What to Do When a Competitor Outranks You (5 Steps to Fight Back)

You’ve just searched for your main service in your town. Your competitor is #1 in the map pack. You’re #4 (or worse, not even visible).

It’s frustrating. But it’s fixable. Here’s exactly how to analyse what they’re doing right, match it, and overtake them.

What This Covers

What this covers: A 5-step competitive analysis process to identify why competitors rank higher and how to beat them

Who it’s for: Local trades and service businesses who are losing visibility to competitors in Google search

Time to read: 6 minutes

Key takeaway: Local SEO is relative—you don’t need to be perfect, just better than the top 3 in your area

Why Competitors Outrank You (It’s Not What You Think)

Most business owners assume competitors rank higher because:

• They’ve been around longer
• They have a bigger budget
• They’re better at SEO
• Google just “likes them more”

None of that is usually true.

The reality? They’re doing 3–5 specific things better than you. That’s it. Once you identify what those things are, you can match them—and often overtake them—within 60–90 days.

Local SEO isn’t about being the best business. It’s about being the most visible business. And visibility follows a formula.

Step 1: Identify Your Top 3 Competitors (5 Minutes)

What to do:

1. Open an incognito browser window (so results aren’t personalised)
2. Search for your main service + your town (e.g., “electrician Farnborough”)
3. Note the top 3 businesses in the Google map pack
4. Write down their names

Why incognito matters: Google personalises results based on your search history. Incognito shows you what your customers actually see.

What if you’re already in the top 3? Great! But don’t stop. Identify who’s #1 and #2 above you. There’s always room to improve.

Pro tip: Do this for 2–3 related searches (e.g., “emergency electrician Farnborough”, “electrician near me”). Different searches may show different competitors.

Step 2: Compare Their Google Business Profiles to Yours (10 Minutes)

Now you’re going to audit each competitor’s Google Business Profile against yours. Open a spreadsheet or grab a notebook and compare:

Reviews

• How many reviews do they have?
• What’s their average rating?
• When was their last review? (Recency matters as much as quantity)

Your goal: Match or exceed their review count and recency. If they have 25 reviews and you have 10, you need 15+ more. If their last review was 3 days ago and yours was 3 weeks ago, you need to ask customers more consistently.

Photos

• How many photos do they have?
• Are they high-quality, recent, and varied? (Team, work, location, before/after)

Your goal: Upload at least as many photos as your top competitor. Aim for 20+ high-quality images showing your work, team, and location.

Posts

• Are they posting regularly? (Check their “Updates” tab)
• How often? (Weekly, monthly, never?)

Your goal: If they’re posting weekly, you need to post weekly. If they’re not posting at all, this is your opportunity to leapfrog them.

Business Information

• Is their profile 100% complete? (Description, services, hours, attributes, website, phone)
• Do they have Q&A answers?

Your goal: Complete every section of your profile. Add services, attributes (e.g., “family-owned”, “emergency service”), and answer common questions in the Q&A section.

Categories

• What’s their primary category?
• Do they have additional categories listed?

Your goal: Make sure your primary category matches your main service exactly. Add relevant secondary categories if they have them.

What you’ll discover: In 90% of cases, your competitor is winning because they have more reviews, more recent reviews, more photos, or they’re posting regularly. That’s it. Not rocket science—just consistency.

Step 3: Check Their Website and Content (10 Minutes)

Click through to each competitor’s website and evaluate:

Website Quality

• Is it mobile-friendly? (Test on your phone)
• Does it load quickly?
• Is it professional and easy to navigate?

Your goal: If their site is significantly better than yours, you need to upgrade. If yours is comparable or better, you’re fine.

Local Content

• Do they have location-specific pages? (e.g., “Electrician in Farnborough”, “Electrician in Aldershot”)
• Do they have a blog with local content?
• Do they mention local areas, landmarks, or towns?

Your goal: Create location pages for every town you serve. Start a blog with local content (like this post). Mention local areas throughout your site.

Service Pages

• Do they have dedicated pages for each service? (e.g., separate pages for “rewiring”, “EV charger installation”, “emergency electrician”)

Your goal: Create a dedicated page for every service you offer. Each page should target a specific keyword (e.g., “EV charger installation Farnborough”).

