Is Your Competitor's SEO Strategy Actually Hurting You?
It's a commonly-held goal: rank higher than your competitors. But are you ranking higher on some generic term that qualified prospects would never search for? Just because your competitor is targeting a specific keyword, doesn't mean you should be, too. In fact, blindly following your competitors' SEO strategy can be a huge mistake.
What if — in your attempts to rank higher for keywords your competitors are targeting — you’ve spent time and money climbing the wrong set of stairs? What if your ideal customers are in a whole different building?
Competitive analysis is a step, not the whole staircase.
While it's important to be deeply-aware of the competitive landscape, just mimicking a competitor’s keyword targets and content strategy is short-sighted and budget-wasting. Here's why:
You could be targeting the wrong keywords: Just because a competitor is ranking for a particular keyword doesn't mean it's the right keyword for your business. They might be targeting a broad term that attracts unqualified leads.
You're missing opportunities to differentiate: What makes your business special? What unique value do you offer? If you're just copying your competitors, you're not highlighting what sets you apart (and connecting with the people who are searching for that).
They may not know their audience as well as you do: Regardless of who they’re targeting, you need to focus on the keywords your target audience is using.
Competitive analysis should be the start of your SEO strategy — but it must go deeper to be truly effective!
Create your own targeted SEO strategy.
Don’t give your competitors so much credit. Instead of blindly following their lead, develop a unique SEO strategy. Here's how:
Know your audience inside and out: Who are you trying to reach? What are their pain points? What language do they use when searching for solutions? The better you know your audience, the more fruitful your keywords will be.
Focus on your unique selling proposition (USP): What makes your business different? What specific problems do you solve? Highlight these unique qualities in your content and target keywords that reflect your USP.
Research, analyze and target strong keywords: While analyzing competitors’ keyword choices is a good starting point, it’s just that — a starting point. A keyword with high search volume might not be relevant to your specific audience or goals. Use keyword tools — combined with your own discernment — to pinpoint relevant and specific keywords. Consider long-tail keywords, which can be less competitive and attract more qualified leads.
Create high-quality, targeted content: Once you've identified your target keywords, create web content and landing pages that engage and inform your audience. Incorporate real brand personality, and provide real value.
Analyze and adapt: SEO is an ongoing process. Regularly track keyword rankings, website traffic, and conversion rates. Analyze the data and make adjustments to your strategy as needed.
RSO can help you position your business strategically.
The pursuit of ranking higher than your competitors can be a giant detour from your real goal — connect with and convert more ideal clients. When it comes to search engine optimization, it’s our customized SEO strategy that gets our clients further.
