A Simple Competitor Research Worksheet

1. Decide what you are comparing

Competitor research helps you understand the alternatives a customer considers before buying. Start with one offer and one customer need so the comparison stays useful.

1. Complete this sentence: I want to improve [offer] for [customer group] who need [specific result].
2. Choose three realistic alternatives. For a freelance designer, these could be other providers serving similar clients with a similar scope of work.
3. Set a fair basis for comparison. A design package with revisions and source files is different from one that includes only a finished image.

• Offer I am reviewing: ___
• Customer group and buying need: ___
• Location or sales channel: ___
• Three alternatives customers could choose: ___ / ___ / ___
• Research date: ___

2. Complete one card per competitor

Copy this card for each business. A document works well; Google Sheets makes side-by-side comparisons easier. The spreadsheet stores your findings but does not verify them. Mark missing details as unknown.

• Business name and website or profile link: ___
• Intended customer, based on what the business says: ___
• Main offer and promised customer benefit: ___
• Specific item or package being compared: ___
• Published price, inclusions, and extra charges: ___
• Buying process, from first enquiry to placing an order: ___
• Evidence that could build trust, such as work samples, reviews, or a clear returns policy: ___
• Recurring praise or complaints in the reviews I checked; number of reviews checked: ___
• What I observed: ___ | What I suspect: ___
• Source links and date checked: ___

Start with published offers and buying instructions. Google Maps reviews can surface questions about local services, while Instagram profiles show how a business presents its offer. Reviews are a partial view of customer experience. Followers and likes do not establish sales or profitability.

3. Turn a finding into a one-week test

A missing feature is only useful if customers care about it. Suppose shoppers repeatedly ask when an order will arrive. Showing a clear delivery estimate on the product page gives you a specific improvement to test.

1. Choose one observation from your cards, such as unclear package inclusions across competing services.
2. Check whether your own enquiries reveal the same problem. If the need is uncertain, ask a few customers what information they needed before deciding.
3. Make one focused change: clarify an inclusion, show an extra charge earlier, or simplify an enquiry step.
4. Review comparable periods before and after the change. Record other factors, including promotions and traffic changes, that could affect the result.

• Observation and supporting source: ___
• Evidence that customers care: ___
• Change to test: ___
• Expected benefit: ___
• Measure to track, such as delivery questions alongside total enquiries: ___
• Person responsible and start date: ___
• Result after one week: ___
• Decision: keep / adjust / collect more evidence. Reason: ___

If only a few people encounter the change, extend the test. Keep your conclusion tied to the measure: fewer clarification questions may mean a clearer offer, but they do not prove that sales increased.

Go further with the AI Builders community

For real examples, peer feedback, and discussion, explore the Azerbaijani AI Builders community at https://abcommunity.org/resurslar. Share one finding and the improvement you plan to test, with customer details removed. Give others a focused question to respond to: “What would you need to see before choosing this offer?”