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Building CompetitorScope: How I Created a Real Competitor Analysis Tool as a Marketing Professional

Building CompetitorScope: How I Created a Real Competitor Analysis Tool as a Marketing Professional

Jonathon
8 min read
Competitor AnalysisReact DevelopmentClaude CodeMarketing TechnologyTypeScriptViteAPI IntegrationSaaS DevelopmentFirecrawl

Building CompetitorScope: How I Created a Real Competitor Analysis Tool as a Marketing Professional

A Tool Built By a Marketer, For Marketers

If you're an AI marketer who's ever thought "I wish there was a tool that did exactly what I need," this story is for you. I'm not a developer - I'm a marketing professional who got tired of paying $500/month for competitor analysis tools that didn't quite fit my needs.

So I built my own. With zero coding experience and Claude Code as my guide, I created CompetitorScope - a real competitor analysis tool that's now helping businesses track their competition. Here's how it happened.

The Problem I Was Solving

As a marketer, I was frustrated with existing competitor analysis tools:

  • SEMrush and Ahrefs: $100-500/month and overwhelming for basic needs
  • Manual Analysis: Hours spent checking competitors, taking screenshots, copying data
  • Shallow Insights: Most tools just show numbers, not actionable intelligence

I wanted something that would:

  1. Show me real performance data (not estimates)
  2. Extract actual content and SEO elements
  3. Provide AI-powered insights that matter
  4. Cost a fraction of enterprise tools

What Powers CompetitorScope (In Plain English)

When I started building CompetitorScope, I had to learn about different tools and services. Here's what makes it work, explained for fellow marketers:

The Building Blocks

Think of these like the ingredients in a recipe:

  • React & TypeScript: The programming languages that create the interface you see
  • Vite: A tool that makes development faster (like a turbocharged oven)
  • Tailwind CSS: Pre-made design components (like a UI kit for developers)

The Data Sources

These are the APIs that provide the actual competitor intelligence:

  1. Google PageSpeed: Shows how fast websites load (the same data Google uses for rankings)
  2. Firecrawl: Extracts content from websites (like a smart web scraper)
  3. Claude AI: Analyzes the data and provides strategic insights
  4. Chrome UX Report: Real user experience data from actual Chrome browsers
  5. Archive.org: Shows how websites looked in the past
  6. Moz: Provides domain authority and backlink data

Making It Available to Users

  • Vercel: Where the website lives (like web hosting)
  • GitHub: Where the code is stored and versioned
  • Stripe: Handles payments for paid plans

The Development Journey with Claude Code

Starting Point: Zero React Experience

I came into this project knowing marketing and having "vibe coded" some basic scripts, but I'd never built a React app. Here's how Claude Code helped:

1. Project Setup

# Claude Code helped me understand modern tooling
npm create vite@latest competitorscope -- --template react-ts
cd competitorscope
npm install

Claude Code explained why Vite over Create React App, why TypeScript matters, and how to structure a modern React project.

2. Understanding React Components

My first component attempt was messy. Claude Code taught me proper patterns:

// My initial attempt (messy)
function CompetitorInput() {
  let competitors = []
  function addCompetitor(url) {
    competitors.push(url)
    // This doesn't work - React doesn't re-render!
  }
}

// Claude Code's teaching (proper React)
function CompetitorInput() {
  const [competitors, setCompetitors] = useState<string[]>([])
  
  const addCompetitor = (url: string) => {
    setCompetitors(prev => [...prev, url])
  }
  
  // Proper controlled components, event handling, etc.
}

3. Making Multiple Services Work Together

The biggest challenge was getting all these different services to talk to each other. Imagine trying to coordinate between Google, Firecrawl, and Claude AI - each speaks a different "language" and needs data in different formats.

Claude Code helped me understand that instead of calling each service one by one (which would take forever), we could call them all at the same time - like having multiple assistants working in parallel rather than waiting for each to finish.

This parallel approach means CompetitorScope can analyze a competitor in 30 seconds instead of 3 minutes.

Real Technical Challenges I Faced

1. The Claude API Authentication Bug

One of my biggest debugging sessions was fixing Claude AI insights. They weren't showing up in production. After hours of debugging with Claude Code, we discovered:

// WRONG - What I was using
headers: {
  'Authorization': `Bearer ${apiKey}` // This doesn't work with Anthropic!
}

// CORRECT - What Claude API actually needs
headers: {
  'x-api-key': apiKey,
  'anthropic-version': '2023-06-01'
}

This single header issue took days to diagnose but taught me about API authentication patterns.

2. Managing API Costs (The $3,000 Lesson)

Here's something they don't tell you about using APIs: they charge per request. My first month, I almost hit $3,000 in API costs because I was analyzing the same competitors over and over!

Claude Code taught me about "caching" - basically remembering results for an hour so we don't have to pay for the same analysis repeatedly. It's like keeping a notebook of recent competitor checks instead of calling them every time.

This simple change reduced API costs by 80%! Now CompetitorScope can offer affordable pricing because we're smart about when to fetch fresh data versus when to use recent results.

3. When Services Go Down (And They Do!)

Here's a reality check: Google's API goes down. Firecrawl has maintenance. Claude AI hits rate limits. What happens to your tool when the services it depends on fail?

