on your industry.
Look at:
- Posting frequency
- Types of posts (thought leadership, company news, client testimonials)
- Engagement levels (comments, likes, shares)
Note which platforms bring them the most interactions.
Step 5: Evaluate Their Paid Ads Strategy
If they’re running Google Ads, LinkedIn Ads, or retargeting campaigns, it means they’re actively investing in paid acquisition.
Use tools like SpyFu or SimilarWeb to check:
- What keywords they’re bidding on
- What their ad copy looks like
- Which landing pages they send traffic to
Step 6: Analyse Their Email Marketing
Sign up for their newsletter. Check:
- How frequently they send emails
- What kind of content they share
- How personalised their emails are
This will give you insights into how they nurture leads.
Step 7: Look at Customer Reviews and Testimonials
Go through platforms like G2, Capterra, Trustpilot, or even LinkedIn recommendations. See what customers are saying about them.
- What are customers praising?
- What issues do they often complain about?
This is a goldmine for identifying opportunities.
Step 8: Create a Competitor Matrix
Once you’ve gathered all data, create a table comparing key aspects:
| Competitor | Website Strength | SEO Ranking | Content Quality | Paid Ads | Social Engagement |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Company A | Strong | High | Great | Yes | Medium |
| Company B | Average | Medium | Good | No | High |
This will help you visualise who’s ahead in which area.
Step 9: Spot Opportunities and Gaps
From your analysis, note down:
- Keywords they’re missing that you can target.
- Content topics they haven’t covered deeply.
- Unique value propositions you can highlight that they don’t.
Step 10: Build Your Action Plan
Based on your findings, decide:
- Which SEO keywords you’ll focus on.
- What content formats you’ll create.
- Which social media platforms deserve more effort.
- Whether you need to start paid campaigns.
Key Tools to Use
- SEO & Ads: Ahrefs, SEMrush, SpyFu, Ubersuggest
- Social Media: Social Blade, LinkedIn Analytics
- Website Analysis: SimilarWeb, BuiltWith
- Content Performance: BuzzSumo, Google Trends
Conclusion
A competitive analysis isn’t a one-time task. Digital marketing trends change fast, especially in B2B where relationships and authority matter the most. Reviewing your competitors every 3–6 months helps you stay ahead, refine your strategies, and find new opportunities.
The goal isn’t to copy them it’s to understand what’s working and then do it better, in your own way. When you combine insights from competitors with your unique strengths, you create a marketing strategy that stands out and drives real results.
“Want a content marketing strategy that actually works for your business? Let’s build something that brings you traffic, leads, and real results without overcomplicating it. Get in touch today, and let’s plan your next big growth move.”
