How to do Competitor Analysis and Improve Your Online Presence

 

Competitor analysis in digital marketing is a crucial aspect of staying ahead of the competition and understanding how your business stacks up. In today\’s ever-changing digital landscape, it is essential to have a deep understanding of your competitors\’ online presence and strategies.

What are they doing right?

What can you do better?

Competitor analysis is key to understanding your business’s own online presence and the basis for what you need to be focused on to improve your online presence.
To outrank your competitors and stay on top, it is essential to conduct thorough competitor analysis. In this article, we will discuss how to perform an effective competitor analysis in digital marketing.

 

Step 1: Identify Your Competitors

 

The first step in conducting a competitor analysis is to identify your competitors. This involves identifying businesses that are targeting the same audience, selling similar products or services, and competing for the same keywords.  This applies to both digital and non-digital competitors.  There are probably some competitors you hear about from prospects or see around town.  Then there are others that pop up on Facebook or in a Google search.  Something to keep in mind.

Once you have identified your competitors, the next step is to analyze their website\’s content, structure, and backlinks.

 

 

 

Step 2: Analyze Your Competitors\’ Website Content

 

The content on your competitors\’ websites plays a crucial role in their search engine rankings. It is essential to analyze the type of content they are creating, the keywords they are targeting, and the format in which they are presenting their content.  Did they write the copy?  Is it generic or hyper-targeted?  Does it speak to your customers?

To outrank your competitors, you need to create high-quality, keyword-rich content that provides value to your audience. Your content should be better than your competitors in terms of depth, relevance, and quality.

 

Step 3: Analyze Your Competitors\’ Website Structure

 

Website structure is another critical aspect of competitor analysis. You need to analyze your competitors\’ website structure to understand how they are organizing their content and pages.
Analyze the navigation, page layout, and URL structure of your competitors\’ websites. This will help you identify areas where you can improve your website\’s structure to provide a better user experience and improve your search engine rankings.  

How many pages do they have?  Are they repetitive?  Are they attempting to game the system and Google?  This is an important step, especially when reviewing competitors that are beating you out on the Google rankings. 

You will come out of this step feeling one of two ways: 

1.)  Confident that your doing things right, or

2.)  With a list of to-do\’s and website updates to make.

 

Step 4: Analyze Your Competitors\’ Backlinks

 

Backlinks are an essential factor in search engine rankings. Analyze your competitors\’ backlinks to understand their link building strategies.
Identify high-quality, relevant websites linking to your competitors\’ websites. This will help you identify potential link building opportunities for your website.

SEMRush provides a free backlink checker tool.  Check it out here!

 

 

Step 5: Analyze Your Competitors\’ Social Media Presence

 

Social media is another critical aspect of competitor analysis. Analyze your competitors\’ social media presence to understand how they are engaging with their audience and promoting their content.  Social media is tough.  You need a steady stream of posts, high value content, and reactive responses to comments and other engagement.

Identify the social media channels your competitors are using, the type of content they are sharing and whether or not it\’s working (checking likes/shares/comments).  Most business owners don\’t have time for social media, or better yet:  They don\’t have time to do it right.  Even marketing personnel look to bring on a Social Media Specialist or Content Manager to focus specifically on Socials.  So, if you do come across accounts of your competitors that are thriving, make special note.

This will help you identify areas where you can improve your social media strategy and engage with your audience more effectively.

 

To wrap it all up

 

Competitor analysis is an ongoing process that requires continuous monitoring and optimization. By analyzing your competitors\’ website content, structure, backlinks, and social media presence, you can identify areas where you can improve your online presence and outrank your competitors in search engine rankings.

By creating high-quality, keyword-rich content, optimizing your website\’s structure, and building high-quality backlinks, you can improve your search engine rankings and drive more traffic to your website.

At First Call Digital Agency, we can help walk you through these crucial steps, or just take care of the analysis for you!  Our Total Online Presence Audit (or TOPA) does exactly this and more.  Let us dig in deep, uncover your competitors\’ secretes and build a strategy for you to take back control! 

Contact us today for a free conversation about your competitors and business goals.