Would you drive your car and never service it, hoping it would always run well and perform as expected? The simple answer is no!
The same goes for your website and online presence. Digital marketing is an ever-changing world, and some key factors make continuous SEO a must for your business.
- Search engine algorithm updates
- Changing technologies affect search behavior (virtual assistants, voice-to-text, etc.)
- New competitors launch websites
- Outdated, unchanged websites may disappear
- Speed expectations and website standards are becoming more stringent
- The mobile experience is a priority (new technology impacts rankings)
Google is constantly changing the rules of the game to improve search results. Look at your rankings today and assume they will stay the same forever.
Your website might rank first for a particular search term today, but that status won’t last. Over time, other websites – mostly competitors – will learn how to optimize their content and outrank your website. For this reason, SEO competitor analysis must be an ongoing initiative for any business.
Many companies take competitor analysis for granted and think they’ve done their best in their SEO efforts. However, that is not the case. There is always something that can improve to improve outcomes and remain ahead of the competitors.
Let’s get started.
What is data-driven marketing?
Data-driven advertising means that every choice in an electronic marketing campaign is based on information accumulated via research study. This data mainly relates to a company’s target audience or existing customers.
Search engine optimization falls under data-driven marketing. Specific SEO practices such as keyword competition analysis (SEO) and competitor analysis (SEO) are also examples of data-driven marketing.
The main objective of data-driven marketing is to ensure that each marketing campaign matches a customer’s needs or behaviors.
What is an SEO competitor analysis?
An SEO competitor analysis or SEO competitive includes examining the content and other elements of the content, such as the links and keywords that a competitor has used. Simply put, it is an SEO comparison between two competing websites in a similar industry or business.
Competitor analysis SEO can include:
- SEO keyword competition analysis
- Competitor backlink analysis
- Keyword gap analysis
- Key content analysis
SEO competitor analysis works and is efficient since you do not have to start your research from the ground up. You can see what other competitors are doing and apply that to your search engine optimization efforts.
Many marketers use an SEO competitor analysis tool to streamline the process and gather extensive data without too much work. These tools are also helpful in creating SEO competitor analysis reports. Some examples of SEO competitor analysis tools are Ahrefs, SEMrush, and Moz.
Marketers learn how to analyze SEO competition to maintain their rankings and remain competitive.
How to perform a competitor analysis
Now that we’ve clarified what an SEO competitor analysis is, it’s time to take a look at how to perform a competitor evaluation in a few basic steps. Remember that these are some of the most typical steps you can carry out promptly.
You can look at Ahrefs‘ search engine optimization rival evaluation design template for an extra thorough approach to performing a rival analysis.
Step 1: Identify your actual competitors
The first step to learning how to perform an SEO competitor analysis is to identify your competition.
Most recommend finding out who your competitors are when it comes to your keywords because not all websites that rank better than you are your competitors.
It would be best if you were thorough and accurate in discovering your actual SEO competition in your SEO analysis. That includes SEO comparisons, research on multiple keywords, and noting the 10 or 20 websites that appear most often for all keywords.
One method is to use a free SEO analysis tool like Ubersuggest and type in a keyword. In this instance, we used “pet grooming” as a keyword. In the “Content Ideas” section, you will get a list of links and domains that rank for the keyword.
As you can see, one of the top-ranked domains for this keyword is Today.com, which is not necessarily in the business of pet grooming but is a news organization.
Considering that Ubersuggest is a complementary tool, the variety of keywords and top-level domain names for competitor SEO evaluation may be limited. May need a paid SEO tool like Ahrefs to dive deeper into search engine optimization contrast information and get accurate results. The Ahrefs rival analysis device is advanced and has numerous attributes that make every part of competitor evaluation a lot more straightforward and quicker.
Step 2: Perform a site analysis
The next step in performing a competitor analysis is to examine a competing website and its best-performing pages. What keywords are used on these web pages, and how were they used in their material?
The Ahrefs competitor analysis tool has a unique content gap feature that allows you to identify keywords that rank for particular domains you specify. That is called a keyword gap analysis. That is the phase of your competitor SEO analysis where you find keywords on a competitor’s site that they rank for and your site does not. Here’s how it looks:
if you discover relevant keywords that also apply to your business, you can create a page dedicated to ranking for those keywords. This way, you’ll have the opportunity to direct customers to your website rather than your competitors.
Step 2: Perform a competitor backlink analysis
Another aspect of competitor analysis is checking a website’s backlink statistics. A competitor backlink analysis examines which websites link to their content and how this affects their domain rank and authority. With this data-driven technique, you can gain valuable insights and execute a similar link-building strategy to replicate their results.
