In the world of SEO and online marketing, finding websites similar to your competitors can be extremely valuable. Analyzing similar sites allows you to research and identify opportunities, gauge competition, get inspiration, and more.
But how exactly do you go about finding similar sites? Here are some of the best methods and tools to use.
One simple way to find visually similar websites is by using reverse image search. This allows you to take any image from a site you want to emulate and find pages with similar designs, layouts, color schemes, etc.
To use reverse image search:
This can rapidly reveal sites with comparable visual styles. It's best for finding lookalike sites rather than topical similarity.
Another easy option is searching for relevant keywords in Google. For example, if you run an online shoe store, search queries like "shoes online store" or "buy shoes online" will surface competitors and similar sites.
You can further refine searches by including keywords for:
Review the top search results for applicable sites. Google displays similar pages together, making discovery straightforward.
Once you've found a competitor or site you want to emulate in the search results, click the "Similar Pages" button below the URL.
This surfaces additional pages that have similarities based on Google's algorithm and metrics like keywords, content, backlinks, and more. It's an easy shortcut to find supplemental similar sites without having to craft search queries.
SEMrush is a robust SEO and online visibility toolkit. One of its features is a "Similar Sites" report that reveals competitors and related sites.
To generate it:
You'll then see a list of the top websites SEMrush has determined are similar, along with data like their organic traffic scores. This can unveil great sites to analyze further.
SimilarSiteSearch is a website specifically designed to uncover similar pages based on numerous factors. To use it:
The more filters you use, the more targeted your results will be. This is helpful if you want sites matching multiple characteristics. You can also take the suggested domains and do follow-up searches for even more discoveries.
An additional method is looking up when a competitor's domain was registered, and then searching for sites registered around the same time. The assumption is sites popping up in the same era are targeting similar topics and audiences.
Tools like WhoIsDomain allow you to look up age data.
And substitute the year you're interested in. This works best for niche industries where you can isolate a cluster of relevant sites registered around the same date.
Alexa provides an Audience Overlap tool that reveals websites visited by similar users to any domain you input.
To use it:
You'll then see the top sites with an audience overlap, indicating your target visitors are likely interested in them too. The higher the percentage, the more similar the users.
Sites that share many of the same backlinks and referral domains often have strong topical similarities. You can leverage this to uncover "neighbor" sites.
Use a backlink analysis tool such as Ahrefs to generate a report on a competitor's backlinks. Look for domains that repeatedly occur and make a list of ones that seem relevant to research further.
Repeating domains likely link to your competitor for similar reasons and cover complementary topics. Look at what other pages they link to find more related sites.
Alexa's website provides a category browsing feature that lets you explore the top 1 million sites segmented into industries and topics.
Navigate to the Alexa Top Sites section and click into any category, like Business > E-commerce & Shopping. You'll then see sorted lists of the most popular sites in those niches.
Browse around until you find relevant categories and sub-categories aligned with your goals. This reveals competitors along with lesser-known sites you can analyze and potentially model.
Check out who your competitors follow and interact with on social media for additional discoveries.
For example, analyze their Twitter feeds and followers. See who they retweet, mention, and converse with. Then check out those profiles as well.
People in the same sphere often follow and support each other. So competitors' social circles will contain sites publishing similar content aimed at the same audiences.
SpyFu is a competitor research tool focused heavily on SEO and PPC data. One feature it offers is a domain vs domain comparison identifying common keywords between two sites.
This reveals what search terms each site ranks for so you can see keyword overlaps. If two domains target many matching terms, they likely offer similar content, products, and services.
You can then explore these shared keywords to turn up additional related sites optimizing for them. SpyFu provides a starting point to discover semantic connections.
SimilarWeb is a digital market intelligence platform providing website analytics and traffic insights.
One report it generates shows the domain authority checker top referring sites sending traffic to any domain.
Analyze this for competitors to see where their visitors come from.
These referral sites are great candidates for finding similarities. A high volume of visitors moving between the two indicates a strong user base and interest topic alignment.
BuzzSumo is a content research tool that analyzes what content performs best for any domain.
You can also input a competitor's URL to see their top-performing content. Analyze this to identify commonly covered topics and article formats.
Search for these shared themes and formats on Google and social media to surface supplemental similar sites. Matching content strengths indicates comparable expertise and audience targeting.
Pay attention to the related and people also ask searches that appear on Google's results pages.
These highlight queries and sites that searchers also consider alongside the term you originally looked up. Click through some of the suggestions to explore these additional similar pages.
In SEMrush, go to the Organic Research section and type in your main keyword target. In the left sidebar click Related Keywords.
This shows search terms that tend to appear alongside your original keyword. These are typically associated based on Google's algorithm.
Look for relevant related terms to add to your research process - search for them and analyze the results. This helps surface complementary sites that rank for similar queries.
A: There are a few key reasons why finding similar sites is useful:
A: Some of the top signals to look for include:
A: Tools like SEMrush, Alexa, and SimilarWeb have built-in features to automatically surface similar sites by analyzing various metrics. Browser extensions like SimilarSites also enhance search results with related page suggestions.
A: Not necessarily. Expanding beyond just close competitors to find sites in related niches, or targeting segments of your audience can provide additional valuable insights. Cast a wide net when researching.
A: It's smart to check for new similar and competitor sites every 3-6 months. SEO and audience interests evolve rapidly, so new players will appear. You want to stay on top of the competition and constantly add fresh sites to your research process.
Discovering similar websites takes research and creativity. However, it provides tremendous benefits for analysis and identifying new opportunities. Use the strategies outlined here to uncover competitor sites, find link-building prospects, learn about related topics, and more.
With the massive breadth of the web, there are always more similar sites out there to explore. Combine these tips to dig deeper and discover sites you didn't even know existed. Whether researching the competition or looking for link-building prospects, finding similar sites delivers powerful insights.
