The advent of large-scale online learning platforms has the potential to revolutionize the education landscape, fostering intense competition among course providers targeting popular subjects. This study explores the competitive dynamics within a major global learning platform hosting over 250,000 courses across diverse subjects. By analyzing comprehensive data, including course descriptions, ratings, and instructor profiles, we identify key factors influencing course success in attracting enrollments. Our findings indicate that learners prefer courses from well-rated, established instructors, recently updated content, and substantial course lengths that cover advanced topics in depth. Additionally, course titles and headlines play a crucial role, with longer, well-detailed titles attracting more enrollments, while overly casual or adjective-heavy titles deter prospective learners. Interestingly, courses covering a recognized set of topics within a subject area perform better than those that differentiate excessively. This research provides valuable insights for higher education institutions and course providers aiming to optimize their strategies in the burgeoning online education market.