Hey Reader,

Your competitor is sitting pretty on page 1.

You're stuck on page 3 (or worse).

And every month that goes by, they're getting more traffic, more leads, and more customers while you're wondering why your "SEO strategy" isn't working.

Here's the brutal truth: You can't outrank competitors by doing the SAME things they're doing.

Today, I'm going to show you the exact step-by-step process I've used to help 30+ clients systematically overtake their competitors in 6-12 months.

No fluff. No theory. Just the real playbook that actually works.

Before We Start: The Reality Check

Most SEO agencies will tell you to "just create better content" or "build more backlinks."

That's cute, but it's not a strategy.

Here's what you actually need to do:

1. Identify the EXACT gaps between you and your competitors
2. Quantify precisely what you need to close those gaps
3. Execute faster and better than they are

Sounds simple, right? It is. But it requires discipline and a systematic approach.

Let's get into it.

Step 1: Fix Your Foundation (Or You're Wasting Your Time)

Before you even THINK about competing, make sure you have the basics locked down:

• Page speed under 3 seconds
• Mobile responsiveness that actually works
• Clean URL structure (no messy parameters)
• Proper internal linking between related content
• Basic on-page SEO (titles, meta descriptions, headers)

If your site loads like it's 2010, or your mobile experience is trash, stop reading this and fix that first.

You can't compete with a broken foundation.

Step 2: The Complete Competitor Gap Analysis

Here's where most people screw up.

They look at their competitor's backlinks, say "wow, they have 5,000 links," and give up.

Wrong approach.

You need to analyze THREE critical gaps:

1. Keyword Gap - What keywords are they ranking for that you're not?
2. Content Gap - How much content do they have vs. you?
3. Backlink Gap - How many QUALITY links do they have vs. you?

Let's break down each one systematically.

The Keyword Gap Analysis: Find Your Opportunities

Step 1: Run your main competitor through Semrush Organic Research

Don't filter anything yet. Export ALL keywords they're ranking for - yes, all of them.

Throw everything into a Google Sheet. This is your starting point.

Step 2: Repeat for 2-3 more competitors

For each competitor:

• Run through Semrush
• Export everything
• Add to your master sheet

You should now have hundreds (maybe thousands) of keywords in one place.

Step 3: Organize into topic clusters

Group your keywords by theme:

• Email marketing
• Content strategy
• Link building
• SEO tools
• Whatever makes sense for YOUR niche

This shows you which topics actually drive traffic in your space.

Step 4: Pick ONE cluster to dominate first

This is critical: Don't spread yourself thin.

Pick your most important topic cluster and focus there FIRST.

Why? Because building topical authority in one area ranks you faster than publishing random content across multiple topics.

Google rewards depth, not width (especially for smaller sites).

Step 5: Apply the filters

Within your chosen cluster, filter for:

• CPC: $3+ (indicates buyer intent)
• Keyword Difficulty: 0-30 (you can actually rank for these)

These are your quick-win keywords. High CPC means people are willing to pay for these clicks. Low KD means you can actually compete.

Step 6: Sort by ascending difficulty

Within each cluster, tackle the easiest keywords first:

• Build quick wins
• Establish topical authority
• Gain momentum
• Then move to harder keywords once you have authority

Pro tip: Once you dominate one cluster completely, THEN move to the next topic category. Repeat the process. This systematic approach beats random keyword targeting every single time.

The Content Gap Analysis (Macro Level)

Time to figure out how much content you actually need to produce.

Process:

1. Find your competitor's blog index URL (usually /blog/)
2. Run it through Semrush Organic Research
3. Count their total published posts
4. Manually check their publishing frequency (look at publish dates)
5. Compare to YOUR numbers

Example calculation:

• Competitor has: 200 blog posts
• You have: 50 posts
• Gap: 150 posts

Want to catch up in 12 months? → Publish 13+ posts/month

Want to catch up in 6 months? → Publish 25+ posts/month

Now you know EXACTLY what you need. No more guessing.

The Content Gap Analysis (Micro Level)

Numbers are one thing. Quality is another.

Manually audit 10-20 of their best-performing posts.

What to analyze:

Headlines:

• Do they use numbers? Power words? Brackets?
• What patterns do you see in their top performers?

Structure:

• How do they organize information?
• What makes their content scannable?
• How long are their sections?

Visuals:

• Custom graphics or stock photos?
• Screenshots and annotations?
• Data visualizations?

