What DIY actually looks like
The DIY approach means subscribing to tools like Ahrefs, Similarweb, or SEMrush ($100-400/month each), learning how to use them, manually researching your competitors, and synthesizing the data into a plan.
It's not that hard. But it's time-consuming, and the tools aren't cheap.
When DIY makes sense
- You're building marketing as a core competency
- You have time to learn the tools (and want to)
- You'll run this analysis monthly, not just once
- You want maximum control over the research process
When Boost makes sense
- You need a plan now, not after 20 hours of learning Ahrefs
- You don't want to subscribe to $200-400/month in tools for a one-time plan
- You want someone (or something) to tell you what the data means
- You'd rather spend your time executing than researching
The real trade-off
DIY teaches you the skill. Boost gives you the output. If you plan to do competitive research regularly, learning the tools pays for itself. If you need one plan to get moving, Boost is $29 vs $400+ in subscriptions plus a weekend of research.