Pick the right competitors
Use keyword and “sites like” intent: same category, same buyer, overlapping search queries.
Avoid infrastructure domains (hosting, CDNs, analytics). They inflate competitor lists and waste audit budget.
Start with one to three rivals. More than five usually dilutes attention.
What to compare each cycle
Overall and category scores (performance, SEO, accessibility, best practices).
Core Web Vitals where field data exists.
On-page basics: title quality, meta description, HTTPS, viewport, headings.
Visual change — did their homepage pitch or pricing layout shift?
Turn gaps into a backlog
If they beat you on LCP, schedule image and caching work. If they win on SEO basics, fix titles and internal links before chasing backlinks.
AuditHQ stores competitor URLs per website project and charts score deltas so the comparison stays current on your schedule.