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Competitor analysis template excel

Here’s a ready-to-build Excel competitor analysis template you can set up in 15 minutes. I’ve structured this so you can copy-paste these headers directly into Excel and start collecting data immediately.

🚀 Quick Setup (Copy-Paste Ready)

Sheet 1: Competitor Inventory

Purpose: Master database of who you’re tracking

ColumnHeaderData TypeExample Formula/Tip
ACompetitor NameText"Acme Corp"
BThreat LevelDropdownData Validation: High/Medium/Low
CMarket Cap/RevenueCurrencyFormat as currency
DEmployee CountNumberGlassdoor/LinkedIn data
ETarget AudienceText"Enterprise SaaS"
FFounded YearNumberFor age calculation
GLast UpdatedDate=TODAY() when you edit
HWebsiteHyperlinkUse =HYPERLINK("url","text")
IKey DifferentiatorTextTheir main value prop

Excel Pro Tip: Apply Conditional Formatting to Column B (Threat Level) → Red for High, Yellow for Medium, Green for Low.


Sheet 2: Feature Comparison Matrix

Purpose: Visual gap analysis

Create a grid with:

  • Column A: Features/Capabilities (list your product features down rows)
  • Column B (You): Your status (Yes/No/Partial)
  • Columns C+: Competitors (one per column)

Scoring System (Data Validation dropdown):

  • 2 = Fully implemented
  • 1 = Partial/Beta
  • 0 = Missing
  • N/A = Not applicable

Add this formula at the bottom of each competitor column:

=SUM(C2:C20)/COUNTA(C2:C20)

This gives you a Feature Parity Score (0-100%). Conditional format: Red <50%, Yellow 50-80%, Green >80%.


Sheet 3: Pricing Intelligence

Purpose: Price positioning and model comparison

ColumnHeaderNotes
ACompetitorDropdown from Sheet1
BPricing ModelFlat/Usage-based/Tiered/Enterprise only
CEntry PriceLowest public tier
DPro PriceMid-tier
EEnterprise PriceCustom vs. Listed
FPrice per UserCalculated field
GBilling CycleMonthly/Annual discount %
HHidden FeesSetup/Implementation costs
ILast VerifiedDate you checked

Calculation: Add a Price Positioning Chart: Select columns A, C, D, E → Insert → Chart → Scatter Plot. This visualizes where you sit in the pricing landscape.


Sheet 4: Marketing & Messaging Audit

Purpose: Track their go-to-market

SectionFields to Track
MessagingTagline, Value Prop, Tone (Professional/Casual/Technical)
ChannelsSEO (Semrush score), Paid Ads (FB Library), LinkedIn presence, Events
Content StrategyBlog frequency, Gated assets, Case studies count
ReviewsG2/Capterra Rating, Review volume, Common complaints
PartnersIntegration ecosystem, Strategic partners

Scoring: Add a 1-5 rating column for each category, then total score per competitor.


Sheet 5: SWOT Analysis (4-Quadrant View)

Purpose: Strategic insights (one sheet per major competitor, or use filtering)

Columns:

  • A: Category (Strength/Weakness/Opportunity/Threat)
  • B: Factor (What exactly?)
  • C: Impact (High/Med/Low)
  • D: Timeline (Immediate/6mo/1yr)
  • E: Our Response (Action item)

Pivot Table Setup: Create a pivot with Category as rows and Impact as columns to see where threats cluster.


📊 Automation Hacks (Save Hours)

  1. Auto-Update Dates: In Sheet1, Column G, use Data Validation with =TODAY() or a macro that timestamps edits.

  2. Traffic Comparison: Use the IMPORTXML function (if analyzing <100 competitors):

    =IMPORTXML("https://www.similarweb.com/website/[competitor].com","//span[@class='engagementInfo-value']")

    (Note: May need API access for reliable data)

  3. Conditional Alerts: Home → Conditional Formatting → Highlight Cells Rules → Duplicate Values. This catches when competitors copy your features.

  4. Dashboard View: Create a 6th sheet named "Executive Summary" and use =Sheet1!A2 formulas to pull top-line stats into a clean one-pager.

🎯 Data Collection Workflow (Weekly Routine)

Monday Morning (30 mins):

  • Check competitors' pricing pages (use Visualping.io to automate alerts)
  • Update Sheet 3

Wednesday (45 mins):

  • Review their new blog posts/press releases
  • Update Sheet 4 and Sheet 5

Monthly:

  • Refresh feature matrix (Sheet 2) by signing up for their free trials
  • Verify employee counts and funding status in Sheet 1

🔍 Where to Find the Data

  • Pricing: Their website + G2 "Pricing" tabs + BuiltWith (for tech stack)
  • Features: Product demos, YouTube tutorials, API documentation
  • Traffic: SimilarWeb free tier, or Chrome extension "Wappalyzer"
  • Reviews: G2, Capterra, TrustRadius, Reddit threads (r/[industry])
  • Hiring Signals: LinkedIn Jobs (what roles = what strategy?)
  • Tech Stack: BuiltWith, StackShare, or Wappalyzer browser extension

Next Steps to Customize This

To make this actionable for your specific situation, tell me:

  1. What industry are you in? (B2B SaaS, e-commerce, services?) — I can suggest industry-specific metrics to track.
  2. How many competitors are you tracking? (3-5 direct, or 20+ peripheral?) — This changes the template structure.
  3. What’s your primary goal? (Pricing optimization, feature roadmap planning, or messaging differentiation?) — I can weight specific sheets accordingly.
  4. Do you need a " Battlecard" view? (One-page printable summaries for sales teams?)

Want me to build you a specific formula (like an auto-calculated "Threat Score" based on funding + feature parity + price undercutting)? Just paste a few sample data points and I’ll write the Excel logic for you.