Understanding Competitor Analysis
Checking out what your competitors are doing online is a must for any bang-up SEO game plan. It helps us get the skinny on their tactics so we can step up our own game.
Why Bother Scoping Out Competitors?
We’re looking to peel back the curtains on what others are up to in our field. Some are selling the same stuff to the same folks, while others offer different things but still scratch the same itch as us. By figuring this out, we can find places to wiggle our way into and shine.
When we put on our detective hats, we can:
- Get Hip to the Scene: We spot trends, how people are behaving, and what’s the norm out there. It’s like getting a cheat sheet on how to stand out with what we offer. Think of it like Netguru who says this kind of digging helps us up our uniqueness game.
- Spot Where We Can Up Our Ante: By seeing what the competition is dishing out, we can tinker with our own lineup to make it better and sharper.
- Learn from Their Goofs: Eyeball what folks are bellyaching about in reviews and feedback on their pages. That way, we sidestep their blunders and punch up our own offerings.
- Find Gaps to Fill: Keep tabs on every move they make, and we might just find a gap to jump into.
How It Pumps Up Our SEO Game
Peeking over at what the others are cooking up gives us a bunch of SEO perks, helping to pop our site up higher on those Google search result lists.
- Snoop on Keywords: Eyeballing what keywords they’re knocking out of the park shows us where we’re standing. Use gizmos like Ahrefs and Semrush to zero in on keywords that they’re gunning for.
- Link Up Tactics: Links are like popularity votes for our website. See where the competition is getting their votes and maybe grab a slice of that pie for ourselves. Check out our bit on competitor backlink analysis to understand this better.
- Sniff Out Content Goldmines: Competitor analysis can reveal content opportunities that others overlooked. It’s like discovering treasure, allowing us to pull in more eyeballs our way.
- User Experience (UX) Gold Nuggets: As per Netguru, taking a gander at the UX of rivals lets us see the hits and misses, helping us improve our own user experience with some extra flair. Dive into it more in our section on competitor analysis in digital marketing.
These bits and pieces help us tighten up our SEO act, giving us a fighting chance to shoot up the ranks. To get the full scoop on how to snoop effectively, hit up our competitor analysis checklist.
| Competitor Analysis Perks | SEO Boosts |
|---|---|
| Getting the Lay of the Land | Better Targeting |
| Finding Opportunities | Stronger Content |
| Learning from Flubs | Fewer SEO Slip-ups |
| Spotting Market Openings | Fresh Content To Explore |
By weaving competitor analysis into our SEO game plan, we’re set to grab that competitive edge in the wild online space. For more juicy details, check out our pages on seo competitor research and competitor analysis strategy.
Tools for Competitor Analysis
In the SEO game, knowing what the other guys are up to can give you a goldmine of hints and tips. Having the right gear makes snooping on competitor websites a breeze. Let’s chat about three big players: Ahrefs, Semrush, and Google Keyword Planner.
Ahrefs and Its Features
Ahrefs? Think of it as a detective for backlinks. This powerhouse has a crazy large stash of backlinks with 30.3 trillion links, 262.7 billion pages, and 208 million unique sites (Loganix). It pokes around 5.76 billion pages every day and updates its stash every 15 minutes.
Cool stuff Ahrefs can do:
- Site Explorer: Lets us peek at anyone’s backlink story and traffic.
- Keyword Explorer: Finds keyword gems and checks how tough they are to rank for.
- Content Explorer: Shows us what’s hot on the web based on shares and clicks.
- Rank Tracker: Keeps tabs on our keywords’ dance moves over time.
- Site Audit: Spots troubles in our site’s SEO and gives solutions.
Craving more on Ahrefs? Peek at our competitor analysis tools for seo.
Semrush for Keyword Research
Semrush is like a Swiss Army knife for keywords and rival analysis. It spills the beans on what keywords others are ranking for and how many folks are searching for them. With Semrush, we can fine-tune our keyword game by seeing what our rivals are playing with (HubSpot).
Semrush tricks up its sleeve include:
- Keyword Overview: Serves up info on search volume, keyword toughness, price-per-click, and more.
- Organic Research: Shows us the keywords our competition is banking on.
- Keyword Magic Tool: Whips up big lists of keywords from a single idea.
- Position Tracking: Watches how our keyword positions jiggle daily.
- SEO Content Template: Suggests ways to spruce up content by eyeing top pages for a keyword.
Squeeze more out of Semrush with competitor keyword analysis.
Google Keyword Planner Overview
Google Keyword Planner’s the freebie from Google Ads for digging up new keywords and checking their numbers. Great for spotting keyword trends and volumes.
Google Keyword Planner goodies:
- Discover New Keywords: Points out keywords that play nice with ours.
