Ask any business owner who their competitors are and they will rattle off two or three names. The cafe across the road. The plumber who advertises on the same Facebook group. They are usually half right. The businesses they worry about most are not always the ones that matter, and the ones that matter are often invisible to them.
MarketBase takes the guesswork out of this. It automatically identifies the businesses competing for your customers based on your location and what you do, then shows you exactly where you stand among them.
In this article
- 1. Why most owners get their competition wrong
- 2. How MarketBase defines your market automatically
- 3. Why market size varies and what that means for you
- 4. What your competitive set can teach you
Why most owners get their competition wrong
The problem works both ways. Some owners think too big, comparing themselves to businesses in other cities that their customers will never consider. Others think too small, fixating on one obvious rival while ignoring the rest of the field.
A Tauranga landscaper worried about a company in Auckland is wasting energy. And an Invercargill cafe owner watching only the shop next door might miss the three cafes two streets over that Google shows to the same customers. Your competition is the set of businesses your customers realistically choose between.
Key point
Your competitors are defined by your customers, not by you. The businesses that show up when your customers search, the ones Google puts side by side with yours. That is your competitive set.
How MarketBase defines your market
MarketBase builds your competitive market from two things: where you are and what you do. A Christchurch hair salon is compared to other hair salons in Christchurch. A Wellington accountant is compared to other Wellington accountants. This happens automatically when your business joins the platform.
You do not need to select competitors manually. MarketBase identifies the businesses in your area and category, then measures all of you against the same yardstick. Your Health Score, your Market Rank, every recommendation you receive is shaped by this competitive context.
Your competition is the set of businesses your customers realistically choose between.
Why market size varies
Not every market is the same size. A plumber in a small South Island town might compete in a market of six. A dentist in central Auckland could be in a market of 40. Both are valid.
Smaller does not mean less competitive. If there are eight electricians in your area and you are ranked 7th, the gap is very real. In a larger market, there is more variation in approach and more room to carve out a distinct position.
What your competitive set can teach you
Once you know who your real competitors are, you can study them with purpose. The businesses ranked above you are a free education. What are they doing with their Google Business Profile that you are not? Do they have more reviews, better photos, a stronger website?
You are not looking to copy anyone. You are looking for patterns. If the top three in your market all have 50+ reviews and you have 12, that tells you where the bar sits.
Picture this
Dave runs a painting business in Dunedin. He assumed his main competitors were the two firms he had bumped into on job sites for years. When he checked MarketBase, his market had 14 painting businesses.
Three ranked well above him, and he had never heard of any of them. They had stronger Google profiles, more reviews, and better websites. Dave did not need more marketing. He needed the right marketing, starting with the gaps those three had already closed.
Most owners are surprised the first time they see their full competitive set. Some discover competitors they never knew existed. Others find the business they worried about most is actually ranked below them. This is useful. It helps you stop reacting to the competitors you notice and start responding to the competitive reality your customers experience.
Start identifying your real rivals
5 minutes today
- Open your MarketBase dashboard and check how many businesses are in your market
- Note your Market Rank and spot the three businesses ranked directly above you
30 minutes this week
- Compare the top-ranked Google profiles in your market to yours
- Identify the one gap between you and your nearest higher-ranked competitor
Ongoing this month
- Track how your rank shifts as you work through MarketBase recommendations
- Revisit your competitive set monthly to spot new entrants or ranking shifts
Where MarketBase fits in
Figuring out who you actually compete with used to mean guesswork and gut feel. MarketBase replaces that with a clear, automatically maintained view of your competitive market.
Your market, your rank, your scores: all measured against the businesses your customers genuinely choose between. No guessing. No national averages. Just the local picture that actually matters to your business.