One of the first tasks I undertake when beginning a new SEO campaign is competitor analysis. While this can feel like a necessary evil, it’s essential for benchmarking your site against competitors and gaining valuable insights. However, using your time wisely is crucial, as every minute spent analyzing competitors is not spent improving your site.
Ask the Right Questions
To ensure you’re getting the most out of your competitor analysis, focus on the questions that will yield the highest return. Here are a few key questions to consider:
Who Are Your Competitors?
It’s easy to get carried away listing potential competitors, but remember: a competitor is only a competitor if they are genuinely competitive online. Just because a business across town offers similar services doesn’t mean they have an effective online presence. Identify websites ranking for the exact keywords you are targeting. Ideally, analyze 2-3 competitors for each primary keyword.
What Keywords Matter?
To define your competitors, you must also define the keywords that matter. This requires thorough keyword research. Often, the most valuable keywords are those you haven’t yet considered, while the ones you initially thought were important might not attract much traffic.
Define a Goal for Your Competitor Analysis
Having a specific goal for your competitor analysis helps focus your efforts. For instance, if you want to rank for “Barefoot Running Shoes,” your analysis should aim to uncover additional keywords with search volume, potential backlink opportunities, and practical strategies to achieve high rankings for that product or service.
How Many Backlinks?
Backlinks are crucial. If you and three other sites compete for “Barefoot Running Shoes,” the site with the most quality backlinks usually wins. Avoid using spammy backlink services. Instead, develop a link-building plan that gradually increases backlinks over time, known as natural link building, which ensures long-term success.
When analyzing backlinks, consider:
- The percentage of branded vs. keyword-rich anchor text
- The distribution of links by domain authority
- The ratio of followed vs. no-followed links
What Anchor Text Are Competitors Using?
Anchor text—the clickable text in a hyperlink—is significant. For example, in “The quick brown fox jumped over the fence,” the anchor text is “fox.” Analyzing the anchor text used by competitors reveals their target keywords. Many sites lack strategic link building, so you can gain an edge by using more intelligent, not necessarily more, links.
How Competitive is the Keyword?
If your site is new or lacks authority, it’s challenging to immediately rank for highly competitive keywords. Focus on less competitive keywords to build your site’s equity and gradually move to more competitive terms.
Summarizing the Analysis
Competitor analysis is only valuable if it results in actionable insights. Understanding that competitors’ backlink profiles are filled with spam isn’t helpful if you plan to avoid such tactics. Instead, focus on actionable steps like:
- Improving on-page targeting
- Creating new pages to target additional keywords
- Building more links with keyword-rich anchor text
By asking the right questions and focusing on actionable insights, you can effectively leverage competitor analysis to boost your SEO efforts and achieve better rankings.