Claude Code taught me to always have a "Plan B." That's why CompetitorScope has Demo Mode - when the real APIs aren't available, it shows example data so users can still explore the tool. It's like having a backup generator for your website.

The Features That Actually Shipped

1. Performance Analysis (Google PageSpeed)

  • Lighthouse scores (Performance, SEO, Accessibility, Best Practices)
  • Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS, FCP, TTFB)
  • Mobile vs Desktop comparison
  • Specific optimization recommendations

2. SEO Intelligence (Firecrawl + Claude AI)

  • Title, meta description, heading extraction
  • Content analysis (word count, readability)
  • Claude AI insights for strategic recommendations
  • Technical SEO checks (robots.txt, sitemap, SSL)

3. Social Media Analysis

  • Automatic extraction of social profiles
  • Platform presence scoring
  • Engagement indicators
  • Competitive opportunities

4. Historical Tracking (Archive.org)

  • Website evolution over time
  • Major redesign detection
  • Content strategy changes

5. Contact Intelligence

  • Email extraction (support, sales, info)
  • Phone number detection
  • Business address parsing
  • Company size indicators

The Business Model That Emerged

CompetitorScope uses a freemium model with real Stripe integration:

Free Tier

  • 10 analyses per month
  • Demo mode (no API keys needed)
  • All core features

Starter ($19/month)

  • 50 analyses
  • Email reports
  • 7-day data retention

Professional ($49/month)

  • 200 analyses
  • API access
  • White-label reports
  • 30-day retention

Business ($99/month)

  • 1000 analyses
  • Bulk tools
  • Custom branding
  • 90-day retention

Real Lessons for Marketers Building Tools

1. Demo Mode is Your Best Friend

The smartest thing I did? Making CompetitorScope work without any setup. Users can try it immediately without API keys. This removed the biggest barrier to adoption - just like offering a free sample in marketing.

2. Write Error Messages Like Marketing Copy

When something goes wrong, don't show "Error 403." Instead, tell users exactly what happened and what to do next. It's like good customer service - be helpful, not technical.

Instead of: "Failed" Better: "We couldn't analyze this competitor because we've hit our hourly limit. Try again in 15 minutes, or upgrade to Pro for unlimited analyses."

3. Speed Matters More Than Features

Users expect instant results. I had to choose between adding more features or making it faster. Speed won. It's like page load time for conversions - every second counts.

4. Protect Your API Keys Like Credit Cards

This was scary to learn - if someone steals your API keys, they can rack up thousands in charges on your account. Claude Code taught me to keep them secret and secure, never visible in the website's code.

Claude Code: My AI Programming Partner

Think of Claude Code as having a senior developer sitting next to you, but one who never gets frustrated when you ask the same question five times. Here's what made it invaluable:

1. The Patient Teacher

When I asked "How do I make a progress bar update?", Claude Code didn't just give me code to copy. It explained:

  • Why React needs special methods to update the screen
  • How to structure the code so it's maintainable
  • What could go wrong and how to prevent it

2. The Debugging Detective

Remember that authentication bug that took days to fix? I was ready to give up. Claude Code helped me:

  • Check each step systematically
  • Read error messages properly (they actually tell you what's wrong!)
  • Test different solutions until we found the right header format

3. The Voice of Experience

Every time I was about to make a rookie mistake, Claude Code would gently suggest a better way:

  • "That will work, but here's why it might cause problems later..."
  • "Consider what happens when a user loses internet connection..."
  • "Let's add error messages that actually help users..."

4. The Confidence Builder

The best part? Claude Code made me feel capable. Instead of "you're doing it wrong," it was always "here's how to make that even better."

Current Status and Future Plans

CompetitorScope is live at competitorscope.com with:

  • Real users analyzing competitors daily
  • All APIs working in production
  • Positive user feedback on the AI insights
  • Growing revenue from paid tiers

What's Next

  1. Competitor Monitoring: Alert when competitors change
  2. Bulk Analysis: Analyze multiple competitors at once
  3. API Webhooks: Let users integrate with their tools
  4. More AI Features: Predictive analytics, content suggestions

Advice for Marketers Who Want to Build

  1. Start Small: My first version just called one API. Build incrementally.
  2. Use TypeScript: Yes, it's harder initially, but it catches so many bugs.
  3. Learn React Properly: Don't just copy-paste. Understand hooks and state.
  4. APIs Cost Money: Plan for this. Implement caching early.
  5. Ship Early: CompetitorScope wasn't perfect when I launched. That's okay.

The Code is Real

Unlike fictional case studies, you can actually:

  • Try CompetitorScope at competitorscope.com
  • See the 180+ test files that ensure it works
  • Use the tool in demo mode without any setup
  • Sign up for a real account with Stripe

Conclusion: You Can Build Too

Six months ago, I couldn't build a React component. Today, CompetitorScope is a real SaaS tool helping real businesses analyze their competition. The difference? Claude Code as my programming partner.

The future of software isn't about replacing developers - it's about empowering domain experts to build solutions. If you understand a problem deeply and have Claude Code to guide you, you can build the solution.

The code is real. The tool is live. The journey continues.

Want to see CompetitorScope in action? Visit competitorscope.com and try the demo mode - no API keys required. Have questions about building your own SaaS tool? I'm always happy to help fellow marketers become builders.

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