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Easy Free 15 minutes

How to Monitor Your Competitors

Stay ahead by tracking what customers say about competitors and finding opportunities they miss.

What You'll Need

Steps

1

Identify your main competitors

Know who you're competing with.

  • Search Google for '[your service] near me'
  • Note the top 5 businesses that show up
  • Include any competitors customers mention to you
  • Look at who's advertising on Google and Facebook
Tip: Focus on competitors in your service area, not big national companies.
2

Set up Google Alerts

Get notified when competitors are mentioned online.

  • Go to google.com/alerts
  • Create an alert for each competitor's business name
  • Choose 'As-it-happens' or 'Once a day' delivery
  • Add alerts for your own business name too
3

Analyze their Google reviews

Learn from what customers say about them.

  • Search '[Competitor Name] reviews' on Google
  • Read their recent Google reviews
  • Note what customers praise (do you do this too?)
  • Note complaints (can you solve these better?)
Tip: Competitor complaints are your opportunities. If people complain about wait times, emphasize your fast response.
4

Check their Google Business Profile

See what services and offers they're promoting.

  • Look at their GBP listing
  • Note: Services listed, prices shown, recent posts
  • What photos do they use?
  • Are they running any promotions?
5

Follow their social media

See how they market themselves.

  • Find them on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor
  • Follow or bookmark their pages
  • Note: How often do they post? What content works?
  • What are people saying in the comments?
6

Do a monthly competitive review

Stay updated without obsessing.

  • Once a month, spend 15 minutes reviewing
  • Check their latest reviews (any patterns?)
  • Note any new services or promotions
  • Ask yourself: What can I learn from this?

You're Done!

You now have a system to track competitors! Use these insights to differentiate yourself.

Pro Tips

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