If you’re in marketing, product, or just nosy about what your competitors use on their websites, tracking their tech stack is gold. But let’s be real: most “dashboard” tools are either way too simple or buried in so many features you forget why you started. This guide is for folks who want to use Whatcms to set up a custom dashboard—and actually get useful, actionable info without drowning in noise.
I’ll walk you through building a dashboard to track which CMS, analytics, chatbots, or other web tech your competitors use, so you can spot trends or react faster. No fluff, no sales pitch, just what works (and what doesn’t).
Step 1: Figure Out What You Actually Want to Track
First mistake people make? Trying to track everything. You don’t need to know if your competitor switched from jQuery 3.3.1 to 3.5.1. Focus on stuff that matters:
- Content Management Systems (CMS): WordPress, Shopify, Drupal, etc.
- E-commerce platforms & plugins: WooCommerce, Magento, etc.
- Analytics: Google Analytics, Hotjar, Mixpanel.
- Marketing tools: HubSpot, Mailchimp, chat widgets.
- Performance tools: CDNs, security plugins, optimizers.
Pro tip: Make a short list (3–5 items) that actually impact your strategy. Don’t get sucked into “just in case” tracking.
Step 2: Get Your Competitor List Ready
You’ll need a list of domains to watch. Don’t overthink it—start with your top 5–10 direct competitors. You can always add more later.
- Where to get them: Google your own brand, check industry directories, dig through LinkedIn, or ask your sales team.
- Keep it simple: Stick to main domains. Subdomains (like blog.example.com) can be added later if you care.
Dump your list into a spreadsheet or a plain text file. You’ll need it in the next step.
Step 3: Sign Up for Whatcms and Get the API Key
Head over to Whatcms and create an account. For anything automated or dashboard-y, you’ll need their API key. Here’s the honest bit:
- Free tier: Okay for hobby use, but you’ll hit limits fast.
- Paid plans: Not cheap if you want to monitor dozens of competitors daily. Decide if that’s worth it for your team.
Once signed up: 1. Log in. 2. Go to your account/settings area. 3. Find “API Key” and copy it somewhere safe.
Don’t share this key in public repos or with anyone you don’t trust. Obvious, but people still do it.
Step 4: Test the API (So You Don’t Waste Time Later)
Before you build a dashboard, make sure you can actually pull data. Open your terminal or Postman and try this:
bash curl "https://whatcms.org/APIEndpoint/Detect?key=YOUR_API_KEY&url=competitor.com"
You should get back a JSON response showing the detected CMS and maybe other tech details.
- If it works: Great.
- If you get errors: Double-check your key and URL formatting. If it still fails, Whatcms support is decent, but don’t expect lightning speed.
Heads-up: Whatcms doesn’t catch every technology. Some stacks are custom or deliberately obfuscated. Don’t panic if a competitor comes up as “Unknown” or “Custom.”
Step 5: Decide Where to Build Your Dashboard
You’ve got options. Here are the main ones, with pros and cons:
1. Google Sheets + Apps Script
- Good for: Non-coders or teams that just want something quick and shareable.
- Pros: Free, easy to update, everyone knows how to use a spreadsheet.
- Cons: API quotas, slow for lots of domains, can be clunky.
2. Custom Web App (Python, Node.js, etc.)
- Good for: Devs or anyone handy with code.
- Pros: Full control, automate everything, prettier dashboards.
- Cons: Takes time to set up, you maintain it, could be overkill.
3. Third-Party Dashboards (Notion, Airtable, etc.)
- Good for: Teams who live in these tools already.
- Pros: Nice UI, some automation possible.
- Cons: You’ll need to glue things together with Zapier or scripts.
Honest opinion: If you just want to see technology snapshots and maybe set up alerts, Google Sheets is enough to start. You can always “upgrade” later.
Step 6: Automate Data Fetching
Let’s use Google Sheets as an example, since it’s accessible.
A. Set Up Your Sheet
- Column A: Competitor Name
- Column B: Domain
- Column C onward: Tech fields (CMS, Analytics, E-commerce, etc.)
B. Add a Script to Pull Data
In your Google Sheet:
- Go to
Extensions
>Apps Script
. - Paste this example script (replace
YOUR_API_KEY
):
javascript function getWhatcmsData(domain) { var apiKey = "YOUR_API_KEY"; var url = "https://whatcms.org/APIEndpoint/Detect?key=" + apiKey + "&url=" + domain; var response = UrlFetchApp.fetch(url); var json = JSON.parse(response.getContentText()); if (json.result.code === 200) { return json.result.cms.name || "Unknown"; } else { return "Error"; } }
- In your sheet, use
=getWhatcmsData(B2)
to pull the CMS for each domain.
Note: This basic function just grabs the CMS. You can expand it to extract other tech, but keep it simple at first.
C. Set Up a Trigger
- In Apps Script, click the clock icon (“Triggers”).
- Set it to run the script daily or weekly.
Watch out: API quotas. Don’t set it to run every hour unless you like being rate-limited or paying extra.
Step 7: Make the Dashboard Actually Useful
Raw data is boring. Highlight changes or trends:
- Color-code new tech: Use conditional formatting to spot when a competitor switches CMS.
- Add notes: Manually jot down when you notice a big change (“Switched to Shopify after May 2024”).
- Charts: Pie charts of CMS market share are cheesy, but a simple “last change date” can be handy.
What to ignore: Don’t obsess over every tiny plugin. Focus on the big stuff, like when someone ditches WordPress for a headless setup.
Step 8: Stay Realistic About What You’ll Get
Here’s what works: - Spotting big moves: CMS changes, new e-commerce platforms, sudden analytics tool swaps. - Regular check-ins: Once a week or month is enough. Daily is overkill unless you’re in a cutthroat industry.
What doesn’t: - Perfect accuracy: Whatcms (and every similar tool) sometimes gets it wrong or misses tech that’s hidden. - Instant alerts: You’ll see changes after they go live, not before.
Step 9: Add (Optional) Bells and Whistles
If you’re feeling ambitious:
- Email alerts: Use scripts to email your team when a major change is detected.
- Expand tracked tech: Customize your script to record analytics tools, e-commerce plugins, etc.
- Integrate with Slack: Zapier or custom scripts can post updates to a channel.
Just don’t waste days building features you’ll never use.
Step 10: Review, Prune, and Iterate
Every quarter or so:
- Review your competitor list: Drop ones that don’t matter, add new ones.
- Prune tracked tech: If you never act on certain data, stop tracking it.
- Iterate: If your sheet gets too messy, consider switching to a real dashboard tool or getting a dev to help.
Wrapping Up
You don’t need a fancy platform to keep tabs on what tech your competitors use—just a focused list, Whatcms, and a simple dashboard. Resist the urge to track everything or make it perfect. Start small, check regularly, and tweak as you go. That’s how you actually get value—without drowning in data or building something nobody looks at.