Competitive Analysis for SaaS SEO Content Strategy

SaaS SEO isn’t just about publishing content. It’s about publishing the right content—at the right time—on the right topics. But how do you know what that is?

Enter competitive analysis.

Your competitors aren’t just companies selling similar products. They include blogs, review sites, and industry publications—all fighting for the same organic visibility you need. If you’re not analyzing what’s working for them (and why), you’re leaving massive growth opportunities on the table.

This isn’t about blindly copying competitors. It’s about outplaying them. Finding gaps they’ve overlooked. Spotting underutilized content formats. Identifying keyword opportunities that will actually convert, not just bring traffic.

In this deep dive, we’ll break down how competitive analysis fuels a SaaS SEO content strategy that doesn’t just keep up—but dominates. Ready to go beyond the basics? Let’s get tactical.

Why Competitive Analysis is Your SaaS Content Strategy's North Star

You already know that SEO is crucial to SaaS growth. You've got customers who are actively searching for answers, for solutions, for help—and your goal is to make sure your content is what they find. But simply cranking out blog posts won't get you there. The key is to understand who you're up against and figure out what's working for them.

But here’s where I think a lot of content strategies miss the mark: they don’t dig deep enough into competitive analysis. They just look at surface-level metrics, like what keywords competitors rank for or how much traffic they get. It’s the difference between glancing at an iceberg and actually strapping on a wetsuit to explore what’s lurking below.

Competitive analysis in SaaS isn't just about finding opportunities—it's about prioritizing the RIGHT opportunities. Your resources are limited. Your time is valuable. Understanding your competition tells you which battles are worth fighting and how to win them.

Identifying Your Real Competitors: Beyond the Obvious

Let’s start with something straightforward but often overlooked—identifying the right competitors. It sounds simple, but in SaaS, competitors can vary wildly. Sometimes, the most dangerous competition comes from unexpected corners.

Types of Competitors

• Direct Competitors: These are the ones that do what you do. If you’re a project management SaaS, that means Trello, Asana, Monday.com, etc. You know the drill.
• Indirect Competitors: These are products that solve the same customer problem in a different way. If you’re a project management tool, maybe it’s email services or even spreadsheets (let’s face it, people still love Excel).
• SEO Competitors: These are the websites you see popping up for the keywords you care about. They may not even have a competing product! Sometimes, content-first websites, review blogs, or forums might be your real competition in terms of search engine real estate.

A common mistake is to over-focus on just direct competitors. In the SaaS world, SEO competitors can be blogs, media outlets, or sites that have built up a strong authority on your topic. These sites can outrank you without even offering a product.

So, let’s get a little exercise going. Grab a notebook or fire up a new Google Doc, and write down three different lists of competitors: direct, indirect, and SEO competitors. Your strategy is about to get a whole lot clearer.

Digging Deep into Your Competitors’ Content Strategy

Now that you know who you’re up against, let’s start digging. When analyzing competitors' content, it’s not just about what they’ve published—it’s about how they are leveraging it. Here’s how to go beyond the superficial:

1. Content Themes and Clusters

Look for content themes. Think of the clusters of content your competitors create. The successful ones don’t publish a scattershot of blog posts—they organize their content into clusters that address key pain points for their users.

For example, if you’re in HR software, you might see a competitor consistently creating content around topics like "employee onboarding," "remote work culture," and "performance evaluations." These aren’t just isolated blog posts—they’re clusters that drive authority on a broader topic.

Use tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or BuzzSumo to identify these clusters. Plug in your competitor’s URL and analyze what content topics are driving engagement and backlinks. If your top competitors have built out authoritative clusters and you haven’t, you now know where your focus should be.

2. Content Depth and Quality Gaps

It’s not just what they’ve covered, but how deeply they go. There’s a lot of bad content out there, even ranking content, and that’s an opportunity for you.

