How to Analyze Local Competitors with Claude

An HVAC company in Dallas is ranking #5-7 in the map pack for their primary keywords. They’ve been in business for 15 years. They know their competitors by name — the companies they see at trade shows, the trucks they pass on the highway. But when asked why those competitors outrank them, they don’t have a clear answer.

The businesses ranking #1-3 in Google’s local pack might not be the competitors you think you know. They’re the businesses Google thinks are most relevant for that specific query and location. Understanding what signals those businesses have — and what gaps exist between their profile and yours — is the foundation of competitive local SEO.

Why “Who Are My Competitors” Is the Wrong Starting Question

Business owners identify competitors based on market knowledge: who’s been around longest, who has the biggest trucks, who sponsors the same Little League teams. These are perceived competitors.

SERP competitors are different. They’re the businesses currently ranking for the keywords you care about. For “HVAC repair Dallas,” the top 3 might include a business the owner has never heard of — a company that’s simply optimized their online presence better for that specific query.

The map pack also varies by keyword. The competitors ranking for “HVAC repair Dallas” might differ from those ranking for “AC installation Dallas” or “heating repair Dallas.” A complete competitive analysis examines who’s winning for each target keyword.

The local-competitor-analysis skill identifies SERP competitors using live data, not assumptions about who your competitors should be.

What You’ll Need

LocalSEOSkills installed with LocalSEOData MCP connection configured.

Information needed: your business name and location, 2-3 target keywords representing your primary services.

The Prompt

Run a local competitor analysis for Dallas Climate Control in Dallas, TX
targeting "HVAC repair Dallas" and "AC installation Dallas".
Who is currently in the top 3 for each keyword?
Compare their GBP profiles to ours and give me the specific gaps
and a prioritized action plan to close them.

The prompt identifies your business, specifies target keywords, and requests the comparative analysis with actionable output.

What Claude Pulls and Compares

The dispatch skill routes to local-competitor-analysis + localseodata-tool. Multiple endpoints get called:

  • local_pack for “HVAC repair Dallas” returns the current top 3
  • local_pack for “AC installation Dallas” returns the current top 3
  • business_profile for your business and each unique competitor (up to 7 profiles)
  • competitor_gap for structured comparison across signal categories
  • backlink_gap for authority link comparison

Claude identifies who’s actually ranking, pulls their profile data, and compares signal-by-signal against your profile.

Reading the Competitive Gap Table

MAP PACK COMPOSITION
"HVAC repair Dallas" top 3: Aire Serv Dallas, Comfort Experts, Coolray DFW
"AC installation Dallas" top 3: Aire Serv Dallas, Premier HVAC Solutions, Comfort Experts
Note: Aire Serv Dallas dominates both keywords — analyze first
Your current position: #6 for HVAC repair, #5 for AC installation

SIGNAL COMPARISON TABLE
Signal                  | Your Biz | Aire Serv | Comfort | Coolray | Gap Status
------------------------|----------|-----------|---------|---------|------------
Primary category        | HVAC ✓   | HVAC ✓    | HVAC ✓  | HVAC ✓  | MATCH
Secondary categories    | 1        | 7         | 6       | 5       | LARGE GAP
Total reviews           | 43       | 218       | 167     | 89      | LARGE GAP
Average rating          | 4.6      | 4.8       | 4.7     | 4.5     | MEDIUM
Review response rate    | 14%      | 91%       | 78%     | 45%     | LARGE GAP
Photo count             | 8        | 52        | 38      | 19      | LARGE GAP
GBP completeness        | 61%      | 94%       | 88%     | 79%     | LARGE GAP
Attributes claimed      | 3        | 16        | 12      | 9       | LARGE GAP
Q&A items               | 0        | 12        | 8       | 3       | GAP
Post recency            | 3 months | 4 days    | 2 weeks | 6 weeks | GAP

The table quantifies every gap. You don’t have “fewer reviews” — you have 43 reviews versus Aire Serv’s 218, a 175-review deficit. You don’t respond to reviews less — you respond at 14% versus their 91%.

Quick Wins vs. Medium-Term Gaps

Not all gaps are equal. Some can close today; others take months.

Quick wins (same day, high impact):

  • Secondary categories: Add 6 categories in 15 minutes
  • Attributes: Claim 13 additional attributes in 20 minutes
  • Review responses: Respond to all unanswered reviews (2-3 hours)

Medium-term (30-90 days):

  • Photos: Upload 40+ quality photos
  • Review generation: Campaign to add 100+ reviews
  • GBP completeness: Fill all remaining fields

Long-term competitive moat:

  • Aire Serv has a 175-review lead accumulated over years
  • Their 91% response rate history spans 18+ months
  • Closing this gap takes sustained effort over 6-9 months

The output prioritizes quick wins first because they have immediate impact with low effort.

