How to Do a Competitive Analysis and Create a Website That Outperforms
In a digital world where first impressions happen in milliseconds, your website is often the face of your business. It’s where potential clients land, form opinions, and decide whether you’re worth their time and trust. But here’s the thing: you’re not showing up in a vacuum. You’re showing up alongside every other business in your industry, all competing for the same attention.
Understanding your competitive landscape isn’t just helpful but it’s essential. Competitive analysis is the process of researching and evaluating your competitors’ online presence to uncover what’s working, what’s falling flat, and where opportunities exist for your brand to rise above the noise. At Stitch, we treat this as a foundational phase of every web project because without it, you’re designing in the dark.
Seeing the Landscape Clearly
Too often, businesses approach website design with an internal lens thinking only about what they want to say, show, and sell. But the truth is, your audience isn’t just comparing you to their last experience with your brand. They’re comparing you to every similar business they’ve interacted with online.
Competitive analysis gives you such an edge. It shows you the visual patterns, content strategies, user flows, and language your competitors are using. This clarity helps you make smarter, more informed decisions about how to present your own brand. It helps you avoid clichés, eliminate friction, and adopt design patterns that align with what users are already familiar with while still finding ways to set yourself apart.
What Competitive Analysis Can Reveal
Done well, a competitive audit will give you deep insights into your industry’s digital standards and potential whitespace. It can reveal:
Design trends and branding norms — What fonts, colors, layouts, and visual elements are common in your industry?
Tone and messaging patterns — Are others speaking formally, casually, or with personality? Are they focusing on features or benefits?
Site structure and user experience — How are pages organized? Are there any broken flows or confusing menus you can avoid?
Call-to-action strategy — What are your competitors asking visitors to do—and how effectively?
Content and SEO positioning — What topics are they covering? What keywords are they ranking for? What content are they missing?
Conversion tactics — Are they offering lead magnets, case studies, testimonials? What’s working, and what’s falling flat?
These insights give you a roadmap, not to replicate, but to differentiate. You get to see what’s already out there and use that knowledge to build a stronger, more strategic version of your own digital presence.
Differentiation: The Real Goal
Let’s be clear: the purpose of competitive analysis isn’t to blend in. It’s to break away intelligently. By seeing what others are doing, you gain the power to choose where to align and where to boldly diverge.
Maybe your competitors all sound overly corporate. You can position your brand with more warmth and authenticity. Maybe their websites are hard to navigate. You can focus on creating a frictionless, conversion-friendly experience. Maybe their visual identities are all variations of the same palette. You can craft a fresh, confident brand presence that actually turns heads.
Your audience doesn’t just want another version of what they’ve seen, they want something that feels right. And differentiation is what helps you connect with your ideal clients, build trust, and inspire action.
Turning Insights Into Strategy
Once you’ve gathered the data, the next step is applying it with purpose. At Stitch, we take what we learn through competitive analysis and filter it through the lens of your brand strategy. That means:
Wireframing with clarity around what your users actually want
Designing visuals that reflect your unique personality and position
Writing messaging that speaks to your audience not just to algorithms
Building flows that guide users to action, rather than leaving them lost
Creating a brand story that resonates, not just decorates
This is where strategy meets creativity. And it’s how we design websites that do more than look good, they work. Check out this article for more info on conducting a competitive analysis.
Here’s How to Do a Competitive Analysis:
Purpose: Identify strengths, gaps, and opportunities in your industry so you can strategically position your brand and website for differentiation.
1. Competitor Overview
Competitor Name:
Website URL:
Industry/Segment:
Type of Competitor:
(Direct / Indirect / Aspirational)
2. Branding & Visual Identity
What’s the overall visual impression? (Modern, corporate, minimal, playful, etc.)
What colours, fonts, and styles are used consistently?
Does the visual branding reflect their value proposition?
How does their design make you feel? (Professional, trustworthy, creative, etc.)
Is the design aligned across all pages and devices?
3. Messaging & Content Strategy
What’s the main headline or first message you see?
How do they describe what they do in 1-2 sentences?
Who are they speaking to? Is the audience clear?
What tone of voice do they use? (Formal, conversational, friendly, bold?)
Are their benefits clearly communicated or is it all about features?
Do they have blogs, case studies, testimonials, or value-driven content?
4. Navigation & User Experience
Is the site easy to navigate? Why or why not?
How many clicks does it take to reach key information (like services, contact, pricing)?
Are the menu items logical and user-friendly?
Is the site mobile-responsive and fast-loading?
What friction points or confusing areas do you notice?
5. Calls-to-Action & Conversion Strategy
What are the primary CTAs? (Contact, book a call, shop, etc.)
Are CTAs clear and visually prominent?
Do they offer incentives? (Free download, demo, audit, etc.)
How easy is it to take the next step?
Is there a clear sales funnel or lead capture strategy?
6. SEO & Content Positioning
What keywords or topics seem to be targeted?
Are page titles and meta descriptions optimised?
Do they rank well on Google for relevant searches?
Is their blog or content updated regularly?
How are they using headings (H1s, H2s) for structure?
7. Competitive Edge & Gaps
What are they doing really well?
What are they missing or doing poorly?
What opportunities can you capitalise on?
How can your brand show up differently and better?
8. Overall Impression
What kind of experience does this website leave you with?
If you were a customer, would you trust or engage with this brand?
What’s one thing they’re doing that you could do even better?
Looking to understand more about strategy? Read our article on Porter’s five forces and how it can optimise your website strategy.
In a competitive market, differentiation isn’t optional—it’s everything. And you can’t differentiate effectively unless you understand what your competition is doing. Competitive analysis gives you the insight you need to show up with clarity, confidence, and a website that doesn’t just fit in—but stands out.
At Stitch, we’re here to help you uncover what makes your business unique—and then bring that to life online. Because when your website is built on strategy, your brand becomes impossible to ignore.
Do you want to build a website that sets you apart from your competitors? Let us help you to develop a website that leaves impression. Contact us at vic@webstitchdesign.com
