Creating a keyword set is much more than just knowing your brand and products. This means;
- Make the effort to better understand your digital ecosystem.
- What space does it fill?
- The other people in that space.
- Who is above and below you in SERPs?
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| 7 ways to search for keywords 2022 |
You also need to think about the intent of both the competitor and the researcher, and what you can do to attract qualified researchers, as well as those who have a general interest in your area of expertise.
In this article; We offer seven essential tips for strategic thinking, to identify your competitors for better keyword research .
Positioning competition competition
Virtual and natural ecosystems are similar in many ways. for example; There are many organisms in the natural world that seek the same food source. It doesn't matter if they are of the same race and species, they are after all rivals .
The same laws of nature can be applied to the virtual world. Those vying for the same level of visibility as your competitors, it is important for keyword research to take into account space fit.
Related competitors include:
- Direct competitors: Those who sell the same products and services to the same target audience as you.
- Indirect competitors: Those who may sell the same product but to a different audience or market. Or those who sell a different product or service, but the importance of their product is very close, you are competing for a similar audience.
- Semantic competitors: These competitors may not even sell a product, they may only provide interesting, controversial, newsworthy or essential information to gain visibility from the same audience you are targeting.
Indirect competition positioning
While most companies and marketers can point out their direct and obvious competitors, learning how to identify your indirect competitors and their semantics may require more ingenuity, creative thinking, and an understanding of relevance.
If you offer a custom photo editing software for the desktop platform, one obvious indirect competitor will be an app that does something similar, especially for the mobile platform.
Your indirect competitors may not always be one step away from your product or purpose, but they include those who are trying to achieve the same vision in the eyes of your target audience.
Another indirect competitor might be a camera company that sells the product every photographer needs before they need your software.
In an effort to get the photographer's attention, both of you might use similar techniques and target similar basic and relevant keywords that build trustworthiness for knowledge, industry, and niche of photography.
Learning from the blog Semantic competitors
If you want to know the rising industry trends in your niche, it is crucial that you keep an eye on popular industry publications and prescriptive competitors.
Going where your audience is going to stay on top of the latest trends will help you gain significant value.
These semantic competitors can give you:
- Insights into the rising and falling trends of keywords .
- And how researchers' inquiries and questions may change over time.
- Semantic competitors can also give you insight into the progress of lesser known competitors.
If you see a post discussing a new product or service in direct competition with yours, this is a new competitor that you should analyze. Stay tuned for these free ideas about competitors.
Manual searches and analysis of who is at the top of the search results
When considering competitors, look for those at the top using a manual search.
This is easily done by using Google to search for a keyword , snippet check , and SERP with careful analysis of who will appear. Then get a deeper insight into how they organize content and present it with purpose and intent.
Any payable “business” to appear in the same place you are is definitely a competitor. Take a look at the content they create and the keywords they don't just target but pay for.
Looking at who ranks in your public space can give you insight into how these competitors – direct, indirect, and semantic – deal with content and searcher service.
Imitating a rated competitor, but with your own content
You can take a look at how the Snippet Winners (SERP) create this content, and use the key information and topics you see represented in the rating articles. However, that doesn't mean you have to copy and paste - content should never be.
But you can find keyword opportunities and mimic your competitors' content by making sure you provide similar information with the same intent, or mine their content for more long query opportunities.
Your content should include a more comprehensive and relevant way of exploring the whole topic through a unique lens, to provide similar, original content worthy of answering a researcher's query.
be social
Be social and go straight to the source.
- Find out what social platforms your audience usually uses, join those platforms, and use social media to identify your competition.
- You can also take a backseat approach and monitor your followers and target audience.
- Look at who they follow and ask yourself why. Next, look at the content of these competitors and dig into the keywords they target with their content and think about whether you offer the same or similar value with your keyword portfolio.
- You can even use your social media to survey your followers and audience and ask what other sources they are looking for for information or indirect competitor products.
- You can also search other social forums like Reddit or Quora or niche groups and sites to see what your audience is talking about. Know who they are looking for when making information search decisions and making a purchase.
Local Packet Tracking
The local package is the result box that is placed on top of the (SERP) query near me .
If your goal is to rank in a local search, a key step in creating a local keyword group is to track the topics, results, and keywords in the local bundle.
There are many factors Google uses when evaluating local content to deliver in a snack package.
Gaining a position in the Local Pack will not only be updated, monitored and improved on your Google Maps profile , but will also depend on your relevance, distance, relevance or popularity .
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| Local Packet Tracking |
To achieve the goal of your local arrangement and make it into the local package;
- You need to take a careful look at who is showing up and how these situations are moving.
- As you constantly monitor the local package for its rankings, take note of all these competitors and do a deep analysis of their keyword portfolios.
- Find similarities and differences in the specific keyword queries they target and include them in your content strategy .
- Look for local links earned by your competitors to other relevant opportunities as well. Ask yourself why keyword content is worth earning local links , and if there are opportunities for you to do something similar and unique.
Google's constant updates to the Local Pack will give you some clue as to which competitor is your best keyword research competitor.
Follow links and tags
Another strategy for identifying competitors is to look for links and mentions . This may include; Look for review sites, even affiliate -focused blogs, to see who gets them (either paid or free) into valuable online conversations.
It is even better to find reliable and reputable sites and publications with a large number of followers, that provide links and mentions in their content
This strategy can help you spot not only reliable or well-known competitors, but also unique and emerging competitors who have done something smart or unique enough to make them worth mentioning early on.
Once you find these sites and find out which competitors are listed there, follow the link to the competitor's page and do a keyword analysis.
Analyze on-page optimization and research how their content is positioned, not only to serve the intent of the searcher, but how it satisfies the needs of the audience in a way that makes it relatable.
Conclusion
Researching your competitors is an essential aspect of managing your online presence, but it is not sufficient alone. If you are only looking for the best score or a direct competitor, you may be missing out on other valuable opportunities.
Just like many other aspects of SEO, the nuance is in the details. The competition for that space and vision takes a comprehensive approach.