I know one of the most frustrating things many businesses and marketers go through is losing against their competitors. And I’m sure you’re already sick and tired of it by now, which is why it’s best to start analyzing your competition through search engine optimization.
Unfortunately, small businesses and startups neglect to analyze and plan out their SEO strategies because of how difficult keyword research and mapping looks. However, you NEED to not only understand but to implement different effective SEO strategies based on what your competitors do. By investigating what your competitors are doing, it can help you identify and create a cohesive SEO strategy to increase your website’s traffic.
Through doing a good competitor analysis and creating local SEO strategies, you’ll be able to:
Learn what works in the industry and what doesn’t
Determine your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses
Understand what SEO strategy works to get ahead of your competitors
But what strategies can you pick up first? Read on as I show you the top four local SEO strategies to stay ahead of your competitors now!
Local SEO Strategies to Stay Ahead of Your Competitors
If you want to improve your sales, get more traffic and potential customers, as well as produce better user experience, local SEO is key. Try to use these local SEO strategies to compete with all your SEO competitors:
- Identify All Your Competitors
First of all, you have to identify who your competitors are. Take note that they aren’t the same and have different niches you still have to compete with!
For instance, a bakery in NY that targets keywords like the “best cake in NY” will still compete with other different businesses. But if you implement tutorials or blogs that rank your page on search pages, then you may compete with huge companies and networks. You competitors can vary within niches and business sizes!
You can identify your competitors by entering your target keywords on search engines, seeing the top websites on the results page. This gives you an idea of what type of content to make and how to begin proper strategizing.
- Do the Keyword Research
Next up before doing on-page SEO checks is to analyze all keywords competitors target. This has you gauge your competitors’ strengths and weaknesses. However, keyword research isn’t as simple as a quick search.
I recommend that you invest in an analysis tool your competitors use. That way, you can determine vital aspects of their webpage and keywords, such as
- Their Domain Authority
- Alexa Ranking
- Indexing
- Backlink Data
- Social Signals
Keep an eye out for SEO competitors that have a low score ranking for your target rankings. Also, start out with better scoring to target big competitors!
- Focus on Site and Content Analysis
Some people think that determining your competitors’ on-page SEO isn’t worth your time. However, it actually holds a lot of information on their strengths and weaknesses, having you discover what you can do better.
You can check out the way your target keyword works in search engine results pages. After that, study the meta information and see if competitors have written their metadata and used the right calls-to-action.
As for their content, examine the following important aspects:
- Word Count
- Content Uniqueness
- Outbound Links
Besides this, it’s good to examine their website design to see how reliable it is. You can also figure out the way they build internal links.
- Leverage Google My Business and Local Business Citations
Make sure that your local SEO campaigns have a full citation that shows accurate information. Update all your information on all local online directories so all customers know where to reach you.
Besides this, focus on leveraging Google My Business as well! Verify your listings and add photos of the area, your products, and your team. Besides this, add in all necessary information such as your company name, contact details, the website link, the working hours, and the exact address and location.
Constantly update your GMB and local directories as required to stay relevant. You can even leave a virtual tour to leave a better impression on potential clients.
Wrapping It Up
These local SEO strategies can work efficiently to improve your site’s rankings and put you one step ahead from your competitors. They’re simple yet very efficient and can have you gain the brand exposure you need to reach goals!
I hope these four local SEO strategies helped you find out what you can do to stay ahead of your competitors! So don’t wait any longer, implement these strategies now and click this link for details to start local SEO.
If you have any questions or want to share your own experiences in local SEO strategies, then comment below. Your thoughts are much appreciated.