You can examine these characteristics of a competitor’s backlinks:
- Number of backlinks
- Domain authority of the linked pages
- Relevance of the linked content
Once you understand what your competitors are doing in acquiring backlinks, it will be easier for you to develop a similar strategy and implement it for your website.
Step 3: Concentrate on keywords with high ROI
A well-known company can rank in the top spots for dozens of keywords. Does that mean you have to compete as well? Not necessarily. Plus, big companies have the budget to make sure they consistently rank for the top keywords.
SEO expert Neil Patel recommends that when analyzing your competitors’ SEO, you focus on the keywords that can generate more profit or revenue. Take the pet store example: there’s no point in ranking for “best dog keychains” if they only sell for $2 each.
Think of your high-profile product or service and focus on ranking keywords that will bring you more leads for that specific product or product line. Or create content that is particularly unique and relevant to your customer base that your competitors haven’t thought of.
Success in a solid SEO campaign with competitor analysis depends mostly on finding a gap or difference between the competition and the target audience and filling that gap. That may be a keyword with the low competition or a simple, helpful article that is searched for a lot and that your competition has not yet created.
Step 4: Create a content plan and execute it
Now that you have collected data, the next step is to use that data to create an SEO competition analysis report. Based on this report, you can create your SEO content strategy. To start creating your content plan, create a keyword list or a list of content ideas and save them in a straightforward spreadsheet or utilize a tool like Ahrefs.
The Ahrefs competitor analysis device has a built-in attribute to add chosen keywords or content suggestions to a specific listing. You can export them to a spreadsheet and create a fast search engine optimization competitor evaluation record.
Step 5: Track your progress
Once you’ve published new content or old optimized content, you need to track its performance. Should generate regular keyword audits and competitor analysis SEO reports to check if your competitor analysis strategy has worked.
You can utilize any free SEO tool for this, but in Ahrefs, you must go to Keywords Explorer and enter the target keyword. Then click on Traffic Share by Pages on the left side of the page. That should show you the top pages and their position. In the example below, Ahrefs has determined the top pages for the keyword “dog groomer.”
Step 6: Cover all areas with an SEO competition analysis template
There is more than one way to perform a practical SEO competition analysis. You can use a free SEO competition analysis template to guide you. Having a ready-made document at hand will help you save time and be organized with your SEO competition analysis project. A template also allows you to create an SEO competition analysis report more accurately and quickly.
Grow is a reliable company with years of experience in search engine optimization and competition analysis. Indeed, a complete rival analysis is a task that requires time and also resources, yet the results are worth it.
If you favor contracting out the job, you can employ a digital advertising company focusing on particular search engine optimization solutions such as competition evaluation, franchise search engine optimization, and local SEO.
10 Reasons Why SEO Is a Constant Process
The net, an around-the-world sensation that has changed the international industry, is a competitive place to do business at all levels.
Business success on the internet depends on how effectively your website attracts targeted visitors that eventually become valuable leads or paying customers.
This process largely depends on how businesses use digital marketing tools accurately and effectively.
- Despite the emergence of other channels, such as social networks, search engine optimization (SEO) is still at the forefront of numerous digital advertising methods.
- It stays a vital source of targeted website traffic to websites. This declaration is validated in several reports, including one from the Forrester Study, which places organic web search or all-natural search engine results on top of the checklist of traffic resources.
- Search engine optimization is a complex solution. You might see an increase in your internet site’s rankings in the substantial online search engine results; however, without a continuous SEO process, you should not expect those high positions to last.
- Nonetheless, search engine optimization is not a one-time affair. It would be best if you did more than establish optimization efforts for your site and then left it as is.
- Expect you to desire your organization to survive in the treacherous waters of the online industry.
1). Because your competitors are also doing SEO continuously
How important it is for websites to rank on the first pages of internet search engine results from web pages (SERPs), with efficient click-through rates (CTRs) typically beginning on the very first page,
specifically for the first search engine result or results that are “above the fold” or noticeable on top of search results without scrolling down.
Hundreds of millions of websites compete for placement or position on these first pages. This situation coincides with any niche, including your own, because your countless competitors target the same visitors and may offer the same products or services.
Most likely, these competitors fighting for placement at the top of the search results are also running their SEO campaigns, using all the tools at their disposal.
2). Because search engines are constantly changing their algorithms
Internet search engines like Google have developed for many years in just how they place sites in search results. Gone are when one way to get a good ranking in search results was to construct too many links with the same support texts.
Google and various other online search engines continually battle fraudulent or black-hat search engine optimization techniques by regularly altering and boosting their search algorithms, such as the Panda, Penguin, and, most recently, the Hummingbird upgrade, which affected numerous websites in the online stratosphere.
This search engine algorithm changes and updates may not happen as often as they should; however, when they do, they can strike difficult and influence your currently developed search position.
