What does MyBizGrade check?

We analyze your website speed, SEO tags, Google reviews, social media presence, and accessibility. Each area gets its own score and letter grade.

How is the grade calculated?

Each category is scored from 0 to 100 based on real data from your site. The overall grade is a weighted average across all five categories.

Yes, the full audit and grade are completely free. You can upgrade to a Pro report with copy-paste fixes for $39 if you want help improving.

What's in the Pro report?

You get a priority action plan, copy-paste ready fixes for every issue, time estimates, and a downloadable PDF. It tells you exactly what to change and how.

How long does the audit take?

Most audits finish in under 30 seconds. Complex sites with many pages may take up to a minute.

Do you store my data?

We store your audit results so you can revisit your report. We never sell your data or share it with third parties.

How often should I check my grade?

We recommend running a new audit every month. Your online presence changes as you update your site, get new reviews, and post on social media.

MyBizGrade was built by a small team of developers who wanted to make online presence auditing simple and affordable for small businesses.

Competitor Review Analysis: Learn From Their 1-Star Reviews

## Your Competitors' Worst Reviews Are Your Best Marketing Research Every negative review a competitor receives is a gift to you. Customers are telling you exactly what went wrong, what they expected, and what would have made them happy. A competitor review analysis turns complaints into your competitive advantage. Instead of guessing what customers want, you read it in their own words. This guide shows you how to systematically analyze competitor reviews and turn those insights into real business wins. ## Why Competitor Reviews Matter More Than Surveys Customer surveys have a problem. People give polite answers. They say "everything was fine" when it was mediocre. They avoid conflict. Reviews are different. When someone takes time to write a 1-star review, they mean it. The emotion is raw. The details are specific. No marketing team filtered the message. Competitor reviews also give you something surveys never will: insight into businesses you do not run. You see the full picture of what your market expects and where the current players fall short. ## Step 1: Choose Your Competitors Pick 3 to 5 direct competitors. These should be businesses offering similar services in your area. Focus on competitors who: - Show up in Google search results for your main keywords - Appear in the Google Map Pack for your services - Have at least 20 reviews (enough data to spot patterns) Avoid analyzing businesses in different markets or at wildly different price points. The feedback won't translate to your situation. ## Step 2: Collect the Reviews For each competitor, pull reviews from multiple platforms: **Google Reviews:** The most important source. Click on the competitor's Google Business Profile and sort reviews by "Lowest" first. **Yelp:** Yelp reviewers tend to write longer, more detailed feedback. Great for spotting specific complaints. **Facebook:** Check their Facebook page reviews. These often mention the social and emotional aspects of the experience. **Industry-specific sites:** TripAdvisor for restaurants and hotels. Healthgrades for doctors. Avvo for lawyers. Houzz for contractors. Read the 1-star, 2-star, and 3-star reviews. The 3-star reviews are especially useful because they balance praise and criticism. ## Step 3: Categorize the Complaints Create a simple spreadsheet or document with these columns: - Competitor name - Review platform - Date - Star rating - Complaint category - Specific quote As you read through reviews, assign each complaint to a category. Common categories include: **Communication:** Slow to respond, unclear estimates, poor follow-up, hard to reach **Pricing:** Hidden fees, higher than quoted, unclear pricing, felt overcharged **Quality:** Sloppy work, had to redo, not as described, below expectations **Timeliness:** Late appointments, missed deadlines, long wait times **Customer service:** Rude staff, dismissive, did not listen, no empathy **Professionalism:** Messy workspace, unprepared, disorganized After reviewing 20 to 30 negative reviews per competitor, clear patterns emerge. ## Step 4: Identify the Patterns Once your spreadsheet has data, look for themes. Count how many times each complaint category appears across all competitors. Ask yourself: - What is the most common complaint in your market? - Do all competitors share the same weakness? - Are there complaints unique to specific competitors? - What do customers mention as their ideal experience? For example, if 60% of negative reviews across all competitors mention poor communication, you now know communication is the biggest pain point in your market. If one competitor gets praised for quality but slammed for pricing, and another gets praised for affordability but