The main goal of an SEO strategy is often to rank above competitors on search engine results pages. You cannot expect to rank above competitors if you do not have a comprehensive understanding of the SEO strategy they used to get there. Along with keyword research, competitive analysis is crucial to getting to the ranking you desire.
A competitive analysis is a way to identify the websites that rank higher than you on search engine results pages. The analysis should give you a deep understanding of what your competition is doing to get to their position. Follow these steps to complete a broad SEO competitive analysis.
1. Find Major Competitors
The first step to completing a successful competitive analysis is to compile a list of major competitors that are ranking higher than you for the same keywords. Most of your major competitors will be those with similar products or services and targeting the same search terms. There are several SEO tools that will help you identify the domain authority that your competitors hold. The main goal of this step is to become aware of the topic areas that your competitors outrank you on.
2. Use Keywords to Compare Rankings
Take your primary keywords and type them into the search bar. Check which sites show up above yours. These are the sites you should focus on when analyzing content. They are ranking above you for your most desired keywords, so the contents of their blogs and pages can be extremely valuable for your content strategy.
3. Discover Gaps in Their Strategy
Use the SWOT analysis to identify opportunities for your competitors so you can take advantage of these for your own company. Use the gaps in their strategy as areas of focus for yours. Take a deep dive into your competitors’ on-page and off-page SEO. This includes things such as:
- Backlinks
- Social Media
- Anchor text
- Content
A full understanding of the competition’s SEO strategy will allow you to identify areas that you need to improve in order to rank higher than them.
4. Formulate a Content Strategy
After you have extensive knowledge of the keywords and strategies your competition is using, it is time to make changes to your own website. You can mimic a competitor’s content by optimzing your old content using the relevant keywords you found during your analysis. If you lack pages and blogs on relevant topics, you may have to create completely new content.
Contact Boston Web Marketing
Boston Web Marketing can help you jump above competitors on search engine results pages. We will formulate a comprehensive SEO strategy using on-page and off-page tactics to raise your rankings. Our services include content, social media, technical SEO, local search, and more! Contact us at (857) 526-0096 to get started today!