In the world of business, staying ahead of the competition is everything. It would help if you were in the know of what your alternatives are doing right so that you can not only do it the same way but even better.
In the same breath, their mistakes can offer valuable insight with regards to what to steer clear of to avoid learning from experience. With that in mind, here are a couple of tips on how to keep tabs on the competition. Take a look:
1] Conduct keyword analysis
Keyword analysis can give you an edge over the market by knowing which words are hardest to rank in SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Using specific tools, you can identify exhausted keywords, especially those frequently featuring in organic and paid searches.
You’ll be able to locate the least trodden path where ranking won’t be as much of an uphill struggle. For help with such functionalities, the keyword planner tool by Google Adwords is an excellent choice.
You can search for keywords in your niche and get a result page depicting the number of searches per month and the level of competition for those words. By electing for less competitive phrases, your chances of ranking higher up the SEO standings- and bettering your opposition- significantly increase.
2] Take advantage of Ahrefs
An Ahrefs rank showcases a website’s backlink prowess with quality and quantity proving essential. It’s a volatile metric that fluctuates wildly from one day to the next, but experienced bloggers know how to stay at the top of the pile. You can sneak around high-ranking competitor websites via Ahrefs and get valuable information to point you in the right direction.
Scroll down to Competing domains via the Ahrefs dashboard to pick out a handful of websites which are almost like-for-like reflections of yours.
Paste the URL of a website you find appealing in the Ahrefs Site Explorer to work out aspects such as where backlinks are coming from so that you can capitalize on those opportunities as well. You’ll also be able to identify appropriate keywords and related alternatives via Ahrefs.
3] Use Spokeo to execute reverse phone lookups for competitors on social networks
Find competitors who actively run their business via social media and figure out what exact platforms they are using. Reverse phone number lookup service Spokeo can assist you with that.
This people search engine can trace photos, emails, and addresses and perform phone number searches to get you the information you need even for hidden profiles. For Facebook, you need to be taking note of features and tabs.
For example, if you notice the shop section capability constantly popping up near the top of pages, then it might be that it’s highly successful this way.
In terms of Twitter analysis, a comparison report tool can give you insight into lost or gained followers, mentions, influence, and engagement over time. The same goes for Instagram.
Across all platforms, also identify their posting frequency and how often they respond to comments among other behavioral pointers that could be behind their success.
4] Research their content
You can derive content for your website by channeling inspiration from your competitor’s most shared articles. Be sure to take note of topics that doing superbly and follow their footsteps with similar but unique content.
If they have regular snippets of social media posts with commendable returns, borrow a leaf and model something similar of your own. Aside from checking up on what they’ve successfully done in the past, also keep an eye on the present too.
You can use Google Alerts for this purpose to take note of who is continually excelling at specific keywords. Moreover, you can also use this feature to oversee your brand reputation.
5] Track their links and backlinks
The average number of links on competitor websites can give you a reliable rule of thumb to use for your own. If you notice the industry-standard holds at about 90 links, for example, then you need to up your game if you are below this threshold. Moreover, backlink portfolios are vital as they can bring to light why they have good rankings.
If they regularly offer guest blog opportunities for certain high-authority websites in return for free advertising, you can also approach similar sources with the same technique. Alternatively, if your rivals are frequently referencing and linking to studies on reputable platforms such as PubMed, do that more as well.
The SEO race is one that’s always in high gear, and keeping up with the leading pack can be a strenuous affair. However, these tips, coupled with Spokeo’s vast database for reverse number lookup services, will ensure you don’t get left behind.
Valerie Malecha is a content writer for Spokeo. Her main interests are traveling, meeting new people and trying something new. She is experienced in marketing, business, travel, and technology topics.