That’s why it’s essential to maintain a continuous search engine optimization campaign, continuously upgrading your approaches based upon these adjustments and maintaining your websites as online search engine pleasant as feasible.
3). Because creating excellent web content is a continual procedure
In a study performed by Unisphere Research on behalf of content marketing provider Skyword, 46% of survey respondents said they update their content at least once a week. In this survey, only 4% were able to update their content daily, but 40% of respondents indicated that posting daily, and multiple times a day, is the ideal frequency their organization strives for.
These survey respondents recognize that content is significant in their digital marketing strategy and should be central to every campaign, including search engine optimization. Millions of new pieces of content are developed and uploaded daily, and this consistency in delivering sound, relevant content that audiences are searching for is critical to successful SEO results.
Can content compare to food?
If it is maintained, it will retain its relevance. Like food, you should regularly serve fresh and relevant content to keep your target customers returning for seconds.
Content creation is an ongoing process that should be at the heart of your SEO and overall digital advertising campaign.
4). Because continuous SEO keeps your rankings on the page
Your website’s ability to rank in search engine results largely depends on how you conduct regular SEO activities. As mentioned earlier, SEO is not a one-time thing but must be a continuous process if you wish to maintain the rankings on your site. If you stop your SEO activities, your page ranking will eventually suffer and fall out of the significant list.
Confirmed that in an SEO ranking study, companies that stopped their SEO campaigns saw their page ranking drop by up to 30%. On the other hand, companies that continued their SEO campaigns were awarded an 18% increase in their top-page rankings.
Related: How to create a successful local SEO strategy for your business?
5). Because the online marketplace is constantly evolving
It is a well-known fact that the online marketplace is constantly evolving. Technology is always coming up with new devices, products, programs, and services, which causes online users to search for them using new keywords or variations of existing keywords. The old keywords you’ve been targeting may have given you good SEO results in the past, but with the changes in online markets, they may have a different impact.
Therefore, search engine optimization must be a constant and continuous process of re-evaluation and re-optimization, especially for the keywords you are targeting in your campaigns. What was relevant then may be different now, so you need to continuously and regularly conduct keyword research to learn what is appropriate and what is not.
6). Because your business or company may change
Because an online marketplace is constantly changing and evolving, the same scenario will likely play out in your business niche and, most likely, in your company. Changes in your business niche may affect how you do business, such as introducing new products or improving or upgrading existing ones.
With any change in your business, a corresponding change or update should also be made within your SEO campaign. You may be required to update your keywords or create new content to reflect these changes. This way, you’ll update your existing markets without losing them while opening the doors to new ones.
7). Due to the changing search behavior of users
Like products, websites, and content found online, search engine users have evolving and ever-changing search behaviors. A particular phrase or combination of keywords used in the past may be less famous or influential today. You could lose out to competitors targeting these new keyword sets if you stick to your current keyword set without checking through keyword research whether or not it is still relevant. The search engine environment is constantly changing and evolving; your SEO strategy should reflect that.
8). Due to changes in the analysis behavior of your website
As the search engine environment changes, there may be corresponding changes in the analysis of your website and the behavior of your website visitors. There may be changes in where incoming traffic comes from and what keywords brought it there. What you focus on may differ from what your website visitors are looking for, so you are losing time and sources on less efficient results.
You should frequently and continually research what your visitors are looking for on your site, the demographics they are coming from, and the activities they take after reviewing your content – and also change your SEO campaign appropriately.
9). It takes time to develop yourself as an authority in your business niche
As part of an ongoing SEO process, you must create fresh, original, and relevant content that your target readers need at any given time. That can be a long, complex, and tedious process, but the rewards for leads, sales, and profits are worth it. In addition, constantly producing content that your target audiences will share will stabilize your SEO rankings while establishing you as an authority in your particular business niche.
10). Because a positive online reputation needs a well-maintained SEO campaign
A well-kept search engine optimization project can reinforce your website’s web page rankings, setting you as an authority in your particular business niche and constructing a solid internet track record for your brand name, item, or solution. A solid and positive online reputation can shield your service from harmful attacks from spammers, trolls, and various other dangerous online entities that are out to harm your internet track record by spreading out unfavorable and wrong information.
With a great and solid online track record achieved through an intense and continual SEO process, positive details regarding your brand name, product, or services will remain at the top of the search engine results and make all unfavorable assaults in the SERP discolor into oblivion.
Why is continuous SEO maintenance necessary?
The internet is constantly changing, and search engine algorithms are constantly evolving. These changes in the internet and algorithms can result in your once-optimized website being buried under a pile of updated and SEO-friendly competitors.
