Most business owners can name their three biggest rivals. Customers see many more. They compare you with the café two streets away, the delivery app on their phone, the brand advertising to them on Instagram and the option of doing nothing. Finding those competitors is the first step of any competitor analysis.
Below are twelve methods, roughly from quickest to most thorough. You do not need all of them. Local businesses get most value from methods 1-4; online brands from 5-9; B2B companies from 9-12.
The FindRivals competitor finder builds pre-filled links for most of these methods from a single description of your business.
1. Search what your customers search
Type the phrases a customer would use, not your company's jargon. "Dentist near me", "CRM for real estate agents", "birthday cake delivery Pune". Record every business in the first two pages, including the ads. Search in a private window so your own history does not personalise results.
2. Check the map pack
For any business with a physical location, Google Maps is the storefront. Search your category from your own address and from two or three other points in your catchment. The businesses that appear in the top three map results take most calls and visits.
3. Read the marketplaces and directories
Customers compare on Amazon, Flipkart, Etsy, Zomato, Booking.com, Practo, Justdial, Yelp and hundreds of vertical platforms. Browse your category, sort by popularity and note the top 20. Marketplaces also reveal price points and review counts in one view.
4. Look at "alternatives" and "vs" searches
Search "[a rival you know] alternatives" and "[rival] vs". Comparison articles, review sites and forum threads list the businesses customers consider side by side. For software, G2 and Capterra alternative pages are especially useful.
5. See who advertises to your customers
The Meta Ad Library, Google Ads Transparency Center and LinkedIn Ad Library are free and public. Search your product keywords and you will see every brand currently paying to reach your audience, including new entrants with no organic presence yet.
6. Use search-overlap tools
SEO tools list the websites that rank for the same keywords as yours. Similarweb's similar-sites view and the free Semrush competitor finder give a quick list for any domain. These competitors may not sell the same product, but they compete for the same attention. Our keyword gap guide explains how to use their keywords.
7. Follow social media and creators
Search your category on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. Creators who review products in your niche mention competitors constantly, often before those competitors appear in search.
8. Mine reviews, including your own
Customers name alternatives in reviews: "better than X", "switched from Y". Search your own reviews and competitors' reviews for comparison words. Review mining also shows what each rival does well and badly.
9. Ask customers directly
Add one question to onboarding, checkout or a feedback form: "What else did you consider before choosing us?" Ask lost prospects who they chose instead. This is the most accurate competitor list you can get, because it comes from the people making the decision.
10. Walk the trade shows and industry lists
B2B competitors often have thin websites and win through relationships. Exhibitor lists, association member directories, award shortlists and procurement portals reveal them.
11. Track funding and launch news
Google News, Crunchbase and Product Hunt surface new entrants early. A competitor who raised money last month will be spending on marketing soon.
12. Ask AI assistants what they recommend
Buyers increasingly ask ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Perplexity "what is the best X for Y?". Ask the same question in several ways and note which businesses are recommended and why. This shows both competitors and how AI systems currently describe your market. Treat the answers as a lead list and verify each name, since AI answers can be outdated.
Sort what you found into four groups
Once you have a long list, classify each business:
- Direct: same offer, same customers, same market. Analyse deeply.
- Indirect: different offer, same need. Track pricing and positioning.
- Substitute: a different way to solve the need, including DIY and doing nothing. Understand why customers pick it.
- Aspirational: a leader to learn from. Borrow ideas, not strategy.
Keep four to eight direct competitors for detailed scoring. The guide on direct vs indirect competitors explains each group with examples.
How often should you repeat this?
Re-run the search every quarter, and immediately after anything that shifts the market: a new mall opening, a platform policy change, a rival's funding round. New competitors rarely announce themselves; they show up first in ads and search results.