How to Do Competitor Analysis for Free (2025 Guide)—How to Rank in 2025

Problem: SEO is Changing Fast—But You’re Still Guessing

Do Competitor Analysis,

SEO in 2025 is more competitive than ever. Search engines have become smarter, AI content is everywhere, and ranking on page one feels like trying to win the lottery without buying a ticket.

You’ve probably spent hours researching keywords, writing blog posts, maybe even running ads—and still, your site isn’t where it needs to be.

What’s the missing piece?

Most businesses skip competitor analysis or do it wrong. They assume their content is good enough, without actually looking at what already ranks and why.

Let’s be clear: Google doesn’t care how hard you worked on your blog post. It cares whether it deserves to rank. That’s where proper competitor analysis changes everything.

And no—you don’t need expensive tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush to do it.

In this guide, I’ll show you how to do effective competitor analysis for free, step-by-step, using tools available to everyone. We’ll also cover how to use that data to actually rank in 2025.

We’ll even walk through a real example so it all makes sense.

Let’s dive in.

Agitate: Guessing vs. Knowing—Why Most SEO Fails Without This

Let’s say you’re trying to rank for “best protein powders for weight loss.” You’ve written a decent blog, included keywords, added a few product links.

But here’s what you didn’t do:

• You didn’t look at what pages already rank for that term.
• You didn’t analyze their word count, structure, or backlink profile.
• You didn’t consider what user intent Google is rewarding.
• You didn’t check how up-to-date your content is vs theirs.

So your article? It might be missing critical information that top-ranking pages already have.

That’s like showing up to a job interview without knowing what role you applied for.

Even worse, you keep publishing more content without fixing the strategy. It’s a time sink with no clear direction.

But here’s the good news:

Once you understand what’s working for your competitors, you don’t have to start from scratch. You build on what’s already ranking, improve it, and overtake them.

And yes—you can do that without spending a dime.

Solution: Free Competitor Analysis That Works in 2025 (Step-by-Step)

We’ll break this into two sections:

1. How to do competitor analysis using free tools
2. How to use that analysis to actually rank

Let’s go.

Part 1: How to Do Competitor Analysis for Free

Step 1: Google Your Target Keyword in Incognito

Use an incognito browser so results aren’t biased by your search history. Google your target keyword (e.g., “best protein powders for weight loss”).

Now study the top 10 results. Not just what’s there—but why it’s there.

What to look for:

• Types of content: Blog post? Product roundup? Video? Comparison?
• Domain types: Are these big brands (Healthline, WebMD) or smaller affiliate sites?
• Content format: Is it a listicle, review, how-to guide?

Example: For the keyword “best protein powders for weight loss 2025,” the top 3 results (as of March 2025) were:

1. Healthline.com – In-depth medical content with expert reviewers
2. Verywellfit.com – Listicle with nutritionist quotes
3. BarBend.com – Affiliate article with product comparisons

Notice the trend? Authoritative sites + expert opinions + structured formatting.

Step 2: Analyze On-Page SEO (Free with SEO Minion or Detailed SEO Extension)

Install the SEO Minion or Detailed SEO Chrome extension (free). Visit each competitor URL and check:

• Title tag & meta description
• Header structure (H1, H2s, H3s)
• Keyword usage
• Word count
• Image alt text

This gives you a clear idea of how they’re optimizing their content.

Pro Tip: Paste the content into a Word Counter tool. Most top-ranking pages are between 1,800 to 2,400 words for commercial-intent keywords in 2025.

Step 3: Check Content Freshness & Updates

Look at when the article was published or updated. Google prioritizes fresh content, especially for product-related and health-related keywords.

If you notice your competitors haven’t updated since 2022, that’s a big opportunity.

Step 4: Use Google’s “People Also Ask” and “Related Searches.”

These features show what else users are looking for.

Example: Under “best protein powders for weight loss,” you might see:

• “What protein powder is best for belly fat?”
• “Can I lose weight just by drinking protein shakes?”
• “Are plant-based protein powders better?”

Use these as subheadings or FAQ sections in your own post.

Step 5: Look at Backlinks (Using Ahrefs Free Tools or Neil Patel’s Ubersuggest)

Go to https://ahrefs.com/backlink-check (free tool).

Paste in a competitor’s URL and see:

• How many backlinks it has
• What domains are linking to it
• The anchor text used

Case Study Snapshot: We analyzed the top-ranking page from BarBend.com. It had 78 referring domains, mostly from health blogs, Reddit threads, and fitness forums. Many links were editorial, not paid.

That tells us people are naturally linking to well-structured reviews with original insights.

Step 6: Content Gap with Google Search Console (If You Already Rank for Related Terms)

If your site already ranks for related keywords, use Google Search Console’s “Performance” tab → click “Pages” → click on a URL → scroll down to “Queries.”

See what terms you’re showing up for—but not getting clicks. These are gaps your competitor pages might be filling better than you.

Part 2: How to Use Competitor Data to Rank in 2025

Now that you’ve collected your data, what do you do with it?

This is where most people fail. They gather insights but don’t apply them.

Let’s fix that.

