182 - How to Automate Competitor Analysis for Your Directory Business in 2025

Step 1: How to Find the Best Keywords for Your Directory Business

Before analyzing competitors, you need to identify the right keywords to focus on. If your keyword list is too broad, you’ll waste time analyzing terms that aren’t relevant to your business. Instead, you want to narrow down your list to high-value keywords—those that align with your directory’s purpose and have strong ranking potential. ‍

The Problem

Most keyword research tools (like Google Keyword Planner, Ahrefs, or Ubersuggest) generate thousands of potential keywords. But not all of them are useful. Some may: ❌ Be too broad (e.g., “running”) ❌ Have low commercial intent (e.g., “how to train for a marathon”) ❌ Be irrelevant to your directory’s focus (e.g., “best running shoes”) Manually sorting through thousands of keywords to find the best ones is time-consuming. That’s why I use automation to speed up the process. ‍

Automating Keyword Categorization

I use Airtable + Make.com + ChatGPT to automatically categorize and prioritize my keyword list. Here’s how the workflow works:

Step 1: Importing Keywords into Airtable

First, I take the list of keywords generated from Google Keyword Planner or another research tool and import them into Airtable. By default, I store the following data: ✅ Search Volume – How often the keyword is searched. ✅ Competition Level – How difficult it is to rank for. ✅ Trend Data – Whether the search demand is increasing or decreasing. ‍

Also, for more on Airtable and building scalable directory databases, check out this post: How to Build an SEO-Friendly Directory Listing Page in Webflow (Step-by-Step Guide) ‍

Step 2: Automating Keyword Categorization

To make sense of this data, I automate keyword tagging with Make.com and ChatGPT. The workflow: 1️⃣ Extracts each keyword from Airtable. 2️⃣ Sends it to ChatGPT, which categorizes it based on: • Relevance (High, Medium, Low) • Search Intent (Informational, Navigational, Transactional, High Intent Research) • Search Category (Location-based, Distance-based, Event Type) 3️⃣ Updates Airtable with these categories for easy filtering. ‍

You can also use these keywords to create the page structure of your directory. To learn how - read: How to Build an SEO-Friendly Directory Listing Page in Webflow (Step-by-Step Guide) ‍

Step 3: Filtering for High-Value Keywords

Once the automation runs, I filter the list to focus only on high-value keywords. My criteria: ✔ High Relevance (directly related to my directory’s purpose) ✔ Transactional or High Intent (indicates users are ready to take action) ✔ Focused on Location & Distance (to match how people search for events) This reduces a list of 6,000 keywords down to ~100-150 highly relevant terms, making competitor research much more efficient. Cost & Efficiency 🔹 This entire process runs automatically and costs about $3 per 1,000 keywords, making it highly scalable. 🔹 Instead of spending hours manually sorting keywords, I can generate a refined list in minutes. ‍

Next Step: SERP Analysis – Identifying Top Competitors

Now that I have my target keywords, the next step is figuring out who ranks for them. In the next section, I’ll walk through how I automate search engine results page (SERP) analysis using Apify & Make.com. ‍

Step 2: SERP Analysis – How to Identify Top Competitors in Your Niche

Now that I have a refined list of high-value keywords, the next step is to see who’s ranking for them. This process, known as Search Engine Results Page (SERP) analysis, helps identify direct competitors and provides insights into: ✅ What types of websites are ranking (directories, blogs, event pages, vendor sites, etc.). ✅ How many competitors are targeting the same keywords. ✅ What kind of content ranks well and what gaps I can capitalize on. Instead of manually searching Google for every keyword, I automate this entire process using Apify & Make.com. ‍

How to Automate SERP Analysis

Step 1: Running a Google Search Scraper

Rather than manually searching for each keyword, I use Apify’s Google Search Results Scraper to extract the top 8 search results for each keyword. Here’s how it works: 1️⃣ Input the keyword into the Apify scraper. 2️⃣ Specify search parameters (e.g., location-based searches). 3️⃣ Run the scraper to generate a list of top-ranking websites. 4️⃣ Store results in Airtable for further analysis. ‍

Step 2: Categorizing Competitors by Website Type

Once I have a list of competitors, I need to determine what type of site each competitor runs. 🔹 Directory Sites – Other directories listing similar content. 🔹 Vendor Websites – Businesses listing their own services (e.g., race organizers). 🔹 Blog Posts – Informational content ranking for certain keywords. 🔹 Event Aggregators – Large platforms listing multiple events. Understanding the types of competitors ranking for a keyword helps shape my content and SEO strategy. ‍

Step 3: Identifying the Most Dominant Competitors

Not all ranking websites are equal. Some competitors dominate multiple keywords, while others only rank for one or two. To find the most important competitors, I: ✔ Track how many times each competitor appears in the top 8 results. ✔ Identify repeat competitors that rank across multiple keywords. ✔ Filter competitors in Airtable to highlight the most frequent and relevant ones. By the end of this step, I have a clear picture of my main competitors, allowing me to move on to in-depth competitor analysis. ‍

Next Step: In-Depth Competitor Breakdown

Now that I know who ranks for my keywords, it’s time to analyze them in more detail. In the next section, I’ll break down how I: 🔎 Extract competitor business models, strengths, and weaknesses. 💰 Analyze how they monetize their site. 📊 Use these insights to improve my strategy. ‍

Step 3: Competitor Deep-Dive – How They Rank, Monetize & Succeed

Now that I have a list of top competitors ranking for my target keywords, the next step is to analyze them in detail. This helps me understand: ✅ What their business model is – How they make money. ✅ What their strengths and weaknesses are – Areas where they excel and where they fall short. ✅ What users think about them – Customer reviews, pain points, and common feedback. By extracting these insights, I can spot opportunities to differentiate my directory and build a stronger content and monetization strategy.

