If you work in the energy sector, we’re sure you already know how tempting it is to spend days trying to analyse your competitors from the inside out. Reviewing every page of their website, checking their social profiles, the list goes on. But here is the honest truth. Spending days or weeks doing deep competitive analysis is not always the best use of time, and at a certain point it becomes a distraction rather than strategy.
That does not mean you should ignore your competitors completely. Most companies are leaving small clues in the open that tell you what is working for them, what your audience is responding to, and where you might have an easy win.
This guide shows you how to spy on competitors without losing your focus. Everything covered here is completely ethical, publicly available and we think, really useful. The aim is not to obsess about rivals, but to stay aware of what is happening around you so you can make smarter, faster decisions in your own marketing.
Analyse Their Website and Positioning
A competitor’s website is often the purest reflection of their strategy. Look for:
- How they describe their product
- Who their messaging is aimed at
- The problems and outcomes they focus on
- Their pricing if public
- Their calls to action and user journeys
Useful questions to ask:
- Is the messaging technical or business outcome driven
- Are they positioning to the same audience, or shifting focus
- What differentiators do they lead with
Helpful tools:
- BuiltWith for tech stack
- SimilarWeb for traffic insights
- Wayback Machine to see website changes over time
If a competitor suddenly shifts focus, for example from improving drilling efficiency to reducing emissions, it might signal a move driven by regulation or changing customer priorities.
Reverse Engineer Their SEO Strategy
SEO is one of the easiest areas to analyse because so much is visible from the outside.
Check:
- The keywords they rank for
- Their highest traffic pages
- Changes in content volume or themes
- Their backlink profile
Recommended tools:
- Ahrefs
- Semrush
- Moz
Why this matters:
- If a competitor is suddenly publishing content about hydrogen, digital twins or predictive maintenance, they might be investing in a new category
- If they outrank you on high intent commercial keywords, you have a content opportunity
- If they are building backlinks aggressively, you may need to adjust your own programme
Monitor Their Digital Advertising
One of the quickest ways to understand where a competitor is spending money is to look at their ads.
Platforms like:
- Meta Ad Library
- Google Transparency Centre
- Semrush display research
- LinkedIn competitor insights
Allow you to see:
- What messaging they are pushing
- Who they appear to be targeting
- Whether they are testing new markets
- Seasonal activity
For example, if a competitor who has never advertised suddenly starts running sponsored LinkedIn posts targeting engineering leaders and procurement heads, that is a sign of a strategic push.
Track Their Social Content and Engagement
Social platforms provide real time visibility into what competitors believe is worth talking about.
Look at:
- Frequency of posting
- Topic focus
- Post types
- Engagement trends
- Case studies and announcements
Patterns tell a bigger story than individual posts. For example:
Posting about ESG once is random.
Posting about it weekly is intentional and strategic.
A sudden change in tone or volume can signal a repositioning, a new audience focus or perhaps pressure from the market.
Pay Attention to What Customers Are Saying
Customer feedback about your competitors is often more honest than anything the company publishes themselves.
Look at:
- G2 and Capterra reviews
- Reddit or online industry groups
- Comments under social posts
- Analyst reports
- Event talks or panels
You can uncover:
- Strengths customers appreciate
- Pain points nobody is addressing
- Support or onboarding gaps
- Feature requests
In highly technical sectors, customers tend to be very straightforward, which means their feedback can reveal opportunities fast.
Automate Your Competitive Intelligence
You do not need to manually track everything. Set up simple automation using:
- Google Alerts
- LinkedIn competitor tracking
- Semrush position tracking
- Review monitoring tools
Once set up, these systems will notify you when something actually changes, rather than you needing to dig for it.
Turn Insights Into Strategy
Competitive intelligence is only useful if it leads to action. For any insight, ask:
- What should we start doing
- What should we stop doing
- What opportunities does this create
- How can we respond quickly
- What needs a longer term plan
The goal is not to copy your competitors. It is to understand the wider context you are competing in, and to spot opportunities you can own.
Our Thoughts
In Energy, SaaS and Oil and Gas, the companies that learn fastest usually win. Competitor intelligence helps you:
- Position more clearly
- Improve your messaging
- Spot new category shifts
- Invest in what actually moves the needle
- Avoid being taken by surprise
You do not need deep reports or long analysis sessions. A steady flow of simple insights beats one giant annual deep dive every time.
If you want help setting up ethical, always on competitor tracking that feeds your marketing strategy with real data instead of noise, we can help. Get in touch and we can show you what your competitors are doing right now and where the quick wins are.