PRIORITY GAP ANALYSIS

QUICK WINS (today — high impact, low effort)

1. Add 6 secondary categories
   Missing: "Air Conditioning Contractor", "Furnace Repair Service",
   "Heating Contractor", "Air Duct Cleaning Service", "Emergency HVAC Service",
   "Indoor Air Quality Service"
   All three top competitors have 5-7 secondary categories.
   Time: 15 minutes | Impact: Expands query coverage immediately

2. Claim 13 additional GBP attributes
   High-value missing: "24/7 availability", "Emergency service", "Free estimates",
   "Licensed", "Insured", "Veteran-owned", "Background checked"
   Time: 20 minutes | Impact: Trust signals + query matching

3. Respond to all unanswered reviews
   You have 37 unanswered reviews — response rate 14% vs. 91% leader.
   Time: 2-3 hours | Impact: Response rate is an explicit quality signal

4. Add Q&A content
   Competitors have 3-12 Q&A items; you have 0.
   Add 5-10 Q&As answering common customer questions.
   Time: 45 minutes | Impact: Zero-click conversion + keyword relevance

MEDIUM-TERM PRIORITIES (30-90 days)

5. Photo upload campaign
   Target: 50 total photos (currently 8)
   Categories: exterior, interior, team, equipment, work in progress, completed jobs

6. Review generation campaign
   Target: 100 reviews in 90 days
   Current: 43 | Competitor benchmark: 167+ (Comfort Experts)

7. Establish posting schedule
   Target: Weekly GBP posts
   Current: Last post 3 months ago | Competitors post weekly-biweekly

The Action Plan Output

The competitive analysis concludes with a clear action plan:

RECOMMENDED EXECUTION SEQUENCE

Week 1:
- Add 6 secondary categories (day 1)
- Claim all applicable attributes (day 1)
- Respond to all 37 unanswered reviews (day 1-2)
- Add 5 Q&A items (day 2)
- Upload 20 photos (day 3-4)

Weeks 2-4:
- Establish review generation process (post-service requests)
- Begin weekly GBP posting schedule
- Upload remaining photos (target 50 total)

Weeks 5-12:
- Continue review generation (target 15 new reviews/month)
- Maintain posting schedule
- Monitor competitor activity

Week 12:
- Run geogrid scan to measure geographic ranking impact
- Re-run competitor analysis to measure gap closure

Keyword-Level Competitive Variation

The map pack varies by keyword. Competitors dominating “HVAC repair Dallas” might be different from those dominating “AC installation Dallas.”

KEYWORD-LEVEL ANALYSIS

"HVAC repair Dallas"
Top 3: Aire Serv (1), Comfort Experts (2), Coolray DFW (3)
Your position: #6
Gap to close: 3+ positions against Coolray (the weakest of top 3)
Coolray advantage: 46 more reviews, 4 more secondary categories

"AC installation Dallas"
Top 3: Aire Serv (1), Premier HVAC (2), Comfort Experts (3)
Your position: #5
Gap to close: 2+ positions against Comfort Experts (in position 3)
Note: Premier HVAC only appears for installation keywords — different specialty

"heating repair Dallas"
Top 3: Comfort Experts (1), Aire Serv (2), North Texas Heating (3)
Your position: #4
Gap to close: 1 position against North Texas Heating
This is your closest opportunity — smallest gap to top 3

Keyword-level analysis reveals which keywords offer the best opportunity. If you’re #4 for “heating repair Dallas” with a small gap to #3, that keyword might be easier to win than “HVAC repair Dallas” where you’re #6 with a larger gap.

Tracking Competitors Over Time

Competitive position isn’t static. Competitors launch campaigns, add reviews, update profiles. New businesses enter the market.

Set up quarterly competitive monitoring:

Run a competitor analysis for Dallas Climate Control versus the current
HVAC repair Dallas top 3. What has changed since last quarter?

Changes to watch:

  • Competitor review velocity (are they generating faster than you?)
  • New entrants appearing in top 3
  • Category or attribute changes by competitors
  • Your gap metrics improving or worsening

Early detection of competitor moves enables response. If a competitor suddenly gains 50 reviews in a month, you know they’ve launched a generation campaign and can accelerate your own.

Using the Output in Client Reports

The competitive gap analysis is one of the most compelling client-facing deliverables. Clients understand comparison: “You have 43 reviews; your top competitor has 218.” The visual gap table communicates problems intuitively.

For proposals, the analysis demonstrates competence: “We analyzed your competitive position and found these specific gaps.” This beats generic “we’ll improve your SEO” claims.

The client-deliverables skill can format the raw competitive analysis into a polished report:

Format this competitor analysis as a client-facing report with executive
summary, competitive gap visualization, and prioritized recommendations.

The output becomes a document ready for client presentation or proposal inclusion.