Finding your SEO competitors in 2025 goes far beyond looking at the businesses you know you’re competing with in the real world. Your SEO competitors are the websites that appear in search results for the keywords, topics, and locations you want to rank for, regardless of whether they sell the same products or services.
With AI-generated search results, zero-click answers, and local + national SERPs blending together, identifying the right competitors is essential for building an accurate SEO strategy.
Why Identifying SEO Competitors Is Different in 2025
In the past, competitor analysis was as simple as plugging your primary keywords into Google and jotting down who ranked on page one. That’s no longer enough.
Today, you must account for:
- AI Search Overviews – Google and Bing now surface brands in AI-generated summaries, even if they aren’t top 10 in traditional search.
- Generative Engine Optimization (GEO) – AI models pull from sources with strong topical authority and structure, meaning competitors might be different from standard SERP listings.
- Local + National Overlap – Even in local searches, national brands with strong SEO can outrank smaller local businesses.
- Multiple SERP Types – Featured snippets, People Also Ask, video carousels, and image packs introduce different competitors depending on the format.
Step-by-Step: How to Find Your SEO Competitors in 2025
1. Start With Your Target Keywords
Make a list of the primary and secondary keywords you want to rank for, including:
- Service or product keywords
- Location-based keywords (city, county, region)
- Informational keywords related to your niche
Example: A Florida roofing company might list:
- “metal roofing in Tampa”
- “roof replacement cost Pinellas County”
- “how to prepare roof for hurricane”
2. Search in Google and Note the SERP Layout
Run each keyword in Google’s standard search and Google’s AI Overview (when available). Take note of:
- Which businesses appear in the top 10 organic results
- Who gets featured in AI summaries
- Any People Also Ask entries
- Competitors showing in Google Business Profile local pack
3. Use SEO Tools for Competitor Discovery
Modern tools can find SEO competitors you didn’t know existed.
Recommended in 2025:
- Ahrefs – Use the “Competing Domains” feature to see domains ranking for similar keywords.
- SEMrush – The “Organic Research” tool identifies competitors based on keyword overlap.
- Screaming Frog + SERP API – For custom crawling and AI overview tracking.
- BrightLocal – For local competitor maps and ranking grids.
4. Check AI-Driven Search Engines
Bing, Perplexity, and other AI-powered search platforms have different ranking logic than Google. Test your main keywords in these platforms to see who AI models trust and cite.
5. Evaluate Content Structure and Topical Authority
For each competitor:
- Review how they organize their website (service pages, city pages, blog clusters)
- Identify the topics they cover and where they have topical dominance
- Note their use of schema markup, images, and internal linking
6. Monitor Over Time
Competitor sets shift as algorithms evolve. Set a quarterly competitor audit schedule to track new entrants and disappearing players.
Common Mistakes When Identifying SEO Competitors
- Only looking at business competitors instead of true search competitors
- Ignoring AI Overview sources and focusing only on organic rankings
- Skipping long-tail and local keyword searches that bring in qualified traffic
- Not tracking SERP features where competitors might have visibility you lack
Example: Local SEO Competitor Discovery
A St. Petersburg chiropractor identified their competitors by:
- Listing all service + location keyword combinations.
- Running searches in Google standard, AI Overview, and Bing AI.
- Using SEMrush to find sites with a 40%+ keyword overlap.
- Comparing local pack visibility with BrightLocal’s grid tracking.
They discovered that two health blogs, not other local chiropractors, were outranking them for high-value informational keywords. Adjusting their content strategy to compete on these topics increased organic traffic by 18% in 60 days.
In 2025, finding SEO competitors means looking beyond your known business rivals. You need to identify every site, brand, and content source that appears in both traditional search and AI-generated answers for your target topics.
By using a mix of manual searches, SEO tools, AI platform checks, and ongoing monitoring, you can pinpoint exactly who you’re competing with, and develop a strategy to outperform them.
Win More Rankings in 2025
At SEO Consulting Experts, we specialize in competitive SEO analysis that goes deeper than basic keyword overlap.
Request Your Competitor Audit and see exactly who’s taking your clicks, and how to win them back.
