How to Find Out What Your Competitors Are Doing Online (for Free)
Short answer: You can learn a lot about your competitors in about an hour for free. List the businesses customers compare you to, review their websites and social accounts, look up their ads in the free ad libraries that Meta and Google provide, and then write down what you will do differently. The goal is not to copy anyone. It is to find the gaps you can fill.
Why look at competitors at all?
The U.S. Small Business Administration puts it simply: market research helps you find customers for your business, and competitive analysis helps you make your business unique (see the SBA’s guide to market research and competitive analysis). Knowing what others say and do makes it much easier to say something different, and to avoid paying to look the same as everyone else.
Who counts as a competitor?
Include the businesses your customers actually compare you to, not just the biggest names. A good list has three to five names across these types:
- Direct competitors: the same service, the same area or audience
- Larger names: the businesses customers have heard of
- The alternative: doing it themselves, or not buying at all
The one-hour checklist
- Make your list. Three to five competitors. Put their names and website addresses in a simple table (a template is below).
- Read their websites. Spend 5 minutes on each. What do they say they do? Who are they for? Is there a price? What do they ask visitors to do next?
- Check their social accounts. Which platforms are they on? How often do they post? What kinds of posts get replies?
- Look up their ads. Use the Meta Ad Library for Facebook and Instagram, and the Google Ads Transparency Center for ads on Google products. See the how-to steps below.
- Search like a customer. Search for what you sell plus your area or industry. Who shows up first? What do their listings say?
- Read their reviews. What do customers praise, and what do they complain about? Complaints are your opportunities.
- Write down your takeaways. See the last section.
A simple tracking template
Copy this into a document or spreadsheet and fill in a row for each competitor:
| Competitor | What they say they do | Price shown? | Social and ads | Strength / weakness |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Competitor 1 | ||||
| Competitor 2 | ||||
| Competitor 3 |
What should you look for on their websites?
- The headline: does it say clearly what they do and for whom?
- Proof: reviews, examples, certifications, or guarantees
- Pricing: do they show it, hide it, or give a range?
- The next step: call, book, request a quote?
- What is missing: questions customers ask that they do not answer
How do you use the free ad libraries?
Both libraries are public. Their purpose is to let anyone see which ads are being shown.
- Meta Ad Library: search for a business name or page to see the ads it is currently running on Facebook and Instagram, including the images, the text, and the start date.
- Google Ads Transparency Center: search by advertiser name or website to see ads running on Google products, along with the format and timing, and filter by region and date.
What these tools do not show is how much was spent or how well an ad is working. A long-running ad is a hint that it may be working, but it is only a hint.
What should you do with what you find?
Turn your notes into three short lists:
- What everyone says. If every competitor says “quality service,” do not use that line.
- What nobody says. This is where you can stand out: a clear price, a faster response, a guarantee, a specialty.
- What customers complain about. If you solve it, say so.
A quick example (illustrative): if all three local competitors hide their prices and customers complain in reviews about surprise charges, then posting clear starting prices and a simple “no surprises” promise is a way to stand out.
What does a completed comparison look like?
Here is an illustration with made-up competitors, so you can see how your notes turn into a decision. It is not data about any real business.
| Competitor | What the website says | Price shown? | What reviews say | Gap you could fill |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | “Full-service solutions for any business” | No | Slow to reply | A clear promise on response time |
| B | “Family owned since 2005” | A starting price | Friendly, but hard to schedule | Easy online booking |
| C | “Lowest prices in the area” | A price list | Surprise fees at the end | Fixed, all-in prices |
Read down the last column. Nobody here promises a fast reply or an all-in price, so those two are open. That is a message to build around, and it came from about an hour of reading.
What if a competitor is much bigger than you?
Do not try to match their budget or their range of services. Look instead at what their size makes hard. Larger businesses often struggle to answer quickly, to specialize, or to put a real person on the phone. Read their reviews for complaints about being treated like a number.
Then compete there. Answer faster, focus on one thing you do better than anyone, and make it easy to reach you directly.
What are the common mistakes?
- Copying a competitor’s message instead of finding your own
- Looking only at the biggest names
- Assuming a competitor’s ad is working because it is running
- Checking once and never again
- Spending hours on it instead of one focused hour
When is a professional analysis worth paying for?
For most owners, the free hour in this post is enough to find a few clear gaps. A paid analysis makes more sense when you are about to commit to a larger spend, such as a new website or an ad campaign, when there are many competitors to sort through, or when you simply do not have the hour.
Our competitive analysis covers a full study of your top three or four competitors in your market. It starts at $400 as a one-time fee, we start within a week, and you have it in about three weeks. See our services for the details.
Frequently asked questions
Is it ethical to look at competitors’ ads?
Yes. The ad libraries exist so that anyone can see which ads are being shown, and you are looking at public information.
How often should I check?
Every few months is enough for most small businesses. Check sooner if you notice a competitor changing their message or pricing.
Do I need paid tools?
Not to start. Paid tools can add keyword and traffic estimates, but the free steps above show you most of what you need to make better decisions.
How many competitors should I study?
Three to five is enough to see patterns. More than that mostly adds work without adding new findings.
What if I do not have any direct competitors?
You still have competition. Look at what your customers do today instead: hire a different kind of business, do it themselves, or do nothing. Those are the alternatives you are really up against.
Competitive analysis is one of the services we offer, and it is part of our free audit. Request an audit or see our services. If you want to think through your own positioning first, read the five questions every business should answer.
