Knowing what your rivals post, how fast their rating moves, and where they outrank you is the cheapest competitive intel in retail. Here's how to do it without a tool — and where automation actually earns its $25.
The free manual method
- Pick your 3 closest competitors (within 1km).
- Bookmark their Google profiles in a folder called "Watch".
- Every Monday, log a quick note: new posts, new reviews, rating change.
- Photograph their menu / window every 14 days.
What's worth tracking
- Average rating, week over week.
- Number of reviews in the last 30 days.
- Posts published this week.
- New photos added.
- Pricing changes (if visible).
When automation pays off
If you're tracking 3 or more competitors, the manual method takes ~30 minutes a week. At month two, that's two hours you'll skip. Yerly's competitor module does all of the above plus a weekly money-loss estimate.
See Yerly's competitor module →
Frequently asked questions
Can I see a competitor's review reply rate?↓
Yes — manually, by counting their replies vs received reviews. Yerly calculates it automatically.