Showing up on the first page of Google is not enough to get more traffic and generate more cash. You need to perform a competitive SEO analysis to hit the mark on both rankings and conversions.
A lot of marketers ask themselves, "I rank #1, but I still don't get a lot of site traffic. Why?" I understand how frustrating it is to be in this situation.
Well, my quick answer to this question is, "It's because your SEO strategy doesn't work the same as your next-door neighbor's."
Let me break it down for you.
What Is Competitive SEO Analysis?
SEO competitor analysis is discovering what works for your most successful competitors. It analyzes which links they're using, which keywords they're using, what type of content they're creating, etc.) so you can apply that strategy yourself.
It lets you figure out:
- Who your competitors are
- What keywords they’re targeting (and which ones you should be targeting too).
- What topics you should target with your content.
- Which websites are essential to link to.
- And many more!
In other words, competitive SEO analysis lets you benchmark your strategy with the industry as a whole.
But contrary to what many believe, competitive SEO analysis is not copying EVERYTHING that the competition is doing.
You don’t want to be a copy cat!
So what exactly do you need to do? For starters, Moz.com has a free template that you can use.
Types Of Competitive SEO Analysis Strategies
In this article, I’d like to highlight four of the most effective competitive SEO analysis strategies that you can do to boost your site’s ranking:
- Keyword Gap Analysis
- Top Content Analysis
- Link Gap Analysis
- Google SERP Analysis
Let’s talk more about these strategies in great detail.
Keyword Gap Analysis
Keywords. They are the bridge between what online users are searching for and your content. Keywords can help boost your ranking only if you know which ones to use.
Keyword Gap Analysis compares two or more competing domains to identify keywords that your competition is ranking for.
The benefits of Keyword Gap Analysis include:
- Find new opportunities in the fastest way.
- Find questions or topics that online users ask.
- Identify keywords that work for a competitor site.
- Discover high volume and valuable keywords quickly.
Keyword Gap Analysis is a competitive SEO analysis strategy that is helpful for blog or eCommerce site owners, digital marketing experts, and SEO consultants and agencies. A strong keyword research skill is required to do this task.
How to do Keyword Gap Analysis? Here are four simple steps:
- Step 1: Look at the top keywords you rank for.
- Step 2: Look at the top websites within those keywords. Those websites are your competitors.
- Step 3: Perform an analysis called a “competitive gap analysis,” which helps you find essential keywords your competitors rank for that you don’t, or that you could do better on.
- Step 4: Use a keyword tool to do this and examine your competitors’ keyword rankings in comparison to your own.
Easy to do, right? Now to help you with this task, here are tools that you can use:
Top Content Analysis
Excellent content can generate high CTR (click-through rate), backlinks, user experience, and it allows you to incorporate keywords. I’m pretty sure that your competitor uses content that generates everything that I mentioned.
So what do you need to do to do to keep up? Perform Top Content Analysis.
Top Content Analysis lets you discover your competitors’ best content, and then create your own with significant improvements to offer to a similar audience.
Again, let me reiterate that you shouldn’t just copy your competitor. It would be best if you found ways to make your content better with visuals, or new features, better data — anything to make you stand out.
There are several tools you can use for this, such as:
Link Gap Analysis
Links. They say a lot about the overall health of a website. Bad links are unhealthy, while good links mean that your site is in excellent shape.
Authoritative sites work hard to build links, and one of their strategies is called Link Gap Analysis.
Link Gap Analysis lets you identify links your competitors have won that you might also need to win for your self.
One of the best tools for this type of Competitive SEO Analysis is Link Intersect. Here are steps on how to use it:
- Step 1: Log in to Link Intersect.
- Step 2: Enter your domain in the first Enter A URL field.
- Step 3: Enter your competitors' domain in the Enter A URL below.
- Step 4: Click Find Opportunities.
- Step 5: Sort and Filter the results to see link gap opportunities.
Google SERP Analysis
The search intent for a specific keyword is vital in boosting traffic to a website. If you’re already doing the first three types of Competitive SEO Analysis in this article, but you’re still not getting traffic, then it’s time to perform a Google SERP Analysis.
Google SERP Analysis is an analysis of the search engine results page, showing you what people are typically looking for when they search something on Google using a keyword.
Don’t worry because Google already does most of the work for you!
For instance, if the results for a specific keyword get you lots of video recipes, you’ll know that’s the kind of content you want to create. You might also want to draw content inspiration from the People Also Ask and Searches Related To sections of Google's search result page.
Here are some of the best Google SERP Analysis tools that you can use:
And that’s everything you need to know about Competitive SEO Analysis.
Some of you might find these types of analysis like rocket science. Still, with the right tools and enough practice, you'll be a Competitive SEO Analysis master in no time!
To learn more about this topic, I put together a list of recommended resources below that I’d like for you to check out. Also, we are ready to TALK TO YOU if you need more assistance.
Recommended Competitive SEO Analysis Resources
SEO Competitive Analysis: The Definitive Guide
SEO Competitor Analysis: Discover Your Competitor's Keywords
5 Steps for SEO Competitive Analysis & Research
So what do you think about this article? Did it help you understand better the concept of Competitive SEO Analysis?
Let me know in the comments section below and let’s discuss.
Also, if you think this article is worth SHARING, it would be a great honor. Stay tuned for more digital marketing related articles!
Need more local SEO tips? Check out our Ultimate Guide to Local SEO.
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