AI-Enhanced Competitor Monitor - Strategic Intelligence with Claude AI Analysis

AI-Powered Competitive Intelligence for Local Businesses. Track GBP changes, keyword rankings, Google Ads activity, and social media presence with Claude AI strategic analysis. BYOK (Bring Your Own Key) - Use your Anthropic API key for AI-powered competitive strategy recommendations, market positioning insights, and actionable next steps. v2.0 Features: - AI Strategic Analysis of competitor moves - Local SERP ranking tracking (position + local pack status) - Google Ads detection (discover if competitors are running ads) - Social media profile discovery (Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok) - Keyword ranking comparison between you and competitors Core Features: - GBP profile monitoring (reviews, ratings, photos, posts) - Change detection with importance scoring (low/medium/high) - AI-generated strategic recommendations based on competitor activity - Compare your business vs competitors side-by-side - Webhook alerts for important changes - Historical change tracking via dataset comparison AI Analysis Features: - Competitive strategy recommendations - Market positioning insights - Threat assessment with priority ranking - Opportunity identification - Actionable next steps. Built by John Rippy (https://www.linkedin.com/in/johnrippy/ | https://johnrippy.link/).

Features

Core Competitor Tracking

• Multi-Competitor Tracking - Monitor up to 20 competitors
• Review Monitoring - New reviews, rating changes, response patterns
• Post Tracking - GBP post frequency and content themes
• Profile Change Detection - Hours, photos, descriptions, categories
• Comparison Dashboard - Your business vs competitors
• Smart Alerts - Get notified of significant changes

v2.0 Enhanced Features

• Keyword Rankings - Track local SERP positions for target keywords
• Google Ads Detection - Discover if competitors are running ads
• Social Media Discovery - Find competitor profiles on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Twitter, YouTube, TikTok

AI Analysis (BYOK - Bring Your Own Key)

Provide your Anthropic API key to unlock Claude AI-powered features:

• Strategic Summary - AI analyzes all competitor data and provides actionable insights
• Threat Assessment - Prioritized list of competitive threats to address
• Opportunity Identification - Market opportunities based on competitor gaps
• Recommended Actions - Specific next steps ranked by impact
• Competition Score - 0-100 overall competitive position rating

Quick Start

{
  "input": "your input here"
}

Demo Mode

Set demoMode: true to test with sample data (no charges). When you're ready for real results, set demoMode: false or omit it.

{
  "demoMode": true,
  ...
}

Input Parameters

Parameter	Required	Description
yourBusiness	No	Your business info for comparison
competitors	Yes	Array of competitors (name + placeId/searchQuery)
previousRunId	No	Previous dataset ID for change detection
trackReviews	No	Monitor reviews (default: true)
trackPosts	No	Monitor GBP posts (default: true)
trackPhotos	No	Monitor photos (default: true)
trackProfileChanges	No	Monitor profile updates (default: true)
trackRankings	No	Monitor keyword rankings (default: false)
targetKeywords	No	Keywords to track rankings for
targetLocation	No	Location for ranking tracking
detectGoogleAds	No	Check for competitor Google Ads (default: false)
trackSocialMedia	No	Find social media profiles (default: false)
webhookUrl	No	URL for alert notifications
alertThreshold	No	Minimum importance for alerts (all/medium/high)
anthropicApiKey	No	Your Anthropic API key for AI features
enableAiAnalysis	No	Enable/disable AI analysis (default: true)
demoMode	No	Return sample data without scraping

Output Format

Standard Output (Per Competitor)