Here are some reasons why continuous SEO upkeep can make all the distinctions for your service:
Developing formulas:
- For an online search engine to be much more reliable and valuable to its users, its algorithms are frequently altered. That implies that you can place internet sites according to new factors monthly. As a result, it is essential to understand the adjustments with each algorithm upgrade to maximize your site.
Search engine optimization patterns change:
- search engine optimization fads change when formulas change. After the latest algorithm update, what used to be an essential ranking factor may no longer be a ranking factor. Understanding the evolving algorithms will help you identify which SEO trends will help you with ongoing optimization.
Google likes it:
- Google and the search engines like it when a website is constantly updated and improved. That shows them that you are working to improve the user experience and provide up-to-date information.
Keyword volume and intent change:
- As algorithms can change, so can search volume, trends, and intent. Intent refers to a searcher’s intention when using specific keywords or phrases in their online search. Choosing your keywords based on search intent is always better than tailoring your material to what is being rewarded.
- If you use critical phrases without understanding truth intent behind the term, your content will never place naturally.
Information ends up being outdated:
- It is straightforward for details to become obsolete and unnecessary, especially in modern technology. That devalues your website and E-A-T, which is your website’s expertise, authority, and trustworthiness.
- Site visitors may also find this information useless and will move on to look for more reliable information elsewhere. Therefore, reusing and updating content is essential and should be practiced regularly!
Related: The 12 Best SEO Tools that will help you rank higher and grow your Traffic
Continuous SEO tasks you need to do to maximize your site
1. Produce brand-new content
With the upcoming Google Web page Experience Update, E-A-T plays an even more important role in algorithm updates. One of the best ways to deliver a high-quality E-A-T on your website is through content. Make it a priority to fill your website with original, reliable, and up-to-date content! That is an effective way to maintain your site’s SEO and show search engines that the user experience is constantly improving. It also signals to Google that you are regularly working to improve your site and increase its value with new content.
2. Reuse existing content
While creating new content is essential for an effective SEO campaign, reusing existing content on your website is also important. Repurpose posts, touchdown web pages, video clips, and anything else that provides a poor user experience contains outdated information and leaves questions unanswered. If your content needs to be updated due to new information or no longer meets new algorithms or SEO trends, update the information.
3. Conduct a website audit
Website audits are an ongoing SEO task that should be performed regularly, as a lot can change on a website in a short period that may be overlooked. A bi-annual review of the entire site can help identify technical issues that need to be addressed, such as 404 errors, missing out on photo alt messages, and indexing concerns.
4. Remove unnecessary content
Another simple ongoing SEO task you can do is to remove outdated or redundant content. As mentioned earlier, there may be pages that can be reused, but there may also be pages that no longer serve the site after a certain amount of time. Keeping pages that do not create website traffic or conversions for your service is ruled out as the finest practice, as they take up valuable areas in the crawl budget.
That suggests that search engines hang out creeping unimportant pages on your site and may not crawl one of the most vital web pages that must be a top priority. Cleaning up and erasing content that is no longer required can raise SEO and the overall relevance of your site.
5. Update meta titles and descriptions
Another critical step is ensuring your meta titles and descriptions are up-to-date, describe the information your website has to offer, and are enticing. Since space to write an engaging title and description is limited. Test and keep records of which keyword phrases, metadata, and phones call activity to have the best click-through prices for your pages.
6. Tidy up redirect chains
Internal links are an essential factor in a search engine optimization method, yet the more internal web links you use on your site, the easier they can get out of hand. When pages are eliminated and no longer job, they must place redirects. Nonetheless, too many redirects disagree with a website’s SEO, so be methodical when developing and eliminating pages.
When redirects are executed, they can cause reroute chains and loopholes with internal web links that have not been directly updated with the brand-new live web link. Reroute chains and loopholes are not the finest methods, as they can produce a bad customer experience, devalue link juice, and potentially slow down page speed. Make this an ongoing optimization practice, at least every six months.
7. Link building
Web link building is a continuous optimization task due to its nature – it’s a long-term and taxing method. It’s fantastic to develop your authority and produce top-quality content that websites will want to connect instantly, but it requires time to reach that stage. Yet if you desire more backlinks, you must actively seek them with various techniques.
8. Research competitors
Pay attention to your competitors. Analyze what they are doing, what content they are writing, what keywords are targeting, what backlinks they are getting, and more. Please pay attention to what ongoing SEO practices they are implementing online.
Before you know it, they can quickly overtake you in keyword rankings and organic performance. Keeping an eye on your competition will help you maintain your lead.
Wrapping Up
It’s essential to reiterate how vital search engine optimization is and why it should be a continual process. A continuous, well-kept SEO project will give you the self-confidence to keep your web page rankings, constantly planning for adjustments in search engine formulas, and always be lots of steps – as well as several search pages – ahead of your competitors.