Things to do before doing competitor analysis
Before checking the faults of your competitors, you might want to check your own backyard first! Get an analytics software to monitor your own webpage. Scrutinizing the google rankings of another company will just be futile if you dont have a clear picture of your own webpage and SEO strategies! Make sure to take note of the following information:
Number of visits per month
Conversion rate of visit to enquiry
Visits due to non-branded organic search
Keyword density and word count
Number and quality of inbound links
Steps in competitor analysis for effective SEO
1. Choose your competitor
A competitor doesnt automatically equate to the company that performs well in the market. The company you should target is the one that is placed first in the google ranking for your chosen keyword. For example, if youve selected Melbourne house repair as your target keyword phrase, the company that occupies first position in the search results is the opponent you want to beat.
2. Perform basic competitor analysis
Performing SEO competitor analysis is like cooking a dish. You can try out different approaches to cooking, with each company having their own secret ingredient. Sorry, we wont discuss the recipes anymore. The details of each recipe for outranking the competition is quite extensive. You need to at least learn the basic ingredients of your competitors website:
Domain age
Primary calls to action
Total number of pages
Pages indexed
Tracking
Privacy policy and site map
Links to social media accounts
Service area
3. Check the competitors ability to convert visitors
Search engine optimization doesnt only aim to boost your google ranking. You also need to convert visitors into sales, subscription or leads. Take note of how they turn visitors into conversions. Some businesses do a terrific job of being visible to their target market but cant follow through by turning visibility into sales and leads. Ask the following questions when you scrutinize their SEO strategy:
Do they use keywords in their URL?
What is the title tag of their homepage and other main pages?
What is the word length used for the homepage and subpages?
What is the keyword density for each page?
Do they use cross-links? What anchor text do they use?
What is their google ranking?
A matrix that cross-compares essential SEO components among websites is quite useful at this stage. You will be able to see patterns that you can use to your advantage.
4. Put your analysis to good use
Now that your data is already complete, its now time to take action! You can now easily identify what aspect your company needs to work on. Businesses that score high in terms of google ranking always do two things:
They treat SEO as a continuous process.
They market themselves as the most reliable company that offers whatever service or product they have in store.
There are no shortcuts in outranking the competition
If you want your business to thrive for a long time, dont try to fool the search engines into boosting your page rankings. You have to earn the top spot in a clean manner. Utilize the information you get from competitor analysis to steer your ship into the right direction. Set your goals right and make sure that you are able to track your progress.
SEO N.Ireland