Depth:

• Surface-level or comprehensive?
• Do they cover subtopics thoroughly?
• What's their average word count?

Internal Linking:

• How many links per post?
• Where do they link to?
• What anchor text do they use?

Then, find opportunities to do BETTER:

• Add more recent data and statistics
• Include real case studies (yours or clients')
• Create better custom visuals
• Add interactive elements (calculators, tools)
• Provide downloadable resources (templates, checklists)
• Build more comprehensive guides

The goal: Make THEIR best content look average by comparison.

The Backlink Gap Analysis: The REAL Numbers

Here's where people get intimidated.

"My competitor has 5,000 backlinks! I can never catch up!"

But here's what they don't realize: Most backlinks are completely worthless.

Let me show you how to find the REAL number.

Finding quality backlinks in Ahrefs:

Apply these filters:

1. DR: 20+ (removes junk domains)
2. Link Type: In Content (sidebar/footer links don't count)
3. Do-Follow only (nofollow links have minimal impact)

Boom. Their "5,000 backlinks" just became 300.

Much more manageable, right?

But we're not done yet.

Manually audit those 300:

Export to Google Sheets and remove:

• Scraper websites
• Link farms
• Spammy directories
• Foreign language sites (unless relevant to your niche)
• Sites with zero organic traffic

After this cleanup, the real number is probably closer to 100-150 QUALITY links.

That's what you're actually competing against.

Calculate YOUR backlink requirements:

• Competitor quality links: 120
• Your quality links: 30
• Gap: 90 links

Timeline options:

• 12 months = 8 quality links/month
• 6 months = 15 quality links/month
• 3 months = 30 quality links/month

Pick your timeline and set your target.

But here's the thing:

You don't just need the SAME number of links. You need MORE.

Add a 20-30% buffer to your target.

If your competitor has 120 links → Target 150+ links

This ensures you actually OVERTAKE them, not just tie.

Step 3: Create Your Master Execution Plan

Now that you know all three gaps, create a specific, time-bound plan:

Month 1-3 Focus:

• Publish [X] articles in your chosen topic cluster
• Build [Y] quality backlinks
• Target [Z] quick-win keywords
• Fix technical SEO issues
• Establish publishing systems

Month 4-6 Focus:

• Publish [X] articles
• Build [Y] backlinks
• Start updating older content
• Expand to other topic cluster
• Begin measuring early wins

Month 7-12 Focus:

• Maintain publishing velocity + link-building
• Update and improve top performers
• Analyze and double down on what's working

Make these numbers SPECIFIC for your situation based on the gap analysis you just did.

Your Weekly Execution Checklist

Content tasks:

• Publish [X] new articles (based on your monthly target)
• Update [Y] old posts with fresh information
• Add [Z] strategic internal links across your site

Link building tasks:

• Send [X] personalized outreach emails
• Write/publish [Y] guest posts
• Land [Z] quality backlinks

Tracking tasks:

• Monitor new keyword rankings
• Check backlink acquisitions
• Analyze traffic changes
• Document what's working

Track everything. If you're not measuring, you're just guessing.

Monthly Progress Review

Every month, review:

• New keywords ranking (positions 1-20)
• Traffic growth (organic sessions)
• Backlinks acquired (quality links only)
• Content published (quantity + quality)
• Competitor movements (are they doing anything new?)

Adjust your strategy based on data.

If something's not working after 2-3 months, pivot fast. Don't be stubborn.

Common Mistakes That Will Sabotage You

❌ Be realistic - you won't outrank NordVPN or HubSpot

❌ Building low-quality backlinks - One quality link beats 100 spam links

❌ Ignoring search intent - Match the format/angle of what's already ranking

❌ Publishing without promotion - Every piece needs internal + external links

❌ Giving up after 3 months - SEO takes 6-12 months minimum to see major results

❌ Not tracking your progress - You can't improve what you don't measure

The Bottom Line

Stop guessing what works.

Stop copying random blog advice.

Stop hoping your SEO will magically improve.

Instead:

1. Analyze what's ALREADY working for your competitors
2. Steal their best keywords and strategies
3. Create better content than they have
4. Build more quality backlinks than they have
5. Execute relentlessly for 6-12 months

That's the formula. It's not sexy, but it works.

The question is: are you willing to do the work?

Hit reply and let me know - who's the competitor you're going after?

- Nick

P.S. Need help executing this strategy? I work with a handful of clients each month to implement this exact system. If you want personalized guidance, reply to this email and let's chat about your specific situation.