I guess that when the inventors of the three letter acronym “www” that
is attached to the start of every web search were brainstorming, the
words World Wide Web were most relevant. However, as the Internet has
evolved their use of this prefix may have been even more prescient; this
time though the letters possibly stand for Wild Wild West.
The Internet may have resulted in barriers of entry to many businesses having been smashed and the playing field leveled but this has created a hard and fast business environment where you have to have your finger on the pulse all the time; especially where your competitors are concerned.
The ultimate aim is to maximize your Google ranking and this is done by Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – the technique of maximizing your website’s visibility.
Following is a list of five of the best ways to keep an eye on your online competition:
1. Google your Competitor
Sometimes, the most simple and obvious tools are staring at you in the face. What do you do when you research virtually every other topic – you Google it. So, why should it be that when you are checking out a competitor you should behave any different?
Googling your competitor will quickly and effortlessly give you valuable information such as reviews, videos, and a list of links on the search results page. Even their ranking is of great value and freely available. Not a bad place to start for a quick and basic rundown of your competitors’ Net presence.
2. Monitor the Keywords Your Competitors Use in Their Pay per Click (PPC) Advertising
Together with some of the data compiled from simply Googling your competitors, you can monitor their PPC advertising and the keywords they use therein. Chances are that if your competitors are paying for these words then they are worth using. Copy them and save yourself the money.
Similarly, if you see that your competitors are not achieving a high Google ranking from their online advertising efforts, you know that their keywords may not be optimal and you can take that into account when constructing your own marketing campaign.
3. Check the Number of Backlinks to Your Competitors’ Websites
Google really does provide a plethora of information if you know how to use it. Enter the following: link:competitors site in the Google search box and you will be provided with a list of their backlinks.
Using this information, you can then assess the quality of the backlink and try to access comparable links from comparable sites to help save time with your link building and improve your SEO.
4. Check Your Competitors’Domain Registration Age
As rank is also determined by age, an older domain is better for ranking purposes. If your competitors are using old domain names than you know that there must be some value in this. Consequently, it may be worth your while purchasing an old domain name. However, you also need to know when a link to the domain or the domain was first indexed by Google.
There are domain online companies that do this task and it may be worth investing a few dollars to receive this information as it is one-off data that does not change.
5. Stay Anonymous
You can try using a proxy service, it enables you to surf the Net undetected as your unique IP address is hidden from the servers receiving the search request. Using a proxy located out of your country of origin can further help mask your competition monitoring efforts and will enable you to see what geotargeted SEO methods they are using. For example, using a Poland proxy, your competition will never know that you can see their Polish marketing efforts as seen in the local market and it will also hide your true location.
Conducting business on the Internet is not for the faint of heart. It is dynamic and challenging and the parameters are in a constant state of flux. But it is that very dynamism and volatility that makes it such a rush and possibly the fastest, most interesting, and profitable games around. After all, isn’t that why you’re playing?
The Internet may have resulted in barriers of entry to many businesses having been smashed and the playing field leveled but this has created a hard and fast business environment where you have to have your finger on the pulse all the time; especially where your competitors are concerned.
The ultimate aim is to maximize your Google ranking and this is done by Search Engine Optimization (SEO) – the technique of maximizing your website’s visibility.
Following is a list of five of the best ways to keep an eye on your online competition:
1. Google your Competitor
Sometimes, the most simple and obvious tools are staring at you in the face. What do you do when you research virtually every other topic – you Google it. So, why should it be that when you are checking out a competitor you should behave any different?
Googling your competitor will quickly and effortlessly give you valuable information such as reviews, videos, and a list of links on the search results page. Even their ranking is of great value and freely available. Not a bad place to start for a quick and basic rundown of your competitors’ Net presence.
2. Monitor the Keywords Your Competitors Use in Their Pay per Click (PPC) Advertising
Together with some of the data compiled from simply Googling your competitors, you can monitor their PPC advertising and the keywords they use therein. Chances are that if your competitors are paying for these words then they are worth using. Copy them and save yourself the money.
Similarly, if you see that your competitors are not achieving a high Google ranking from their online advertising efforts, you know that their keywords may not be optimal and you can take that into account when constructing your own marketing campaign.
3. Check the Number of Backlinks to Your Competitors’ Websites
Google really does provide a plethora of information if you know how to use it. Enter the following: link:competitors site in the Google search box and you will be provided with a list of their backlinks.
Using this information, you can then assess the quality of the backlink and try to access comparable links from comparable sites to help save time with your link building and improve your SEO.
4. Check Your Competitors’Domain Registration Age
As rank is also determined by age, an older domain is better for ranking purposes. If your competitors are using old domain names than you know that there must be some value in this. Consequently, it may be worth your while purchasing an old domain name. However, you also need to know when a link to the domain or the domain was first indexed by Google.
There are domain online companies that do this task and it may be worth investing a few dollars to receive this information as it is one-off data that does not change.
5. Stay Anonymous
You can try using a proxy service, it enables you to surf the Net undetected as your unique IP address is hidden from the servers receiving the search request. Using a proxy located out of your country of origin can further help mask your competition monitoring efforts and will enable you to see what geotargeted SEO methods they are using. For example, using a Poland proxy, your competition will never know that you can see their Polish marketing efforts as seen in the local market and it will also hide your true location.
Conducting business on the Internet is not for the faint of heart. It is dynamic and challenging and the parameters are in a constant state of flux. But it is that very dynamism and volatility that makes it such a rush and possibly the fastest, most interesting, and profitable games around. After all, isn’t that why you’re playing?
0 comments:
Post a Comment