Competitor research framework

The 12 dimensions of competitor research

Updated

What is competitor research?

Competitor research is the structured study of the companies your customers could choose instead of you. Done well, it tells you three things: how big the market is, where the white space is, and which position you can own. It covers 12 dimensions, and you research product competitors and each marketing channel separately, because the rivals you meet in search or social are not always the ones you meet in a sale.

The 12 dimensions

1 Company and funding Founding year and founders, Headquarters and other locations, Number of employees, Investors and funding rounds, Valuation, Revenue, Number of customers 2 Market Market size, Total traffic, Number of sites, Traffic share, Channel split, Finding competitors 3 Customer insight from the website Target segments, Positioning, Need gap, Value add, Call to action 4 Features and USPs Product features, Operations, Customer experience, Stated USPs 5 Key metrics Traffic, Users, Average order value, Revenue, Margin 6 Paid media Paid traffic, Ad keywords, Ad creatives, Calls to action, Landing pages 7 PR Coverage links, Type of story, Key claims, Publications and journalists 8 App Installs, Reviews and ratings, Category and rank, Keywords and description, Active users, Retention and conversion 9 Product range Popular products, Brands, Number of products, Price range 10 Social, per platform Profile links, Followers, Engagement rate, Content themes, Hashtags 11 Content Blog and resources pages, Number of posts, Posting frequency, Themes, Featured snippets 12 SEO Authority, Traffic, Keywords, Backlinks, Site structure, Page speed, Indexed pages, Technical health

Research each type of competitor on its own

List product, service and content competitors separately, then list the competitors you meet in each channel: search (whoever ranks for your top keywords), paid search, social, app stores and review sites. One company can be a minor product rival and your biggest search rival.

Do this research in CompetitionOS

  • Find competitors with AI discovery or from the Google results for your keywords
  • Keep one shared competitor library across projects, split by direct, indirect and search competitors
  • Save evidence with its source: search results, website snapshots and SEMrush data
  • Check whether ChatGPT and Claude mention your brand, and which competitors they name instead
  • Connect Claude, ChatGPT or Cursor so an assistant can do the research for you
  • Export every project to CSV or Excel

Are AI assistants recommending you, or your competitors?

Buyers now ask ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity which tool to use. CompetitionOS runs the questions your buyers ask, records which brands each answer names, and shows where competitors are mentioned and you are not. That is answer engine optimisation (AEO), alongside your SEO.

All 12 dimensions See CompetitionOS

Frequently asked questions

What is competitor research?

Competitor research is the structured study of the companies your customers could choose instead of you. It covers 12 dimensions, from funding and market share to website positioning, ads, content and SEO, so you can find the white space where you can win customers.

What are the 12 dimensions of competitor research?

Company and funding, market, customer insight from the website, features and USPs, key metrics, paid media, PR, app, product range, social media, content, and SEO.

What should I take away from competitor research?

Three things: the size of the market, the white space nobody serves well, and the position you can own.

Should I research product and marketing competitors separately?

Yes. The companies you compete with for customers are not always the ones you compete with for search, ads or social attention. Research product, service and content competitors, and each marketing channel, on its own.

What is AEO?

Answer engine optimisation: making sure AI assistants such as ChatGPT, Claude and Perplexity mention your brand when buyers ask about your category. CompetitionOS checks this for you.