Analysing and Comparing Website Traffic of Competitors in 2023 | Step-by-Step Guide

Analysing and Comparing Website Traffic of Competitors in 2023 | Step-by-Step Guide

Date & Time
June 29, 2023
Reading time
5 mins
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Lopamudra Barik

Would you like to expand your company using competition traffic analysis? You are in the proper location.

This post will teach you how to examine the website traffic of your competitors, why this tactic works, and which tools provide the most accurate information.

What Is Competitor Traffic Analysis?

Analysing your competitors' website traffic with the goal of improving your own is known as competitor website traffic analysis. You may be able to see possible areas for improvement. And take note of the flaws and blunders of your rivals.

Competitive intelligence essentially shows you what is already effective for others. and expand on that achievement.

Can You Really Track Website Traffic From Competitors?

The tool makes use of clickstream data (information about the pages a user visits), which is obtained from a variety of proprietary and outside data sources. After that, it compiles, purifies, and processes the unprocessed data from more than 200 million internet users using an AI system.

Analysing and Comparing Website Traffic
You will be able to examine details about your competitor's audience, for instance.

Analysing and Comparing Website Traffic

You will be able to examine details about your competitor's audience, for instance. Google Analytics is the most complete and precise tool for tracking website traffic statistics.

However, it won't work for your rivals. A customer journey report that shows the starting point and next steps of the audience of your competitors. 

several other traffic insights, etc. such as the most popular subfolders, top pages, geographic dispersion, and more.

How to analyse  the Website Traffic of Competitors

Data may provide context. You can use it to determine whether site visitors are succeeding in their search. or if your new business venture is succeeding and numerous more things.

This means that using insights from rival data, you can outperform them. and attract more visitors. Let's look at some strategies you can employ.

 

1. Analyze the website traffic of competitors

You can view rapid estimations of the site's traffic and engagement. And how they have changed over time, either rising or falling.

Here is a brief explanation of each metric's meaning:

  • Visits: The anticipated monthly number of visits to the website.  The expected number of unique visits to the website in that month.
  • Pages/Visit: the typical number of web pages a user views during a single session.
  • Avg. Visit Duration measures how long on average visitors stay on a website.
  • Bounce Rate: The proportion of site visitors that exit after only seeing one page

2. Examine Historical Traffic Trends

A trend graph can be found if you scroll down the Traffic Analytics panel further. The same broad metrics that we previously observed are displayed, but across time.

This can be used to identify any trends among competitors and gives an indication of what they anticipate in May. Additionally, you can add up to four more rivals to compare website traffic data to.

 

It may aid in identifying more trends. Does organic traffic, for instance, experience peaks or sharp declines? If so, do they have a seasonal component or do they occur annually? Does that apply to every website you are comparing?

Take a moment to consider the potential causes. more so for spikes. Exactly what did a rival do to stand out? Was it as a result of the campaign they ran?

You can see what works if you know what created spikes. Once that happens, you can adopt your rivals' tactics to gain some traffic on your own. Analysing what led to traffic blips might teach you what to do differently in the future.

3. Website Traffic and Customer Experience Comparison

Let's now examine user experience across your rivals. Specifically, bounce rate, average visit length, and pages per visit. Add your domain to the tool, along with up to four additional rivals. Press "Compare."

 

It's critical to analyze these stats because occasionally a large number of visitors can be misleading. It doesn't provide a whole picture. You may have a better picture of how people are acting by comparing these engagement data. And if they are able to find what they require.

 

Has a competitor's bounce rate, for instance, been worse over time? If so, this might indicate:

 

  • Users don't find the information interesting or useful.
  • A marketed offer isn't as excellent as it first appears because of traffic from nations where the good or service isn't offered.

Who is succeeding at giving clients what they want can be identified over time by tracking these data. Additionally, it might assist you in figuring out what is effective so you can avoid it.

4. Follow user sources and journeys

Let's now examine the sources and destinations of the traffic for your competitors. That can be found under the "Traffic Journey" menu. The first graph displays the traffic volume by traffic channel for each competitor if you're comparing more than one competition.

 

You may observe the traffic-generating channels for your competitors using one of the two graphs. In order to better mimic what is currently effective. Now scroll down to see the user journey in more detail.

 

The following graph displays the origin of users and their subsequent destinations. Trends can be determined using this data. Do many consumers visit a particular website after visiting one of your competitors, for instance? How come, in your opinion?

