So, you’ve decided to do some SEO campaigning of your own. You’ve chosen a keyword, optimized your page around it, and started building links. But how do you know if all that effort is actually paying off? One great way to track your progress (and areas in need of improvement) is by identifying and improving your website’s weak points. In this post, we’ll walk you through some steps for identifying issues on your site and ways to improve them – so you can continue seeing results from your SEO efforts. Let’s get started!
I know, I know. You’re probably thinking, “Ugh, not another post about competitor research.” But trust me – this is one you don’t want to skip. Especially because we’re discussing the benefits of finding your competitors for search. Yep – that’s right. Knowing who your competition is and what they’re doing can help you take your SEO game up a notch. Keep reading to find out how…
The next step involves some traditional SEO work. But it starts with just doing a basic Google search of your company. We reference Google here because that’s our primary focus. But search for your company, your services, and your location. See what you rank for well. Then search who else ranks for those exact keywords and terms in your area. Create a list of the companies that rank for your focus keywords, then identify a direct, indirect, or substitute competitor. They’re all organic competitors because they came up in your Google search. These steps help you to understand keyword intent better and if you’re targeting the correct terms for your business.
In this step, don’t forget Ads! Ads don’t play into SEO, but it helps you know competitors in that space so you can further look into their business to see if they’re a competitor or not. If they’re paying for an Ad space, there’s a good chance they’re trying to rank for organic terms as well.
The next step beyond the organic results in Google’s top 10 comes from the local map pack. Map packs go beyond the organic SERP listings and show geographically where your competition is located. The local map pack also has organic listings where you can learn and see who outranks you. Then click to see more results with the map. 78% of local search traffic results in a purchase. It’s well worth your time to optimize your local search results if you service a specific area.
Google has one “directory” in Google My Business or Google Business Profiles. But there are dozens of other valuable local directories and business directories that you need to check out as well. Searching these directories can uncover helpful information and competitors that should be on your radar as a business or an SEO provider. Google is a good starting place, but don’t forget the other directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, or Thumbtack, depending on the industry.
Now it’s time to start using some SEO-specific tools. The importance of this step cannot be understated. Tools like Semrush and Spyfu for keyword research help you understand keywords. They help track keyword volume, trends, search terms related to your business and location. Keywords are foundational to your SEO efforts, so it’s important to spend the time learning the keywords best for implementation on your website. Then there are other tools like Ahrefs is another all-in-one SEO tool that helps you learn about your competitors, keywords, backlinks, etc.
These tools crawl thousands and thousands of websites every day and have an expensive database of keyword data. Combining your own research with machine learning from tools like Semrush and Ahrefs helps you find gaps in your competitor research or find new organic competitors that you may not know about.
Another step we haven’t talked much about is social media. Perform another search on social media to see what businesses are mentioned in your specific vertical. Today people search for recommendations online or in community forums. Use social media or social listening tools to see if your customers or target audience are having conversations on these websites. It can also give you a better understanding of how your customers are talking about your industry and the types of products.
While this last step may seem obvious, SEO never stops. The search landscape constantly evolves. These steps aren’t just a one-and-done solution. But you need to do this regularly and watch for any new entrants into the landscape who might try to outrank you and steal your customers. You might need to do this every month or more frequently in highly competitive fields and markets. Less competitive or more rural markets might need to do this less often. There’s no magic number; just make sure you repeat these steps to stay ahead!
With the ever-changing landscape of business, it is important to be on top of your game and keep up with all changes. Think about how different things were five years ago compared to now; there was much less information available online then! Search engines like Google changed their algorithms which made everything shift again—you can’t afford for this type of situation to happen again if you want succeed in today’s world where everyone has such access at any given moment (not just people who are rich or famous).
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