4 Hacks for Stealthy Competitor Analysis

As a Head of Marketing who’s worked 10+ years in my field, I’ve learned (sometimes the hard way) that being a marketer means always having your spy glasses on.

After checking out 300+ companies, here are 4 simple hacks I’ve picked up to stay healthy while doing competitor analysis and market research.

TLDR: 

• The goal: Research competitors stealthily
• The tactic: Use 4 different hacks for gathering competitive intelligence
• The result: Collect info and data about competitors without landing on their radar

Hack 1: Add /thank-you to the URL

Want to download specific content without (a) filling in a contact form and (b) making it obvious that you’re doing a bit of snooping?

Try adding /thank-you to the URL of the content you want to get.

Most of the time (but not always), this will take you straight to the download page, bypassing the need to hand over your contact info.

No sign-up. No form. No trace you were there.

Hack 2: Add /sitemap.xml to the URL

Curious about which pages aren’t publicly listed for a website?

You can add /sitemap.xml to the URL and see all pages listed.

Some companies are less careful than others when it comes to letting search engines crawl and index content. 

Consequently, you’re able to transform a simple sitemap into a treasure trove of information.

Hack 3: Use the Wayback Internet Archive

The Internet Archive is a free platform that takes regular snapshots of websites.

What’s really handy about them is their Wayback Machine. 

You can use it to search or browse old web pages, which allows you to see content that was published on pages that were ultimately axed. This can prove helpful in checking out pages that gave you a ton of redirects.

Hack 4: Use BuiltWith

Most platforms need certain website integrations via APIs, pixels, or code snippets.

BuiltWith lets you find out which marketing software your competitors use, giving you insight into their tech stack and how they use it.

The Result

These marketing hacks have helped me gather clearer intelligence and data about competitors without leaving a trace.

As a result, I’ve been able to:

• Access downloadable content in a resource library without handing over my contact data
• Get the full picture about competitors thanks to uncovering hidden pages
• Gain an understanding of competitors’ previous strategies and any pivots in approach
• Make more informed decisions about popular software tools and their use