Maybe there is useful information on that website that is missing on the site of your rival. If yes, consider including such content on your website. and make an effort to draw (or keep) some traffic that way.

 

5. View Popular Pages, Subdomains, and Subfolders

Go to the "Top Pages" option first to check the top pages of your competitors. 

A report containing thorough data will be displayed. consisting of a number of sorting options, unique visitors, traffic sources for each page, and page views.

 

Filtering by traffic channel will highlight those pages in your search results, making it easier to find specific pages (those promoted on free social media or with paid social marketing).

According to the graph, the chosen page is focused on "Santa Barbara." It gets a lot of traffic from natural social media and sponsored search. Consequently, you now understand Vrba's marketing approach. The "Subfolders "and "Subdomains" sections display the top subfolders and subdomains by traffic and channel used by your competitors. 

6. Build audience insights

Understanding how the audience in your market interacts with you and your rivals may be done by starting with the "Audience Overview" option. The overlap graph depicts the magnitude of the audience of your rivals. also how much their respective audiences overlap.

 

The New York Times has the largest circle, signifying that its 48.6M monthly visitors are the largest audience. The New York Times and The Washington Post had the biggest overlap, which means 7.9 million people who visited The New York Times website also visited The Washington Post.

Use the drop-down menu to view smaller newspapers in relation to one another. You may figure out potential partners or target audiences based on this information in order to increase traffic.

 7. Track the global web traffic of competitors

In this instance, traffic to The Guardian is split mostly between the United States and the United Kingdom, with the latter country leading in terms of overall traffic volume.

 

Less than 10% of the website's visitors are represented on the globe by light blue countries, indicating that even in countries with small marketplaces, there may be some audience.

You can scroll down to the "Trend by Visits" graph to get a closer look at historical traffic patterns.

More investigation into this particular market may be a good idea. The "Traffic by Country" table below also provides information for particular regions. There is a drop-down bar for each item that displays the top web pages for that nation.

 

The market appears to be expanding when looking at the Australian market once more. And might make a nice target for future expansion.

Increase the Detail of Your Competitor Analysis

A sensible strategy for increasing the traffic to your own website is to look at competitor websites. However, you shouldn't end there. A more complete competition study can assist you in setting priorities, capitalizing on their flaws, and replicating their advantages.

Run a keyword gap study, for instance, to discover terms for which your rivals are ranking but not you.

Alternatively, look for websites that connect to your rivals but not to you. Or look for their top-performing pages to develop something superior or comparable.

FAQ

Why is it important to analyze and compare the website traffic of competitors?

Analyzing and comparing the website traffic of competitors is crucial because it provides valuable insights into their online performance and strategies. By understanding their traffic sources, audience engagement, and overall trends, you can identify opportunities, learn from their successes and failures, and make informed decisions to improve your own website's performance.

What tools can be used to analyze and compare website traffic?

There are several tools available to analyze and compare website traffic. Some popular ones include Google Analytics, SimilarWeb, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Alexa. These tools provide data on traffic sources, audience demographics, keywords, backlinks, and more, allowing you to gain comprehensive insights into your competitors' online presence.

How can I identify my competitors' website traffic sources?

To identify your competitors' website traffic sources, you can use tools like SimilarWeb or SEMrush. These tools provide data on organic search traffic, paid search traffic, referral traffic, and social media traffic for specific websites. By analyzing this data, you can determine which channels are driving the most traffic to your competitors' websites and potentially replicate or improve upon their strategies.

What metrics should I consider when comparing website traffic of competitors?

When comparing website traffic of competitors, you should consider various metrics to gain a comprehensive understanding of their performance. Some important metrics to consider include total website visits, unique visitors, page views, bounce rate, average session duration, traffic sources, keywords driving traffic, and audience demographics. These metrics can help you gauge the popularity, engagement, and effectiveness of your competitors' websites.

How can I leverage competitor website traffic analysis for my own website's success?

Analyzing and comparing competitor website traffic can provide valuable insights that can be leveraged for your own website's success. By identifying successful strategies and traffic sources used by your competitors, you can implement similar tactics in your own marketing efforts. Additionally, analyzing their weaknesses and areas where they're losing traffic can help you avoid making similar mistakes and optimize your own website accordingly.

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