criticized for slow service, you see exactly where each one is vulnerable. ## Step 5: Read the 5-Star Reviews Too Negative reviews show weaknesses. Positive reviews show what customers value most. Scan the 5-star reviews for each competitor. Note the specific qualities customers highlight: - "They showed up on time" (timeliness matters) - "They explained everything clearly" (communication is valued) - "Fair price, no surprises" (transparent pricing wins) - "They went above and beyond" (extra effort gets noticed) The contrast between what earns 5 stars and what triggers 1 star paints a complete picture of customer expectations in your market. ## Step 6: Check How Competitors Respond to Negative Reviews The response (or lack of response) to negative reviews tells you about a competitor's customer service culture. Look for: - **No response at all:** The business ignores criticism. Potential customers see this and worry. - **Defensive responses:** Arguing with reviewers or blaming the customer. This drives people away. - **Template responses:** Generic "We're sorry to hear this" copy-paste replies. Feels impersonal. - **Thoughtful responses:** Specific, empathetic, offering to resolve the issue. This builds trust even from a bad review. If your competitors ignore or mishandle negative reviews, responding thoughtfully to your own reviews becomes a differentiator. ## How to Turn Insights Into Action ### Update Your Marketing Messages Take the top 3 complaints about your competitors and address them directly in your marketing. You don't need to name competitors. You address the pain. If customers complain about hidden fees across your market, put "transparent pricing, no hidden fees" on your homepage and Google Business Profile description. If late arrivals frustrate customers, lead with "on-time arrival guaranteed" in your ads and service pages. Speak directly to the frustrations your market already has. ### Improve Your Operations Some competitor complaints might apply to your business too. Be honest. If customers across the market complain about poor communication, audit your own response times. Set up automated appointment confirmations. Send follow-up messages after every job. Fix the problems your market hates before customers experience them at your business. ### Train Your Team Share the review analysis with your staff. Show them the specific complaints customers write about competitors. Use real quotes (without naming the competitor) in team meetings. "Customers in our market hate when businesses don't call back within 24 hours. Let's make sure we respond same-day." This makes customer service training concrete instead of abstract. ### Ask for Reviews Strategically Once you fix the issues your market cares about, ask happy customers to mention those specific things in their reviews. "If you appreciated our upfront pricing, we'd love for you to mention it in a Google review." This builds a review profile directly countering your competitors' weaknesses. ## A Real Example: How This Works in Practice Imagine you run a house cleaning service. After analyzing 3 competitors, you find: **Competitor A (4.2 stars, 95 reviews):** Common complaints about different cleaners each visit, inconsistent quality, and items moved without permission. **Competitor B (3.8 stars, 140 reviews):** Complaints about cancellations, hard to reach by phone, and pricing increases without notice. **Competitor C (4.5 stars, 60 reviews):** Few complaints, but several mention feeling rushed and not enough attention to detail. Your action plan from this analysis: 1. Assign the same cleaner to each client consistently (addresses Competitor A's weakness) 2. Set up online booking and text confirmations (addresses Competitor B's weakness) 3. Build in buffer time so cleaners never feel rushed (addresses Competitor C's weakness) 4. Market your service as "same cleaner every visit, easy booking, never rushed" You built your entire marketing and operational strategy from competitor reviews. ## How Often to Repeat This Analysis Do a full competitor review analysis every quarter. Markets shift. New competitors appear. Customer expectations evolve. Between full analyses, set up Google Alerts for your competitors' business names. Skim new reviews monthly to catch emerging trends. ## For more on this topic, read [Auto Repair Shop Marketing: Get More Customers Online](/blog/auto-repair-shop-marketing). For more on this topic, read [Gym and Fitness Studio Online Marketing Guide](/blog/gym-fitness-online-marketing).Start With Your Own Reviews Before analyzing competitors, know where you stand. Your own reviews reveal strengths to amplify and weaknesses to address. GradeMyBiz analyzes your review profile alongside your website, Google Business Profile, and online visibility. Get your free score at [https://grademybiz.vercel.app](https://grademybiz.vercel.app) and see how your online reputation stacks up. Your competitors' unhappy customers are looking for a better option. Make sure they find you.