How to Automate Competitor Research

Instead of manually visiting every competitor’s website and reading through reviews, I automate this process using Perplexity AI & Make.com.

Step 1: Extracting Business Insights with Perplexity AI

Perplexity AI is like ChatGPT but with live search capabilities. It helps pull information from multiple sources and summarize competitor details. Here’s how I automate this step: 1️⃣ Trigger an automation in Make.com when a new competitor is added to my Airtable database. 2️⃣ Send a query to Perplexity AI, asking for: • A company overview. • Their business model (How they make money). • Customer feedback & reviews. • Their key strengths and weaknesses. 3️⃣ Receive a structured response, which is then formatted and stored in Airtable. ‍

Step 2: Categorizing Competitor Strengths & Weaknesses

Once I have the data, I organize it into key insights: 🔹 Strengths: • Strong brand presence • Well-optimized SEO pages • Good monetization model (ads, premium listings, sponsorships, etc.) 🔹 Weaknesses: • Poor user experience • Lack of advanced search filters • Outdated design This helps me spot weaknesses I can capitalize on and features I can improve in my own directory. ‍

Step 3: Analyzing Monetization Strategies

One of the most valuable takeaways from competitor research is understanding how they make money. Common revenue streams include: 💰 Premium Listings – Charging businesses to be featured at the top. 💰 Advertising – Display ads, sponsored content, or partnerships. 💰 Subscriptions – Offering paid access to exclusive content or features. 💰 Affiliate Commissions – Earning commissions by referring users to paid services. By tracking which monetization strategies competitors use, I can decide which revenue models to test in my own directory. ‍

Next Step: Using Insights to Shape Strategy

Now that I’ve analyzed who my competitors are and how they operate, it’s time to use this information to refine my own strategy. In the next section, I’ll cover how to: ✅ Optimize my content & SEO strategy based on competitor insights. ✅ Enhance my directory’s features to stand out. ✅ Position my monetization strategy based on what works in the market. ‍

Step 4: Turning Competitor Insights into a Winning SEO & Growth Strategy

Now that I’ve gathered detailed competitor insights, it’s time to put them to use. The goal is to take what I’ve learned and apply it to three key areas: ✅ SEO & Content Strategy – Understanding what type of content ranks and how to structure pages. ✅ Directory Features & User Experience – Identifying missing features or improvements. ✅ Monetization Strategy – Figuring out how to generate revenue based on what’s already working. ‍

1. Optimizing Content & SEO Strategy

One of the first takeaways from competitor analysis is understanding what kind of content Google favors. Based on my research, I adjust my content strategy by: ✔ Prioritizing high-ranking content formats – If directories dominate the rankings, I focus on optimizing my directory pages. If blogs perform well, I consider adding blog content. ✔ Adding missing content blocks – If competitors have detailed event descriptions, filter options, or FAQ sections, I include them in my directory. ✔ Filling content gaps – If competitors lack comprehensive information, I make sure my directory offers more value (e.g., user-generated reviews, better filtering, richer content). Example: If I notice that most competitors lack structured search filters, I make sure my directory allows users to filter by distance, race type, and registration deadlines. ‍

2. Enhancing Directory Features & User Experience

If a competitor ranks well but has a poor user experience, this is an opportunity. I use competitor weaknesses to improve my site’s usability. Common areas to enhance: ✔ Better search & filtering – Making it easier for users to find relevant results. ✔ More comprehensive listings – Including details that competitors lack. ✔ Faster site performance – Ensuring my directory loads faster than competitors. ✔ Mobile optimization – Many directories overlook mobile usability, so I make sure mine is fully responsive. By making these small but impactful improvements, I position my directory as the best option in the space. ‍

3. Refining Monetization Strategy

By analyzing how competitors make money, I can test monetization models that are already proven to work. 💰 If competitors rely on premium listings → I experiment with a paid “Featured Listing” model. 💰 If competitors run display ads → I consider Google AdSense or direct sponsorships. 💰 If competitors offer memberships → I explore subscription-based access for premium users. 💰 If competitors use affiliate marketing → I test partnering with related businesses for referral commissions. Instead of guessing, I use data-driven insights to build a monetization strategy that fits the niche.

If you need more directory monetization ideas, read this: How To Monetize Your Directory Website 2025 (5 Proven Business Models)

Final Thoughts & Next Steps

With this four-step process, I’ve gone from a broad list of keywords to a fully automated competitor research system. By following this method, I can: 🔹 Save hours of research time with automation. 🔹 Understand exactly who my top competitors are. 🔹 Learn what works & what doesn’t before making business decisions. 🔹 Build a content & monetization strategy based on real-world data. If you’re building a directory or trying to compete in search rankings, this workflow will help you gain an edge and grow faster.