In the competitive Australian business landscape, knowing what your customers think is only half the battle. To truly lead your local market, you need to understand exactly why customers are choosing your competitors—and, more importantly, why they are leaving them unhappy.
Monitoring competitor reviews and sentiment allows you to identify gaps in their service, borrow their most successful ideas, and position your business as the superior alternative. Whether you are a plumber in Brisbane or a boutique law firm in Sydney, this data is a goldmine for your marketing strategy.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have the following:- A list of your top 3-5 direct local competitors.
- A Google account.
- Access to a spreadsheet (Google Sheets or Excel) to track your findings.
- Approximately 45 minutes of focused time.
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Step 1: Identify Your Primary Competitors
Don’t just guess who your competitors are based on who is down the street. Open a private/incognito browser window and search for your primary service + your suburb (e.g., "Electrician Chermside"). What you should see: A Google Search Results Page (SERP) with the 'Map Pack' at the top. Note down the top three businesses appearing here, as these are the ones currently winning the most visibility and reviews in your area.Step 2: Set Up a Tracking Spreadsheet
Create a simple spreadsheet to centralise your data. Create columns for:- Competitor Name
- Average Star Rating
- Total Number of Reviews
- Frequency (How many new reviews per month?)
- Common Complaints (Negative Sentiment)
- Common Praise (Positive Sentiment)
Step 3: Analyse Review Velocity
Go to the Google Business Profile of your first competitor and click on their reviews. Sort them by "Newest." What you should see: A list of reviews with dates. Look at how many reviews they have received in the last 90 days. If they are getting five reviews a week and you are getting one a month, they have a higher 'Review Velocity,' which signals to Google that they are more relevant. This tells you how aggressive you need to be with your own review acquisition strategy.Step 4: Identify Negative Sentiment Patterns
Filter the competitor’s reviews to show '1-star' and '2-star' ratings first. Look for recurring themes. Are customers complaining about long wait times, poor communication, or unexpected costs? Pro Tip: In Australia, common pain points often revolve around 'hidden fees' or 'no-shows.' If you notice a competitor is frequently criticised for being late, you can pivot your marketing copy to highlight your "On-Time Guarantee."Step 5: Analyse Positive Sentiment for Value Propositions
Now, filter for '5-star' reviews. What do people love about them? Is it a specific staff member? Is it the ease of their booking system? What you should see: Keywords that appear frequently. Google often highlights these at the top of the review section (e.g., "Professionalism," "Value," "Cleanliness"). If customers consistently praise a competitor’s "detailed quotes," you know that providing high-quality documentation is a standard you must meet or exceed.Step 6: Use Google Alerts for Real-Time Monitoring
To avoid doing this manually every week, set up a Google Alert for your competitors' business names.- Go to Google Alerts.
- Enter the competitor's name in quotes (e.g., "Smith & Sons Plumbing").
- Set the frequency to "As-it-happens" or "Once a day."
- Enter your email address.
While this won't catch every single review, it will alert you to news articles, blog mentions, or forum discussions where that competitor is being talked about.
Step 7: Monitor 'Questions and Answers'
On the competitor's Google Business Profile, look at the "Questions & Answers" section. What you should see: Potential customers asking about pricing, parking, or specific services. If the competitor is slow to answer these, it’s a sign of poor customer service. You can use these questions to inform the FAQ section on your own website, answering the customer's needs before they even have to ask.Step 8: Check Secondary Review Platforms
Depending on your industry, Google isn't the only place people leave feedback. Check:- ProductReview.com.au: Highly influential for Australian retail and service brands.
- Facebook Pages: Look at the "Reviews" or "Mentions" tab on their business page.
- TrueLocal / Yellow Pages: Less active now, but still relevant for older, established trades.
Step 9: Use Sentiment Analysis Tools (Optional)
If you are monitoring a competitor with hundreds of reviews, reading them one by one is inefficient. You can copy and paste review text into free AI tools like ChatGPT or Claude and ask: "Summarise the top 3 strengths and top 3 weaknesses based on these customer reviews."Step 10: Perform a 'Gap Analysis'
Compare your own reviews against the data you’ve collected.- Do they have a feature you lack (e.g., "After-hours service")?
- Are you cheaper but they are perceived as "higher quality"?
- Is their sentiment more emotional (e.g., "They treated me like family") while yours is purely functional?
Step 11: Turn Insights into Action
This is the most critical step. Based on your findings, update your marketing. For example, if a competitor's customers hate their "messy worksites," update your Facebook ads to say: "We leave every home spotless—guaranteed."---
Common Mistakes to Avoid
- Getting Emotional: It’s easy to get frustrated if a competitor has high ratings you feel they don't deserve. Stay objective; the goal is data, not validation.
- Ignoring the Quiet Competitor: Sometimes the business with the fewest reviews is the one with the most loyal, word-of-mouth following. Don't ignore them just because their digital footprint is smaller.
- Fake Reviews: If you notice a competitor has 50 reviews all posted on the same day with no text, they may be buying reviews. Don't copy this tactic; Google’s spam filters are increasingly strict and can lead to profile suspension.
Troubleshooting
Problem: I can't see any recent reviews for my competitor. Solution: Ensure you have sorted by "Newest." If they still have nothing recent, they may have had their reviews disabled by Google due to a policy violation, or they simply aren't asking for them. This is a massive opportunity for you to swoop in and dominate the recent sentiment. Problem: The competitor has several locations and it's confusing. Solution: Focus only on the location that physically competes with yours. Sentiment can vary wildly between different branches of the same franchise based on local management. Problem: A competitor is being 'review bombed' with fake negatives. Solution: Don't use this skewed data for your analysis. Look for the "Verified" or detailed reviews that describe a genuine customer experience to get accurate sentiment.---
Next Steps
Now that you know what the competition is doing, it's time to bolster your own reputation.- Audit your own reviews: Apply the same sentiment analysis to your business.
- Update your USP: Refine your Unique Selling Proposition based on the gaps you found.
- Get Professional Help: If you want a professional deep-dive into your local market positioning, the team at Local Marketing Group can help. Contact us today to discuss a comprehensive local SEO and reputation strategy.