Here’s what I do: I read competitors' top-ranking content thoroughly. And then I ask, “What’s missing?” Sometimes they rank because they got there first, but their content could be missing depth, personality, or even crucial details. Make a note of those gaps. For SaaS, specifics are gold—users want step-by-step guides, templates, real screenshots, and use cases. So when you spot gaps, you exploit them by building richer, more actionable content.

For example, if a competitor’s guide on “setting up automated emails” is vague, you could create an ultra-detailed post with real screenshots from your platform, specific scenarios, and tips that are actually helpful.

3. Content Formats and Distribution

Take note of the formats they are using. Is your competition only focusing on long-form blog posts while ignoring videos or infographics? Or maybe they are doing a lot of webinars? If they have an active YouTube channel that drives traffic and you’re not touching video, that’s something to think about.

One thing I love doing is checking how competitors distribute content beyond their blog. Are they promoting on LinkedIn? Are they writing guest posts for other authoritative SaaS websites? Understanding the distribution mechanisms can be as important as understanding the content itself.

The Data-Driven Side of Competitive Analysis

Numbers don’t lie, right? Once you’ve got a handle on what your competitors are doing qualitatively, it’s time to dig into the data. This is where tools become invaluable.

1. Traffic Analysis and Keyword Gaps

Tools like Ahrefs, SEMrush, or SimilarWeb can help you get a glimpse of your competitor's traffic. Look at what pages are bringing in traffic for them, and specifically, what keywords they are ranking for. Here’s where it gets juicy: you can identify keyword gaps.

Keyword gaps aren’t just about finding keywords you’re missing. They’re about finding keywords where your competitor ranks well, but you think you can do better. Maybe your domain authority is on par, but their content isn’t that strong. Or maybe their content lacks a local angle that you can exploit.

Here’s an example. Let’s say your competitor is ranking well for “how to improve customer retention in SaaS,” but their article is generic and doesn’t give specific examples. You could create a piece on that exact topic but include real case studies from your customer base, testimonials, or even data points from surveys you’ve run. That’s the kind of angle that helps you leapfrog them.

2. Backlink Profiles

A solid backlink strategy is a SaaS marketer’s bread and butter. Analyze your competitor’s backlinks, and identify where they’re getting their best ones. Ahrefs is a go-to for this. See which sites are linking to them and figure out why.

A personal trick of mine? Find the pages with the most backlinks, and analyze the content. Then think about how you can create something even better—something deserving of those backlinks. After all, if someone’s willing to link to content once, they’re often willing to link to a superior version of it.

3. SERP Features and Opportunities

Look at the types of results that dominate the SERPs for your core keywords. Are your competitors capturing featured snippets, People Also Ask boxes, or video carousels? If they are, that’s what you need to be aiming for.

Say a competitor is consistently getting a featured snippet for “best onboarding processes for SaaS teams.” Look closely at how they format their content. Does their post have a clear answer in the first paragraph? Are they using lists or tables? You might need to tweak your content format to compete effectively for that snippet.

Putting It All Together: Creating Your Offensive Content Strategy

By now, you should have a treasure trove of competitive insights. But a competitive analysis is worthless without an action plan. So how do you put all this together?

1. Fill Gaps with Comprehensive Content

You’ve identified content gaps—now it’s time to fill them. Build content that answers the questions your competitors aren’t. Make it richer, better researched, more in-depth. If a competitor has a generic guide, your version should include detailed examples, use cases, data, and visuals.

But don’t just stop there. Promote the hell out of it. Reach out to the sites that linked to the competitor’s content and let them know you’ve got an even better resource. Publish snippets of it on LinkedIn. Add it to an email series for leads.

2. Cluster Your Content to Dominate Topics

Remember those content clusters your competitors are building? Don’t just catch up—aim to dominate.

Map out related content pieces around your core SaaS features and make sure they interlink well. You want Google to know that when it comes to “customer onboarding for SaaS,” you’re the ultimate authority. This means building pillar content (deep dives into a topic) along with supporting posts (like FAQs, user stories, or data-driven posts).

