10 Metrics to Track When You Analyze Competitor Website Traffic

Understanding how competitors attract and engage their audience is key to improving your website traffic strategy. By tracking the right competitor website metrics, businesses can uncover traffic sources, user behavior, SEO strengths, and content performance—insights that help refine marketing efforts and outperform the competition.

So, what should you focus on when you analyze competitor website traffic? Instead of looking at raw visitor numbers, businesses should track actionable metrics that reveal how visitors find, engage with, and convert on competing websites. Here are 10 essential metrics to track when analyzing competitor website traffic.

1. Total Website Traffic

The total number of visits to a competitor’s website provides a big-picture view of their online presence. While raw traffic numbers don’t tell the full story, they help benchmark how much attention a competitor receives compared to your website.

How to Track It:

• Use tools like SimilarWeb, SEMrush, or Ahrefs to estimate competitor traffic.
• Compare month-over-month and year-over-year traffic growth.
• Identify traffic spikes to see when marketing efforts succeed.

Why It Matters:

• Helps gauge a competitor’s overall online influence.
• Shows seasonal trends or major campaign impacts.

2. Traffic Sources & Distribution

Knowing where a competitor’s traffic comes from helps businesses identify high-performing channels and adjust their strategy.

Key Traffic Sources to Analyze:

• Organic Search – Traffic from search engines (Google, Bing).
• Paid Search – Visitors from paid ads (Google Ads, Bing Ads).
• Social Media – Traffic from platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter.
• Referral Traffic – Clicks from external websites or backlinks.
• Direct Traffic – Users typing the website URL directly.

How to Track It:

• Use SEMrush’s Traffic Analytics or SimilarWeb to view a competitor’s traffic breakdown.
• Look at Google Search Console for deeper insights into search-related visits.

Why It Matters:

• Helps pinpoint which marketing channels drive the most engagement.
• Reveals opportunities to invest in underutilized traffic sources.

3. Top Performing Pages

Not all website pages contribute equally to traffic. Analyzing a competitor’s top pages reveals which content drives the most visits, engagement, and conversions.

How to Track It:

• Use Ahrefs’ Top Pages report to see a competitor’s most visited pages.
• Look at page-specific rankings to determine SEO strengths.
• Analyze blog content, landing pages, and product pages.

Why It Matters:

• Helps identify content gaps and new topic opportunities.
• Shows what types of content resonate with the target audience.

4. Organic Keyword Rankings

Tracking a competitor’s top-performing keywords reveals their SEO strategy, ranking strengths, and areas where you can compete.

How to Track It:

• Use SEMrush, Ahrefs, or Moz to pull organic keyword data.
• Identify high-traffic, high-ranking keywords in competitor content.
• Look at keyword difficulty to find low-competition opportunities.

Why It Matters:

• Helps uncover SEO weaknesses that your business can exploit.
• Identifies long-tail keywords that attract high-converting traffic.

5. Backlink Profile & Referring Domains

High-quality backlinks improve domain authority and search engine rankings. Analyzing a competitor’s backlink strategy can uncover new link-building opportunities.

How to Track It:

• Use Ahrefs, SEMrush, or Majestic to view competitor backlinks.
• Identify high-authority referring domains.
• Look at guest posts, media mentions, and partner links.

Why It Matters:

• Shows where competitors get their strongest backlinks.
• Helps businesses develop a better link-building strategy.

6. Social Media Traffic & Engagement

A competitor’s social media presence can drive a significant amount of traffic. Analyzing social engagement trends helps businesses improve their social media strategy.

How to Track It:

• Use BuzzSumo or Hootsuite Analytics to measure content shares and engagement.
• Look at competitor post frequency and engagement rates on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram.
• Track which platforms drive the most traffic.

Why It Matters:

• Helps identify which content formats perform best on social media.
• Shows where competitors are investing their social media efforts.

7. Bounce Rate & Time on Page

Bounce rate and average time spent on a page indicate how engaged visitors are with a website’s content.

How to Track It:

• Use SEMrush’s Traffic Analytics for estimated bounce rates.
• Look at Google Analytics Benchmarking to compare industry standards.

Why It Matters:

• A high bounce rate may indicate poor content engagement or irrelevant traffic.
• A longer time on the page suggests strong content performance.

8. Competitor Ad Spend & PPC Performance

If a competitor runs paid search or display ads, analyzing their ad spend and keyword targeting reveals how they attract leads.

How to Track It:

• Use Google Ads Transparency Center for an overview of competitor ads.
• Use SEMrush’s Advertising Research to analyze PPC keywords and ad copy.
• Look at Facebook Ad Library for social media ad campaigns.

Why It Matters:

• Identifies which keywords and ad creatives drive the most traffic.
• Helps businesses optimize their own paid ad strategy.

9. Conversion Paths & User Behavior

Understanding how users navigate a competitor’s website reveals which elements encourage conversions.

How to Track It:

• Use Hotjar or Crazy Egg for heatmaps and scroll tracking.
• Analyze landing page design and call-to-action (CTA) placement.

Why It Matters:

• Helps improve website design, CTAs, and conversion rates.
• Reveals potential user experience (UX) improvements.

10. Customer Reviews & Online Reputation

A competitor’s online reviews and testimonials impact their credibility and traffic. Monitoring competitor reputation highlights strengths and weaknesses.

How to Track It:

• Check Google Reviews, Trustpilot, and social media feedback.
• Use Reputation Management Tools to track competitor sentiment.

Why It Matters:

• Helps businesses identify customer pain points.
• Provides opportunities to differentiate with better customer experiences.

Final Thoughts

Tracking competitor website traffic metrics helps businesses refine their strategies, improve content performance, and attract more qualified leads. Total traffic alone isn’t enough—understanding the source, engagement, and conversion patterns is what truly makes a difference.

Businesses can gain a competitive edge by optimizing their content, SEO, and marketing efforts based on data-driven insights. Want to leverage competitor analysis for better marketing results? Contact Responsify today for expert strategies tailored to your business.