Schema Markup

• Do they have local business schema? (Check with the Schema Markup Validator)

Your goal: Add local business schema to your website. This tells Google exactly what you do and where you serve. (Your web developer or an SEO plugin can add this.)

What you’ll discover: Most local competitors have basic websites with no blog, no location pages, and no schema. If you add these, you’ll outrank them.

Step 4: Check Their Citations and Directory Listings (10 Minutes)

Citations are mentions of your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) across the web. The more consistent citations you have, the more Google trusts you.

What to do:

1. Search “[competitor name] + [town]” on Google
2. Note which directories they’re listed on (Yell, Bing Places, Thomson Local, Checkatrade, Trustpilot, etc.)
3. Check if they’re listed on industry-specific directories (e.g., NICEIC for electricians, Gas Safe for plumbers)

Your goal:

• Get listed on every directory your competitor is on
• Ensure your NAP is 100% consistent across all listings
• Claim and complete your profiles (don’t just have a basic listing)

Top UK directories to check:

• Yell.com
• Bing Places
• Thomson Local
• Scoot
• Trustpilot (if applicable)
• Industry-specific directories (NICEIC, Gas Safe, Checkatrade, etc.)

What you’ll discover: Most competitors are listed on 5–10 directories. If you’re only on 2–3, you’re losing. Get listed everywhere they are, plus a few more.

Step 5: Create Your Action Plan (5 Minutes)

Now that you’ve analysed your competitors, create a simple action plan. Write down:

What They’re Doing Better

Example:

• Competitor A has 30 reviews, I have 12
• Competitor B posts weekly to GBP, I haven’t posted in 2 months
• Competitor C has 40 photos, I have 8

Your 30-Day Plan

Pick 3–5 actions you can realistically complete this month:

Example plan:

1. Get 5 new reviews (text 10 recent customers, aim for 50% response rate)
2. Upload 10 new photos (before/after shots, team photos, van photos)
3. Post to GBP weekly (4 posts this month—job updates, tips, offers)
4. Claim 3 new directory listings (Yell, Bing Places, Thomson Local)
5. Create 1 location page (e.g., “Electrician in Farnborough”)

Track Your Progress

Check your map pack ranking weekly. Search your main keyword in incognito mode and note your position. Track:

• Week 1: Position #5
• Week 2: Position #4
• Week 3: Position #3
• Week 4: Position #2

If you’re doing the fundamentals consistently, you’ll see movement within 30–60 days.

What If You’re Still Not Moving Up?

If you’ve matched your competitors on reviews, photos, posts, citations, and content—and you’re still not ranking—check these advanced factors:

1. Domain Authority

If your competitor has a 10-year-old website and yours is brand new, they have an advantage. Solution: Build backlinks (get listed on local news sites, sponsor local events, partner with other local businesses).

2. Engagement Signals

Google tracks how users interact with your profile: clicks, calls, direction requests, website visits. If your competitor gets more engagement, they’ll rank higher. Solution: Improve your photos, description, and posts to drive more clicks.

3. Proximity

If your competitor’s physical location is closer to the town centre (or the searcher’s location), they may rank higher. Solution: Create location pages for multiple towns to capture searches in areas where you’re closer.

4. Negative Signals

Unresolved negative reviews, NAP inconsistencies, or a suspended profile can tank your rankings. Solution: Fix these immediately—they’re actively hurting you.

What You Can Do Today (30-Minute Quick Win)

Do Step 1 and Step 2 right now:

1. Identify your top 3 competitors (5 minutes)
2. Compare their GBP to yours (10 minutes)
3. Write down 3 things they’re doing better (5 minutes)
4. Pick 1 action to complete today (10 minutes—upload photos, respond to reviews, or post to GBP)

You don’t need to do all 5 steps today. Just start. Momentum builds from there.

Want Us to Do the Competitive Analysis and Catch-Up Plan for You?

If you’d rather skip the research and get a detailed action plan with ongoing support, we can handle it. We’ll audit your competitors, identify gaps, and implement the fixes for you. Book a free consultation and we’ll show you exactly where you stand and how to overtake your competition.