The internet is crowded. Your website does not exist in a space on its own, waiting to be found by your perfect customer. It exists in a crowded space, with many other websites that are competing for exactly those same customers.
How can you set your website apart and be found?
The answer is not just SEO techniques, but SEO strategy. This strategy is the important planning and analysis that should preceed any implementation of any changes to your site. This strategy will focus on your goals for your website and how these goals translate to SEO.
There is an important step in this strategy that should never be overlooked when planning your SEO changes - competitor analysis. It is my belief that any SEO strategy needs to have a considerable focus on the competitive landscape - the results for your business will speak for themselves.
How do you evaluate your competitive landscape for SEO?
1. See how your competitors place
Simply perform searches as a user on search terms that you have identified as important to your business. You will easily find the most prominent online competitors - and may even be surprised to discover a few new ones. Better to know who you are up against in order to better understand how to set yourself apart.
2. See what your competitors are doing well
The search results page itself will shows trends itself. For example,
the top ranked sites will likely have the keyword in their page title. If you look at the first page of search results, and click off to each site, you can get a glimpse of the true competitive landscape. Learn from your competitors and you can level the playing field.
3. See what your competitors are doing poorly
Each competitor site can offer a good list of 'don'ts'. Perhaps a competitor has focused too much on SEO techniques, rather than SEO strategy, and the professionalism of the site has eroded. Always remember that SEO is the first step to get visitors to your site, but once there, they need a reason to stay.
4. Identify the opportunities for your site
Perhaps a known competitor does not appear in the first few pages of results. Perhaps you notice a trend in the SEO techniques of successfully ranked companies.
These scenarios are opportunities for your business.
As in all other areas of business, competitor analysis is exceptionally powerful. Learn from your competitors, and continue to learn about SEO, and you are already on your way.