- Get Search Volume and Forecasts: Gives us the lowdown on searches, competitor heat, and ad costs.
- Plan Your Budget and Strategy: Helps figure out ad costs for keywords.
| Tool | Main Use | Key Things It Does | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ahrefs | Checking backlinks, SEO digging | Site Explorer, Keyword Explorer, Site Audit | Paid |
| Semrush | Keyword snooping, competitor insights | Organic Research, Keyword Magic Tool | Paid |
| Google Keyword Planner | Keyword hunting, search volumes | New Keywords, Volume Stats | Free or Ad Cost |
With these tools in hand, we can outsmart our competition and tweak our game plan like pros. Drop by our guide on how to do competitor analysis for seo for more insights on making sense of all this.
Backlink Analysis
Understanding backlinks is our secret weapon when checking out what the competition’s up to. Let’s dig into why backlinks are a big deal and the best ways to decode those referring domains.
Why Backlinks Matter
Backlinks are kinda like high-fives from one website to another. They’re super important for boosting SEO and making Google happy. Sites sitting pretty at the top of search results usually have a ton more high-fives—or backlinks—compared to those lagging behind. In fact, the top champs boast 3.8 times more backlinks! (Loganix).
But hold up, it ain’t just the number of backlinks that matters. Google’s also checking out where these links are coming from. Quality over quantity, folks! A site’s backstory is graded using Ahrefs’ Domain Rating (DR), which sizes up both the link count and the value of those sources (Loganix).
| Metric | Details | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Average Backlinks for Top Sites | 3.8 times more than 2nd-10th spots | Loganix |
| Ahrefs’ Link Hoard | 30.3 trillion links collected | Loganix |
| Lots of Pages Indexed | 262.7 billion | Loganix |
| Unique Domains We’re Watching | 208 million | Loganix |
| Pages Crawled Daily | 5.76 billion | Loganix |
Using this backlink data smartly can turbocharge our competitor analysis strategy and give our SEO game a serious boost.
Dissecting Referring Domains
Breaking down a backlink profile means diving into the websites that link back to us. Those high-authority and relevant links can totally elevate our search rankings.
Tools like Ahrefs let us zero in on where these magic links are coming from. Knowing this helps us keep pace or even race past competitor strategies. Ahrefs has a stash of over 30.3 trillion known links and 208 million unique domains (Loganix).
These tools spill the beans on metrics like Domain Rating (DR), backlink numbers, and the pixel-party context of links. This info lets us judge the worthiness of our links and pick out places where we can build even more.
Internal links to amp up our backlink approach:
By zoning in on top-notch backlinks and getting the scoop on referring domains, we can outshine the competition on search engines, tightening up our entire SEO strategy.
Keyword Research Strategy
When scoping out the competition, keyword research is the secret sauce for giving ’em a run for their money. We zero in on finding the keywords our opponents use and perform keyword gap analysis to beef up our SEO game plan.
Identifying Competitor Keywords
Competitor keywords are the hot phrases that drive your rivals up the Google rankings. For example, in a head-to-head with 1-800-Flowers.com, “flower delivery” is a must-watch keyword (Semrush). Sizing up these keywords gives us a peek into how they get traffic, helping us sharpen our content strategy.
Lucky for us, a bunch of tools are available to sniff out these keywords:
- Ahrefs
- Semrush
- Google Keyword Planner
- SpyFu
- SE Ranking
- Rank Tracker by SEO PowerSuite
These tools hand out the golden ticket to understanding what makes our competitors tick, fueling our competitor keyword analysis tactics.
| Tool | Features You Don’t Want to Miss |
|---|---|
| Ahrefs | Deep dives into competitor keywords and rankings |
| Semrush | Check out the Keyword Gap tool |
| Google Keyword Planner | Points to competitor keywords you might’ve missed |
| SpyFu | Keeps a tab on rival keywords |
| SE Ranking | Spots competitor keywords and tracks the race |
| Rank Tracker by SEO PowerSuite | Keeps an eye on both keywords and foes |
For step-by-step help on these tools, hop over to our page on competitor analysis tools for SEO.
Utilizing Keyword Gap Analysis
Keyword gap analysis is all about catching those golden keywords that our rivals snatched before us. That’s where opportunities blossom for us to nab some traffic with the right content.
The Semrush Keyword Gap tool is the MVP here. It lets us pit our Google standings against a bunch of competitors’ to uncover sweet keyword chances (Semrush). This means spotting “Missing” keywords our rivals rank for that we don’t, and celebrating “Strong” keywords where we outshine them.
| Keyword Type | What’s the Deal? |
|---|---|
| Missing | Rivals rank, and we’re snoozing |
| Strong | We’re ahead in the race |
Tapping into keyword gap analysis tools like Ahrefs, Semrush, SpyFu, and SE Ranking, we’re able to map out the specific keywords our competition targets that we’ve bypassed. These insights help us craft content to plug those holes and elevate our search performance.
