Competitor tracking tool for UK businesses.
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If you’re running a business in the UK, choosing the right competitor tracking tool can unlock massive insights into what’s working in your niche. In this guide, we’ll break down exactly how to use Semrush to uncover your rivals’ strategies and make smarter decisions, faster.
Good news: you don’t need a big budget, agency retainer or SEO degree to find out what your competitors are doing — and outdo them.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to spy on your competitors using Semrush, a powerful SEO and marketing tool — even if you’re a solo founder or brand-new SME.
Use Semrush’s tool to find easy wins
Let’s dive in 👇
Competitor Tracking Tools – The Importance
If you’re a one-person business, time is precious. You don’t want to waste hours guessing which keywords to target or what content to write.
Competitor research with Semrush lets you:
- See exactly what’s driving traffic to your competitors
- Discover hidden keywords and backlink opportunities
- Understand your market position in seconds
- Build smarter content and marketing strategies
And the best part? You can do it yourself with just a few clicks.
Semrush is more than just a keyword tool — it’s a full competitor analysis tool UK businesses can use to benchmark performance across SEO, paid ads, and content.
🔧Competitor Tracking Tool 1: Domain Overview – Know What You’re Up Against
Start by entering your competitor’s website into Semrush’s Domain Overview.
For example, let’s say you’re a local web designer in Leeds. Pop in a local competitor’s URL — and Semrush will reveal:
- Monthly website traffic (organic & paid)
- Keyword rankings (UK-focused)
- Top-performing pages
- Traffic sources (Google, Facebook, direct, etc.)
- Countries & regions driving the most visits
🔗 Pro Tip: Compare your own website side-by-side using the “Compare domains” tab.
Ready to uncover your competitors’ secrets?
Get started with Semrush today and try the tools yourself.
🔑 Competitor Tracking Tool 2: Keyword Gap – Find the Keywords They Rank For (That You Don’t)
This is the goldmine.
Head to the Keyword Gap Tool and enter:
- Your website
- 2–4 competitors
Semrush will show:
- Keywords only they rank for
- Keywords you both rank for (but they’re winning)
- Keywords you outrank them on
From here, you can:
- Target missing high-value keywords in future content
- Optimise underperforming pages
- Reverse-engineer their content strategy
📌 Example: You notice your rival ranks for “ecommerce website design Yorkshire”, but you don’t — time to create a page or blog targeting that!
See what your competitors rank for – Use Semrush’s free tools
🔗 Competitor Tracking Tool 3: Backlink Gap – Steal Their Link Strategy
Backlinks still matter in 2025.
With Backlink Gap, you can see:
- Sites linking to your competitors
- Sites not linking to you (yet)
- Shared backlink sources
Use this to:
- Build outreach lists
- Earn backlinks from relevant directories, blogs, and media outlets
- See what press/features they’ve landed (and go after similar)
📌 Example: A competitor has backlinks from LeedsBusinessJournal.co.uk and DigitalYorkshire.org? Reach out and pitch your story!
📊 Competitor Tracking Tool 4: Traffic Analytics – See What’s Driving Their Results
Traffic Analytics offers deeper insights into how users interact with competitor sites:
- Bounce rate
- Visit duration
- Traffic channels
- Device usage (desktop vs mobile)
- Referring sites
You’ll get a feel for:
- What platforms does your audience prefer (Instagram? LinkedIn?)
- Whether competitors are investing in ads
- How loyal their visitors are
Perfect for building content funnels and ad strategies tailored to your niche.
Use Semrush’s Keyword Gap tool to find easy wins
🎯 How to Put All This Together in a Simple Strategy
Let’s say you run a boutique fitness studio in Manchester.
Your 5‑step strategy using Semrush competitor tools:
- Domain Overview: See where fitmanchester.co.uk gets its traffic.
- Keyword Gap: Find terms like “small group training Manchester” you’ve missed.
- Backlink Gap: Spot they’ve been featured in Manchester Evening News — pitch your success story!
- Traffic Analytics: Discover that most of their traffic comes from mobile and Facebook.
- Create Content & Ads: Build a content pillar around “group workouts for busy professionals” and run mobile-first Facebook ads.
Boom — you’ve now got an informed strategy to compete smarter, not harder.
Whether you’re a local tradesperson or an eCommerce brand, having a competitor tracking tool gives you the edge to grow strategically.
⚡ Real Talk: Why This Works for One-Person Teams
You don’t need:
- A full-time SEO
- Fancy tools or software stacks
- Hours of research
You just need:
✅ A Semrush login
✅ A few competitor URLs
✅ A willingness to test what works
And if you’re a Business Mate client — good news — we’ll guide you through this or even do it for you.
🛠️ Resources for Extra Firepower
- Too Busy for Social Media? This Tool Posts for You – With the Right Content
- The Complete Guide to AI Marketing Tools for UK SMEs: From £109/Month to Market Leadership
👋 Ready to Outrank Your Competitors With The Competitor Analysis Tool UK?
Want us to run a full Semrush-powered competitor audit for your business?
👉 Let’s show you exactly where to start — and how to steal your competitors’ traffic 👀 just visit the banner below.
Use Semrush’s tool
Contact us for more details.
FAQs: Competitor Tracking Tools
1. What is a competitor tracking tool and why do UK businesses need one?
A competitor tracking tool helps you analyse what rival businesses are doing online — from keywords and backlinks to website traffic and content strategy. UK SMEs use these tools to understand market trends, spot opportunities, and make smarter marketing decisions without guesswork.
2. How does Semrush help track competitors effectively?
Semrush provides multiple tools — Domain Overview, Keyword Gap, Backlink Gap, and Traffic Analytics — that show where competitors get traffic, which keywords they rank for, who links to them, and what channels perform best. It gives UK businesses a complete competitor strategy in just a few clicks.
3. Can small UK businesses use competitor tracking tools without technical skills?
Yes. Tools like Semrush are built for beginners as well as professionals. Even solo founders can quickly compare domains, find missing keywords, analyse backlinks, and spot content opportunities with simple dashboards and clear reports.
4. What insights can competitor research reveal for UK SMEs?
Competitor research shows which keywords your rivals dominate, which websites link to them, what content drives traffic, how users behave on their site, and whether they rely on ads or organic visibility. These insights help you build stronger SEO, content, and advertising strategies.
5. Is Semrush worth it for competitor tracking in 2025?
For most UK businesses, yes. Semrush offers deep competitor insights, accurate data, and easy-to-use comparison tools. It helps uncover traffic sources, find new keywords, identify backlink targets, and build actionable marketing strategies — all without needing an agency or specialist.