How to analyse competitor traffic sources beyond Google

Executive overview

SEMrush's Traffic Analytics tool reveals where competitors get traffic across all channels — not just organic search. Referral sources, social networks, and top-landing pages expose what's already working in your niche.

Copy what's working for competitors before building from scratch.

Reading the channel overview

• Start in .trends > Traffic Analytics, enter a competitor's domain
• Channel breakdown shows organic, direct, paid, social, and referral as percentages
• High direct traffic signals a site people bookmark and revisit — a brand indicator
• Low email or paid social doesn't mean those channels don't work; it may mean they're untapped in your niche
• Double down on whatever channel dominates for your competitors

Mining referral sources

• Click "View all sources" in the Traffic Journey visualisation
• Referrals tab lists every site sending traffic that isn't a search engine
• These are link targets: guest posts, podcast appearances, PR campaigns
• If a news site sends traffic to a competitor, journalists in your niche already cover it — you can pitch them too
• Multiple competitors sharing the same referral sources is strong signal it's worth pursuing

Using organic social data

• Organic Social tab shows which social networks drive traffic
• A competitor getting significant Reddit traffic is evidence of an active community — join it
• Gaps (e.g., competitor ignoring a platform) can be an opportunity, not just a signal to copy

Diagnosing top pages

• Top Pages report shows where traffic actually lands, not just where it originates
• Reveals the content formats and topics earning referral and social traffic
• A page trending upward is a topic worth covering or monitoring
• 80%+ direct traffic to a single page suggests it has become a bookmarked resource
• Use this to prioritise content creation: if a competitor's local SEO guide is spiking, create a competing resource