Why an SEO competitor analysis is vital to your success
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is a vital aspect of any business that wants to thrive in the digital world. To truly succeed in SEO (and for that matter digital marketing), it’s crucial to have a deep understanding of your competitors’ businesses. This means taking the time to do an SEO competitor analysis: analyse their websites, content, and overall online presence.
By understanding what your competitors are doing well and where they may be falling short, you can develop a strategy to outrank them in the search engine results (SERPs).
How to do an SEO competitor analysis
One way to begin analysing your competitors’ online performance is to start by identifying their top keywords (and top pages related to these keywords). These are the words and phrases (long tail keywords so to speak) that they are using on their website and in their content that are driving the most traffic to their site. You can use tools like Google’s Keyword Planner, SEMrush (probably my favourite tools for competitor research), Sistrix or CognitiveSEO to find these keywords and see how they are being used on your competitors’ websites.
The next step after you have identified your competitors’ top-ranking keywords is to analyse your competitors’ web pages and content. Are they using these keywords effectively? Are they creating high-quality, informative content that is engaging and relevant to their audience? Are your competitors using images and videos on their product pages to enhance their content and make it more visually appealing? These are all super important factors to consider when analysing your competitors’ online businesses.
Another important aspect to consider when analysing your competitors is their online presence. Are they active on social media? If they are, which online social media platforms are they using and how are they engaging with their audience? Are they using paid advertising (PPC and Paid Social) to drive traffic to their website? Understanding how your competitors are using these social media channels can help you develop a strategy for using them effectively in your own SEO efforts.
Keep a constant eye on your online rivals
In addition to analysing your competitors’ online businesses, it is also important to keep an eye on any changes they make. This could include changes to their website, content, or social media interactions. By staying up-to-date on these changes, you can quickly adapt your own digital marketing strategy to stay ahead of your online rivals.
In conclusion, understanding your competitors’ online business strategy is pivotal to being truly successful at SEO. By analysing their website, content, and online presence, you can develop a strategy to outrank them in the SERPs. Keep an eye on your competitor’s activities to stay updated and then adapt your SEO strategy to stay ahead of your rivals. Remember, at the end of the day, it’s not only about having better online visibility than your online competitors but also about providing better value to your target audience.
Who is Tom Vaughton?
Tom Vaughton, the founder and managing director of Varn, a specialist SEO agency, has been actively engaged in SEO for over two decades. He began his career in the field when Yahoo! was the leading search engine, Alta Vista was a strong contender, and SEO mainly entailed incorporating keywords in meta titles.
Throughout his career, Tom has served both small and large businesses, relishing the constantly evolving nature and competitiveness of SEO. Tom frequently contributes to the Varn blog, offering insights on various SEO topics such as holistic search strategy and industry updates.
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