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Several easy ways to tap into your competitor’s SEO success
Rebecca Appleton • 3 February 2021
Tips and tactics to try now
Reaching top of the search rankings is an important marketing target for many businesses but, it is easier said than done to reach those top spots. SEO best practise is very fluid, thanks in part to ever-changing algorithms, new technologies and emerging search habits.
The SEO ecosystem is also vast, encompassing a wide range of activities from content optimisation and link building to reviews, content creation and technical considerations such as page load speed and mobile use.
With all that said, it makes sense to harness existing knowledge where possible – and for ambitious sites, that means conducting competitor research and applying things your rivals have learnt and successfully deployed to further your own efforts.
1. Use them to further your own keyword research
The task of a keyword researcher never ends but, it can be made much easier by dipping in to the work of your competitors. It could well be that they have identified very useful search phrases that your own SEO activity, content marketing, social media and link building hasn’t yet embraced.
You can also use this exercise to identify search terms that your competitors are ranking for that you are not.
A tool such as Ahrefs makes this process quicker and easier and will also afford more comprehensive results. Moz Pro also has a keyword research tool which is handy. You can then add to this by heading to Google and studying emerging search trends to further bolster your list and generate new opportunities.
2. Deep dive backlinks
Link building is a long and arduous process but, you don’t have to source likely outlets to link back to you from scratch. Instead, run a link report on a few of your competitors and then brace yourself for some manual sorting and organising. The goal here is not to go after every site linking back to a rival. It’s to review their link profile and identify the higher quality and niche sites that could be beneficial to your own link prospecting efforts.
Again, you can use a tool such as Moz or Ahrefs to take much of the legwork out of the initial data collection stage.
3. Perform a content analysis gap
It’s no secret that content is key to better SEO. Content is also important for the consumer however so, you want to ensure that you really get this aspect of your marketing right – not just to boost those rankings but to ensure that hard won traffic arriving on your site also finds good quality, highly relevant content.
Studying content published by your competitors can be a good source of inspiration for your own blogging and content marketing activity. It can also give you an insight into where opportunities to fill a gap left by your competitor might exist; such as if they have a piece of content that is out of date, you could plug that need by creating your own up-to-date version. If they brush over a subject that could be treated in much more detail, writing that more in-depth piece could help you with Google and your visitors.
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