Competitor research is woefully underrated in the world of digital marketing. Many marketers think they do it well, but very few put the time in required to gather real, actionable data.
Sun Tzu in the art of war famously wrote: “Know thy enemy and know yourself; in a hundred battles, you will never be defeated. When you are ignorant of the enemy but know yourself, your chances of winning or losing are equal. If you ignore both your enemy and yourself, you are sure to be defeated in every battle.”
This is a powerful quote in relation to the world of SEO because it helps us to understand the true value in proper competitor research.
In this article, we’re going to talk about how thorough competitor research can help you bolster the conversion rates through your website…
1. Identify gaps in their content creation strategy
A common mistake that many businesses make is they go out and create the same content that their competitors are sharing. This is fine if you add even more depth and greater value to each subject, however, you should also be identifying opportunities to share new information.
Extensive competitor research can help you to easily identify what your competitors are talking about and what they are not talking about.
Fill in the gaps and you can capture even more traffic with the potential for higher conversions.
2. You can see what is working and what is not in terms of UX (user experience)
Your biggest competitors will be the websites that are not only ranking higher than you, but making the most conversions through their website.
Study their website and identify what works and what does not. How is their website designed? Do they have an intuitive internal linking structure? How quickly does their website load? How much information do they provide on each service and product page?
In conducting such extensive research into your competitors’ websites, you can look to emulate their websites and make yours even better.
If their website takes 5 seconds to load, aim for 3 seconds! If their website is attractive but a little unintuitive with site navigation, go one better and simplify yours even further.
The idea is to take what works already and make it even more user-friendly.
3. Research their landing page strategy
When you arrive on a competitor website you should ask yourself the following questions:
- How compelling is their headline?
- Do they provide their visitors with a clear value proposition?
- Are there any infographics on the page that help the reader better digest the information provided?
Again, it’s not about stealing ideas from them, but building on what already works. Craft even stronger headlines and make sure that your value proposition is even more attractive!
You can learn a lot from this SEO agency in Dallas because on their website, the first thing that they address is social proof and case studies. The average SEO website overwhelms the visitor with information and talks a big game without offering much in the way of proof. This agency on the other hand, talks a big game but then backs it up with hundreds of 5* reviews and case studies. In other words, their prospective clients don’t have to take their word for it; instead they can see the ample proof of authenticity provided.
Conclusion: Keep your enemies close
The more data you have on your competitors the better positioned you will be to outperform them. It really is that simple.