Create a Better Content Outline in Step One

• Create an outline based on your top three rivals that:
• incorporates each of their main subtopics
• fills in the blanks (from People Also Ask)

include improved formatting (tables, bullet points, and clear headings).
For instance: You could include the following in your outline:

• H1: Top Protein Supplements for Losing Weight (2025 Edition)
• H2: Fast Comparative Table
• H2: Qualities to Consider in a Protein Powder for Weight Loss
• H2: The Top 7 Protein Powders, Including Benefits and Drawbacks
• H2: Professional Views & Dietician Suggestions
• H2: Frequently Asked Questions: Can You Consume Protein Without Exercise?
• H2: Our Methodology for Selecting These Products

You have depth and usability with this method, which is exactly what Google loves.

Step 2: Optimize On-Page SEO (Using Competitor Benchmarks)

Don’t guess your SEO settings.

Instead, copy your competitors’ best practices:

• Use keyword variations they use in headers (not just your primary keyword).
• Add FAQ schema markup using free tools like technicalseo.com.
• Include internal links to related posts. Most top-ranking pages have 5–10 relevant internal links.

Step 3: Add Unique Value They Missed

This is your chance to outperform them.

Ideas:

• Interview a nutritionist and include a quote
• Add a downloadable PDF comparison chart
• Embed a short video explaining the product differences

These don’t just help with UX—they boost time on page and backlinks.

Step 4: Promote Intelligently (Using Competitor Backlink Data)

Go back to the backlink data you pulled.

• Make a list of the top 20 domains linking to each competitor.
• Reach out (politely!) and let them know you created a more up-to-date or expert-supported version.

Even if just 2 or 3 link back to you, that’s a big win.

Step 5: Monitor and Improve

Use Google Search Console to monitor performance weekly.

If your content starts ranking on page 2, update the intro, tweak titles, or improve internal linking. Small changes can bump you to page one.

And remember: even ranking #5 can get you 8–10% CTR—depending on the title and meta.

Real-Life Case Study: How One Blog Ranked #3 With Zero Paid Tools

Site: nichefitnessblog.com (fictionalized for privacy)

Target Keyword: “Best Home Gym Equipment 2025”

What They Did:

• Analyzed top 5 competitors manually
• Used SEO Minion to reverse-engineer header structure
• Created a mega guide with a table, product specs, and buyer’s checklist
• Added original images of product unboxings
• Reached out to 15 forums and blogs that linked to outdated guides

Results:

• Indexed within 5 days
• Ranked on page 2 in 3 weeks
• Jumped to position #3 in 6 weeks
• Now gets 3,000+ organic visits/month, all from a single article

They used zero paid tools—just consistent, data-driven action.

Final Thoughts: You Don’t Need Fancy Tools, You Need Strategy

In 2025, ranking on Google doesn’t mean outspending your competitors—it means outsmarting them.

Competitor analysis is the shortcut you’ve been ignoring

It tells you: jioskill.com

• What Google wants to rank
• What users expect to see
• What your content is missing

Q.How can competition analysis be accomplished successfully without the use of commercial tools, and why is it crucial for ranking in 2025?

Because Google ranks pages according to what is already effective, competitor analysis is essential in 2025. You’re speculating if you don’t know what your rivals are doing correctly, such as backlinks, content organization, and keyword usage. Free resources such as Ahrefs’ free backlink checker, Google Search, SEO Minion, and Google Search Console allow you to:

• View the keywords that your rivals rank for.
• Examine their content structure.
• Find prospects for backlinks

Find any holes in their coverage.How can competition analysis be accomplished successfully without the use of commercial tools, and why is it crucial for ranking in 2025?

Because Google ranks pages according to what is already effective, competitor analysis is essential in 2025. You’re speculating if you don’t know what your rivals are doing correctly, such as backlinks, content organization, and keyword usage. Free resources such as Ahrefs’ free backlink checker, Google Search, SEO Minion, and Google Search Console allow you to:

• View the keywords that your rivals rank for.
• Examine their content structure.
• Find prospects for backlinks
• Find any holes in their coverage.

Top Free SEO Tools You Should Be Using

1. Google Search Console

Best for: Tracking site performance, indexing issues, and keyword queries.

• See what keywords bring traffic
• Monitor click-through rates
• Fix indexing issues fast

2. Google Keyword Planner

Best for: Free keyword research straight from Google Ads.

• Find search volume
• Discover related terms
• Get bidding insights (even if you’re not running ads)

3. Ubersuggest (by Neil Patel)

Best for: Keyword ideas, backlink data, and basic site audits.

• Limited free searches per day
• View top-ranking pages
• Get content ideas

4. AnswerThePublic

Best for: Understanding what questions people ask online.

• Great for blog ideas
• Visual question maps
• One of the best tools for content strategy

5. Yoast SEO (for WordPress users)

Best for: On-page optimization within WordPress.

• Easy-to-follow SEO scores
• Meta tag customization
• Readability analysis

6. Screaming Frog (Free Version)

Best for: Technical SEO audits.

• Crawl up to 500 pages for free
• Identify broken links, duplicate content, and more
• Great for site structure review

7. SEO Minion

Best for: On-page analysis and SERP previews.

• Chrome extension
• Check meta tags, headings, links
• SERP simulator for previews

8. Rank Math (for WordPress)

Best for: SEO performance and automation in WordPress.

• Fast, lightweight
• Advanced schema features
• More automation than Yoast (even on free plan)

9. MozBar (Chrome Extension)

Best for: Quick SEO metrics as you browse.

• View DA/PA of websites
• Check link attributes
• Analyze page elements live

10. Google Trends

Best for: Identifying what’s trending and when.

• Compare keyword popularity
• Analyze seasonality
• Spot breakout terms in your niche