Need more lessons on this? Check out our guides on seo competitor research and how to do competitor analysis for seo.
By figuring out competitor keywords and using keyword gap analysis smartly, we pump up our SEO strategy, outwit the competition, and bump up those search rankings. For more strategies, peek at our guide on seo competitive analysis techniques.
User Experience Analysis
Why It Matters in the Market
When it comes to digital marketing and SEO, User Experience (UX) is kind of a big deal. It’s what sets your website apart, keeps users happy, and ramps up engagement. Figuring out what your competitors are up to is a big part of UX design because it helps us see the bigger picture and spot what users might be looking for but can’t find yet. Here’s what a good grasp on UX can do:
- Make your products or services stand out.
- Craft one-of-a-kind experiences for users.
- Find spots where things could be better or new ideas could shine.
Your main competition sells the same stuff you do, while others might sell different things but solve the same user’s problem. Knowing about both types of competitors gives a full picture and helps deliver a better user experience.
Using UX to Get Ahead
Smart UX analysis isn’t just about keeping up; it’s about getting ahead. Here’s how we make it work for us:
Check Out the Competition
Taking a close look at what competitors offer can show us what’s tripping them up and where we can do things better. This insight lets us create new solutions that heighten user satisfaction and make our product stand out.
Learn from Their Mistakes
Peeking at customer feedback and reviews of the competition can highlight what they’re doing wrong. With this info, we can dodge those mistakes and better our own products based on what we learn.
Keep an Eye on Market Shifts
Keeping tabs on market trends and changes is crucial. This helps inform tweaks in design that boost user experience. Staying informed about market shifts and user wants helps create a solid product strategy.
| Competitor | User Issues | Fix-It Ideas |
|---|---|---|
| Competitor A | Takes ages to load, tough navigation | Speed things up, make navigation easy |
| Competitor B | Poor mobile scenes, ancient designs | Mobile-friendly, fresh designs |
| Competitor C | Missing clear ‘do this’ buttons, info hard to find | Clearer actions, better info layout |
Understanding these points helps to supercharge UX, directly bumping up SEO outcomes. Better UX cuts bounce rates and boosts the time people spend on a site, which is great for search rankings.
For those eager to explore more on competitor tactics, dive into our pieces on competitor keyword analysis and competitor analysis tools for SEO. Want a playbook? We’ve got a competitor analysis checklist for you too.
By doubling down on user experience and milking insights from competitor analysis, we can not just meet but blow past user expectations, crafting a product that doesn’t just sit in the market but steals the spotlight.
Website Traffic Benchmarking
Taking stock of website traffic is key when checking out how we stack up against the competition. Looking at traffic metrics side-by-side with our rivals shows us how well we’re doing and where we can up our game.
Understanding Website Traffic Metrics
When it comes to figuring out where our site stands, it’s all about comparing the numbers. Here’s what we need to keep an eye on:
- Total Traffic: How many folks pop by during a certain time frame.
- Page Views: The number of pages they check out.
- Bounce Rate: The percentage of people who hit the road after peeping just one page.
- Average Session Duration: How long a visitor hangs out on the site.
- Audience Demographics: Details about where our visitors are coming from, their age, and more.
These metrics are the bread and butter for spotting where we can tweak things and make our SEO shine brighter. Curious about diving deeper into SEO competitor analysis? Check out our article on how to do competitor analysis for SEO.
| Metric | Description |
|---|---|
| Total Traffic | Overall headcount of visitors |
| Page Views | How many pages have been eyeballed |
| Bounce Rate | Folks bouncing off after one page |
| Average Session Duration | Time users linger on our site |
| Audience Demographics | Data about our visitors |
Tools for Website Traffic Comparison
We’ve got a slew of tools that help us see how our online doorstep measures up. These insights guide everything from marketing plans to what we put out there on our site:
- Google Analytics: Loads of data telling us about who’s visiting, what they’re doing, and if they’re converting.
- Similarweb: Peek into the venues drawing our competition’s crowd, along with juicy details about who’s visiting them.
- Ahrefs: While all about SEO, it’s also cracking open competitive traffic patterns and providing clues about who’s linking back to whom and how keywords are fairing.
With these tools in hand, we’re well equipped to pop the hood on our performance, beef up our SEO tactics, and keep kicking ahead in this fast-paced online race.
Want to explore more? Scoop up some wisdom from our other reads on competitor analysis strategy and competitor analysis checklist. Balancing the right mix of tools and metrics keeps our SEO humming and our website on top of its game.
