What’s Missing from your Competitor Research

Looking at what your competitors are doing and how successful they are is an important part of marketing. And if you’re not already delving into the business of those offering similar services to you – then why not? It’s not a case of being nosy. It’s a case of learning from what’s going on in the world around you. If you’re already doing competitor research, that’s great. But here are six things that might be missing from your research.

  1. A Broad Spectrum of Competitors

A good way to know who your competitors are is to type in a keyword you want to rank for. This will bring up companies that are ranking above you. But don’t just stop at one keyword. Type in several keywords in order to get a broad spectrum of competitors you can look at and analyse. Make sure the URLs are recorded in a spreadsheet as this will allow you to compare specific data at a glance, such as how many backlinks they have, what their website traffic looks like, and how large their website is.

  1. Online Sentiment and Customer Satisfaction

SEO competitor research might show who is ranking well. But this might not align with online sentiment and customer satisfaction. You need to delve deeper to find out what clients are thinking and what you can do to fill any gaps in customer service. Social listening tools can be used to pick up both positive and negative vibes about your competitors. Be sure to check out the comment sections on social channels and delve into reviews on platforms like Google My Business. This is a good form of consumer feedback.

  1. PPC Keywords

You might be so wrapped up in analysing the organic positions and keywords of your competitors that you totally bypass their PPC strategy. Whether you’re planning to invest in paid ads or not, knowing your competitor’s PPC keyword will help you to understand what they’re focussing on. It’s a smart way to understand high and low competition keywords, without having to spend your own dollars.

  1. Branded Questions

Competitor research should involve looking at what people type in order to find a specific brand. This often throws open unanswered questions and queries that you can then use in your own marketing strategy. When searching for your competitors or their products, always take note of the People Also Ask results in Google as this will help you to understand what consumers are looking for when they make a search. Such responses could inform your very own FAQ page, or question and answer-style service page content.

  1. Your Competitor’s Promoters

If someone is raving about a specific product or service, they could be a good person to have on side. Just because they like one company, doesn’t mean they can’t like another, and you might find that interacting with promoters brings in business for you too. Social media is a great place to find people that are really interested in a specific brand. Ask yourself why they like it so much and see if this can influence your own marketing.

  1. Social Media Content

Last but not least, don’t forget to monitor social media engagement. A brand might have one million followers on Facebook, but if their engagement rates are small, it’s a sign that their strategy might not be on point. On the other hand, if their engagement levels are high, you need to know what it is that people like about the content.

Contact Whitefish Marketing today for SEO services tailored to your brand.

Avatar for Chris Surridge
About Chris Surridge

Chris is our marketing director. He comes from a split background in automotive and accountancy marketing, having worked with such brands in the past as Lookers PLC, Mercedes Benz and Vauxhall, as well as working with governing bodies such as ACCA and CIMA in the accounting world.