{
  "competitor": "Bob's Plumbing",
  "placeId": "ChIJ...",
  "monitorDate": "2024-12-26T00:00:00.000Z",
  "currentState": {
    "rating": 4.5,
    "reviewCount": 156,
    "photoCount": 42,
    "lastPost": "2024-12-25",
    "category": "Plumber",
    "website": "https://bobsplumbing.com"
  },
  "rankings": {
    "plumber dallas": { "position": 3, "inLocalPack": true },
    "emergency plumber": { "position": 7, "inLocalPack": false }
  },
  "googleAds": {
    "detected": true,
    "adCopy": "24/7 Emergency Plumbing - Call Now!"
  },
  "socialProfiles": {
    "facebook": "https://facebook.com/bobsplumbing",
    "instagram": "https://instagram.com/bobsplumbing"
  },
  "changes": [
    {
      "type": "new_review",
      "importance": "medium",
      "details": {
        "rating": 5,
        "snippet": "Great service, highly recommend!"
      }
    }
  ],
  "comparison": {
    "ratingDiff": -0.2,
    "reviewCountDiff": 14,
    "advantage": "You have more photos, they have more reviews"
  }
}

AI Strategic Analysis Output

When AI analysis is enabled, a separate dataset item is pushed:

{
  "type": "ai_strategic_analysis",
  "overallScore": 72,
  "strategicSummary": "Your competitive position is moderately strong. Key threats include Bob's Plumbing's aggressive review acquisition and Quick Fix's Google Ads presence. Opportunities exist in social media engagement and emergency service positioning.",
  "threats": [
    {
      "competitor": "Bob's Plumbing",
      "threat": "Gaining reviews 3x faster than you",
      "priority": "high",
      "recommendation": "Implement post-service review request automation"
    },
    {
      "competitor": "Quick Fix Plumbers",
      "threat": "Running Google Ads on your brand keywords",
      "priority": "medium",
      "recommendation": "Consider defensive brand bidding or SEO optimization"
    }
  ],
  "opportunities": [
    {
      "area": "Social Media",
      "insight": "Competitors have minimal Instagram presence",
      "action": "Establish Instagram with before/after project photos"
    },
    {
      "area": "Emergency Services",
      "insight": "No competitor ranks for '24 hour plumber'",
      "action": "Create dedicated landing page for emergency services"
    }
  ],
  "recommendedActions": [
    "Set up automated review request system (high impact)",
    "Create Instagram business profile with project portfolio",
    "Optimize for 'emergency plumber' and '24 hour plumber' keywords",
    "Add more service area photos to GBP profile"
  ],
  "analyzedAt": "2024-12-26T12:00:00.000Z",
  "competitorsAnalyzed": 5
}

Pricing

This actor uses pay-per-event billing: This actor uses pay-per-event pricing:

Event	Description	Price
apify-actor-start	Base cost per run	$0.10
competitor_analyzed	Per competitor monitored	$0.03
review_analyzed	Per review analyzed	$0.02
AI Analysis	Uses your own Anthropic API key	$0.00

Example costs:

• 5 competitors basic: $0.10 + (5 × $0.03) = $0.25
• 10 competitors with reviews + AI: $0.10 + (10 × $0.03) + (10 × $0.02) = $0.60 + your Anthropic API usage

Use Cases

1. Local SEO Agencies - Monitor client competitors at scale
2. Multi-Location Businesses - Track competitors in each market
3. Franchise Operations - Competitive intelligence across territories
4. Strategy Planning - Data-driven competitive positioning

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Common Problems & Solutions

"Invalid API key" error

Cause: Your API key is wrong, expired, or doesn't have the right permissions. Fix: Double-check your API key. Make sure you copied it exactly without extra spaces.

"Rate limit exceeded" error

Cause: You've hit the API's rate limits. Fix: Wait a few minutes, then try again. Consider reducing the number of concurrent requests.

Empty or incomplete results

Cause: The target may have anti-scraping protection or the data doesn't exist. Fix:

• Check if the URL/search query is correct
• Try with different parameters
• Some sites may block automated access

Demo data showing instead of real results

Cause: demoMode is still set to true. Fix: Set demoMode: false and provide your API key(s).

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Built by John Rippy | Actor Arsenal