If your competitors are consistently ranking higher than you in Google searches, this means they are gaining traffic that could be coming to your website. The good news is that this traffic is not permanently lost. With the right competitor analysis, you can identify what works for them, and utilise these results to help you understand what might work better for you long-term when it comes to improving your own rankings.
SEO competitor analysis is focused on the studying of website strategies that rank well for the keywords you want. Instead of guessing what works, you should be looking to analyse real data, such as keywords, content, and backlinks, in order to uncover opportunities that your competitors are already using effectively. These are some of the key elements to consider when it comes to making this work better for you moving forward.
Identify Your Real SEO Competitors
Your business competitors aren't always your SEO competitors, and it's important to understand that the sites that are ranking on the first pager of Google for target keywords are your actual rivals in terms of SEO. Start off by searching your primary keywords on Google, and keeping a record of the domains that constantly keep appearing in these results. You will often find that things like industry blogs, niche websites, or directories are ranking alongside businesses like your, and those are the sites you should be analysing.
Analyse the Keywords
One of the most important things you can do when trying to analyse your competition is to understand that keywords are one of the foundational elements. If your competitor ranks for hundreds of keywords, this represents multiple opportunities for you to be able to capture traffic. You should be making use of SEO tools to help you export keywords that your competitors rank for. This means paying attention to things like high-volume keywords, long-tail keywords, and keywords where your competitors rank but you don't.
Study High-Performing Content
Of course, not all pages wind up driving the same amount of traffic. In fact, in most cases, the majority of websites receive most of their visits from a small selection of high-ranking pages. Take a look at the pages in question, the ones that generate the most competitor traffic, and analyse what makes them perform well. Ask questions like, what topic does the page cover?, how long and detailed is the content?, and does it include visuals, guides, or data? The best possible approach typically tends to be creating a better version of that content that is more up to date and more accessible.
Examine Backlinks
Backlinks are links from other websites that point to a page, and they are among the strongest SEO ranking factors. Competitor analysis is important because it can help you to discover where the links come from, such as news sites or blog posts, and whether those sites might be open to linking to your content. Assess linking patterns, and do what you can to try to build relationships with these sources, and help you improve and grow your backlinks in the best possible way.
There are so many factors that you should consider when you are trying to improve SEO and steal your competitors' traffic. This is something that can help you to gain a competitive advantage over rival businesses, and help you to develop greater long-term success as a company. Analysing what your competitors do well is always advisable for helping you stay ahead of the curve, and remain the most prominent business on the market.
