Competitor Monitor & Alert
Keep eyes on competitors 24/7. Get notified when they make moves.
🎯 What This Skill Does
| Capability | Description |
|---|
| Website Monitoring | Track changes to competitor sites |
| Price Tracking | Alert on pricing changes |
| Content Alerts | New blog posts, landing pages |
| Ad Monitoring | New campaigns, creative changes |
| Social Watching | Posts, engagement spikes |
1. What to Monitor
Website Changes
| Element | Why Monitor |
|---|
| Homepage | Messaging, positioning shifts |
| Pricing page | Price changes, new plans |
| New pages | New products, features |
| Job postings | Growth areas, priorities |
| Blog | Content strategy |
Marketing Activity
| Activity | Signal |
|---|
| New ads | Campaign launches |
| Email campaigns | Promotions, sequences |
| Social posts | Content focus |
| PR/News | Announcements |
| Reviews | Customer sentiment |
2. Free Monitoring Tools
Website Change Detection
| Tool | Use Case | Cost |
|---|
| Visualping | Visual website changes | Free tier |
| ChangeTower | Website monitoring | Free tier |
| Wachete | Price tracking | Free tier |
| Web Archive | Historical snapshots | Free |
Content & SEO
| Tool | Use Case | Cost |
|---|
| Google Alerts | News/mentions | Free |
| Talkwalker Alerts | Better Google Alerts | Free |
| Feedly | Blog monitoring | Free tier |
| Semrush Position Tracking | Ranking changes | Paid |
Social Media
| Tool | Use Case | Cost |
|---|
| TweetDeck | Twitter monitoring | Free |
| Social Blade | Growth tracking | Free |
| NotJustAnalytics | Instagram tracking | Free tier |
3. Google Alerts Setup
Essential Alerts
| Alert Query | Purpose |
|---|
| "Competitor Name" | Brand mentions |
| site:competitor.com | New indexed pages |
| "Competitor" + "partnership" | Strategic moves |
| "Competitor" + "funding" | Investment news |
| "Competitor" + "launch" | Product releases |
Pro Tips
| Setting | Recommendation |
|---|
| How often | As it happens |
| Sources | All (or specific) |
| Language | Your markets |
| Region | Your markets |
| Delivery | Email or RSS |
4. Price Monitoring
What to Track
| Data Point | Why |
|---|
| Base prices | Competitive positioning |
| Discounts | Promotion timing |
| New plans | Market approach |
| Feature changes | Value adds/removes |
| Free trial length | Sales tactics |
DIY Price Tracking
1. Screenshot competitor pricing monthly
2. Create comparison spreadsheet
3. Note any changes with dates
4. Analyze patterns (seasonal, events)
5. Set up Visualping on pricing page
5. Ad Monitoring
Weekly Ad Check Routine
| Platform | Action |
|---|
| Meta Ad Library | Check for new/stopped ads |
| Google Transparency | Review search ads |
| TikTok Library | Scan video ads |
| SpyFu/Semrush | Keyword changes |
What to Track
| Element | Log |
|---|
| New creatives | Screenshot + date |
| Running duration | Start/end dates |
| Copy changes | Before/after |
| Landing pages | URL + screenshot |
| Offers | Discounts, CTAs |
6. Social Media Monitoring
Track These Metrics
| Metric | Frequency |
|---|
| Follower growth | Weekly |
| Post frequency | Weekly |
| Engagement rate | Weekly |
| Top posts | Monthly |
| Campaign hashtags | Ongoing |
Tools for Social Tracking
| Need | Tool |
|---|
| Follower counts | Social Blade |
| Engagement | Socialbakers free |
| Hashtags | Brand24 free tier |
| Mentions | Mention free tier |
7. Automated Alert System
Simple Setup with Free Tools
Level 1: Google Alerts (mentions)
↓
Level 2: Visualping (website changes)
↓
Level 3: Feedly (content monitoring)
↓
Level 4: Weekly manual checks (ads, social)
Zapier/Make Automation
| Trigger | Action |
|---|
| New RSS item (blog) | Slack notification |
| Google Alert | Save to spreadsheet |
| New tweet from @competitor | Email alert |
| Website change | Team notification |
8. Competitor Dashboard
Weekly Tracking Template
| Metric | Competitor A | Competitor B | Us |
|---|
| Website changes | | | |
| New blog posts | | | |
| Social posts | | | |
| New ads | | | |
| Price changes | | | |
| News/PR | | | |
Monthly Report Template
# Competitive Intelligence Report - [Month]
## TL;DR
- Key moves by competitors
- Opportunities identified
- Threats to address
## Website Changes
| Competitor | Change | Impact |
## Marketing Campaigns
| Competitor | Campaign | Creative Approach |
## Pricing Updates
| Competitor | Old | New | Analysis |
## Content Published
| Competitor | Top Content | Engagement |
## Recommendations
- React to:
- Opportunity to:
- Prepare for:
9. Response Playbook
When Competitor Makes a Move
| Move | Response Options |
|---|
| Price cut | Match, differentiate, or ignore |
| New feature | Evaluate priority, develop or counter-position |
| Big campaign | Monitor performance, learn from creative |
| PR win | Create own news angle |
| New market | Assess if follow or defend |
Decision Framework
1. What did they do?
2. Why did they do it?
3. Does this affect us?
4. Should we respond?
5. If yes, how and when?
6. If no, document and monitor
Remember: Monitoring is about being informed, not reactive. Use intelligence to make better strategic decisions, not to copy every move.