3. Experiment with Content Formats They Ignore

If your competitors aren’t doing video, that’s your opportunity. Not using LinkedIn for distribution? You should be. The best competitive strategies don’t just replicate what’s working—they explore what’s being ignored.

If your competitors have been churning out blog posts, try repurposing that information into a webinar or a Twitter thread. Or maybe it’s time to experiment with interactive tools, calculators, or even mini-apps.

Competitive Analysis Is an Ongoing Process

Here’s the truth: competitive analysis isn’t a one-and-done deal. The SaaS space is too dynamic for that. Your competitors will evolve, and new ones will pop up.

Set aside time, maybe monthly or quarterly, to revisit your analysis. Who’s popped up on the radar recently? Who’s gaining traction? Are there new players creating content that’s blowing up on social? Keep your finger on the pulse and adjust your strategy accordingly.

Move Beyond Parity to Domination

At the end of the day, competitive analysis in the SaaS world isn’t just about mimicking what others are doing well. It’s about figuring out how to do it better, where they’re weak, and how you can leverage those weaknesses to capture more attention, more signups, and more revenue.

Remember, this is a crowded space. You can’t afford to be reactive. Competitive analysis gives you the tools to take charge, identify opportunities, and seize them. So go ahead—do the deep dive. Identify the gaps, fill them, and build a strategy that helps your SaaS brand stand out. The battlefield is noisy, but you’ve got the playbook to cut through.

Now, I’d love to hear from you. What’s your approach to competitive analysis? Have you discovered any game-changing tactics that helped you out-rank the competition? Let’s swap notes—I’m always curious to see how others are navigating this crazy, competitive space.

1. What are the main types of competitors in SaaS SEO?

Direct competitors offer the same product or service as you. Indirect competitors solve the same problem differently. SEO competitors dominate the keywords you're targeting but might not even offer a competing product.

2. Why is it important to differentiate between direct, indirect, and SEO competitors?

Knowing the different types helps you understand market threats more accurately. SEO competitors, for instance, might outrank you on crucial keywords without offering a competing product, impacting your visibility.

3. How can content clustering improve my SaaS SEO strategy?

Content clustering builds topical authority. By organizing related content into a structured cluster, you signal to search engines that you cover a subject comprehensively, increasing your chances of ranking higher.

4. How do I identify content gaps in competitor strategies?

Read competitors' top-ranking articles and assess what’s missing—depth, actionable tips, specific examples, or visual aids. Gaps are opportunities to create richer, more comprehensive content that ranks better.

5. What tools are most effective for analyzing competitor content themes?

Ahrefs, SEMrush, and BuzzSumo are great for discovering content themes, clusters, and analyzing competitor engagement. Plugging in competitors' URLs provides insight into their high-performing topics and content structures.

6. How can keyword gap analysis benefit my SaaS SEO efforts?

Keyword gap analysis helps you identify keywords that competitors rank for but you don't. It highlights opportunities to create or improve content on those topics, allowing you to capture more search traffic.

7. What are backlink profiles, and how can analyzing them help?

A backlink profile shows the sites linking to a competitor. By analyzing their top-linked pages, you can create improved versions of those pages and attract similar high-quality backlinks, boosting your authority.

8. How should I address competitors capturing SERP features?

Study how your competitors format their content to win featured snippets, such as lists or tables. Adjust your content accordingly to target specific SERP features like People Also Ask or featured snippets.

9. How frequently should I revisit competitive analysis?

Revisit competitive analysis monthly or quarterly. The SaaS landscape is dynamic, with new players emerging and existing ones evolving. Regular updates keep your strategy relevant and competitive.

10. What is the key difference between content parity and content domination?

Content parity is matching what competitors do, while content domination means outperforming them. Competitive analysis helps you identify weaknesses in competitors’ content, allowing you to create more authoritative, comprehensive resources that win.