One of the most effective business and search engine optimization strategies in use today is analyzing your competitor's keywords. Unfortunately, many less experienced SEO companies and webmasters use competitor's keywords as an absolute, unproven strategy and cure-all. This doesn't generally work out well for anyone, because the fact of the matter is that your competitors might be choosing the wrong keywords in the first place, and if you play monkey-see, monkey-do with them, then you'll probably end up just as mediocre as they are.
The following are 5 critical pieces of advice that you must follow if you want your keyword and competitor research to actually payoff:
1.) Is there any traffic?
Just because your competitor uses specific keywords doesn't mean they're getting any traffic from them - even if they rank well for those terms. Some keywords are simply too obscure, too broad, too unique or otherwise just aren't searched for. However, many businesses and web masters target certain keywords just for bragging rights - particularly if they're in the internet marketing industry. Don't make the mistake of assuming they've done proper research or are even purposefully targeting the keyword in the first place.
2.) Are groups of similar competitors using the same keywords?
One sign that you're on the right track with competitor keyword research is if you find a strong pattern of keywords across a range of similar competitors. If the keywords are not similar, it's likely that there's more "nichification" going on that will require more comprehensive keyword analysis. However, just because the terms are similar doesn't mean they'll provide any real value - especially if everyone is just copying each other's keywords. Do your own research, confirm it and innovate it in order to get ahead of the group.
3.) Does the keyword have intent?
Some keywords might have a ton of traffic but very little intent. Intent from an internet marketing standpoint refers to the likelihood that traffic from a particular keyword will result in a conversion. Keywords that are generally used for research are often not worth targeting, as well as keywords that are simply too broad. For instance, if you're a contractor in Pittsburgh, you probably don't want to target generic terms like "house" or "foundation," primarily because no one who is legitimately looking for your local services is simply going to type "house" in a search bar and hit enter.
4.) Is the competition attackable?
Let's face it - even with big budgets and an expert SEO services firm on your site, some keywords are so well established and so hotly competed for that it's just not worth it to target them. In these cases low-hanging fruit such as related terms, Latent Semantic Terms and other gems that you research with low competition levels will usually provide the most value in terms of converting traffic and ROI.
5.) Rinse and Repeat
Many websites fail to obtain the best rankings and traffic positions because they do their research only once. Keyword usage is subject to trends and current events, seasonal fluctuations and other changes that should be researched and accounted for a regular basis, depending on growth and trends in your specific industry or niche.
Keeping these tips in mind will help you gain a better perspective on your competitor's keywords, but ultimately you'll want to verify what you found and see if your data can be expanded upon by a professional search engine optimization company. To find out exactly what your competition is up to, call the number at the top of your screen now for an immediate, free consultation.
