Numerous people may consider that gaining top rankings in top search engine like Google, Bing etc, is almost impossible. For businesses, the war for being on number 1 page is fierce & it seems daily there is yet one more advertising must have that you must learn & apply to attain top positions.
This is partially true. There are many all-purpose markets that are hotly competitive, such as real estate, beauty &health, weight loss or general medical supplies. Niche markets present a cooler break to predict &/or manage the result of precise search terms.
Far from being an exercise in futility, top listings drive traffic & can lead to tremendous success online. You may be surprised to learn your competition can help you get there faster. Do not overlook the value of competitive intelligence in Search Engine Advertising.
There are several things that you can do to uncover competitive information & here we'll cover:
1. Who is Top "Dugg"?
Social book marking sites can yield a wealth of information about your competitors & target market. What are the top stories in your niche area? This can help you to shape content that will draw your target audience. Check your competitors to see if they have any diggs& if so for what type of content. There are many social bookmarking sites such as Mixx, Reddit&StumbleUpon. Digg has a large content base which makes it a good site for assessment.
2. Determine link popularity.
Using tier 1 keywords do a Google search. Pick the top three ranked Google sites. Take this information & check the link popularity using marketleap.com.
Take note of the number of incoming links. You want to review sites with the lowest number of incoming links & highest Google rankings. Do not limit your review to Google but check Yahoo & MSN results as well.
3. Perform keyword research.
Use the search term suggestion tool at inventory.overture.com, & look for keywords & their permutations with a good search volume. Stay looking at the tier 1-type terms until you spot an opportunity to build on. Use other tools like Google keyword tools (free), keyworddiscovery.com (paid). Use the keywords you select in this step by adding pages to your site, a common & 'must-do' SEO practice.
4. Find sites to target.
Go to Google & enter "allinanchor: tier 1 keyword" If your tier 1 keyword is weight loss you will type "allinanchor: weight loss." This will restrict the results depending on the number of links coming into a site based on that key word phrase. You are using this to determine sites from which you will target links. You can combine this with "allintitle:" as well - showing keywords used in tag of your pages(s).
5. Read their content.
Read & keep competitive advertising messages you receive in email or traditional mail. Review the messages, call to action statement & special offers. Do they emphasize call-to-action statements like "download a white paper," "sign up for this newsletter" or "buy this product now"? Are they using long tail keywords, such as "weight loss products for women in South Beach?" If they are using this method, you should consider employing it in your efforts.
This is partially true. There are many all-purpose markets that are hotly competitive, such as real estate, beauty &health, weight loss or general medical supplies. Niche markets present a cooler break to predict &/or manage the result of precise search terms.
Far from being an exercise in futility, top listings drive traffic & can lead to tremendous success online. You may be surprised to learn your competition can help you get there faster. Do not overlook the value of competitive intelligence in Search Engine Advertising.
There are several things that you can do to uncover competitive information & here we'll cover:
1. Who is Top "Dugg"?
Social book marking sites can yield a wealth of information about your competitors & target market. What are the top stories in your niche area? This can help you to shape content that will draw your target audience. Check your competitors to see if they have any diggs& if so for what type of content. There are many social bookmarking sites such as Mixx, Reddit&StumbleUpon. Digg has a large content base which makes it a good site for assessment.
2. Determine link popularity.
Using tier 1 keywords do a Google search. Pick the top three ranked Google sites. Take this information & check the link popularity using marketleap.com.
Take note of the number of incoming links. You want to review sites with the lowest number of incoming links & highest Google rankings. Do not limit your review to Google but check Yahoo & MSN results as well.
3. Perform keyword research.
Use the search term suggestion tool at inventory.overture.com, & look for keywords & their permutations with a good search volume. Stay looking at the tier 1-type terms until you spot an opportunity to build on. Use other tools like Google keyword tools (free), keyworddiscovery.com (paid). Use the keywords you select in this step by adding pages to your site, a common & 'must-do' SEO practice.
4. Find sites to target.
Go to Google & enter "allinanchor: tier 1 keyword" If your tier 1 keyword is weight loss you will type "allinanchor: weight loss." This will restrict the results depending on the number of links coming into a site based on that key word phrase. You are using this to determine sites from which you will target links. You can combine this with "allintitle:" as well - showing keywords used in tag of your pages(s).
5. Read their content.
Read & keep competitive advertising messages you receive in email or traditional mail. Review the messages, call to action statement & special offers. Do they emphasize call-to-action statements like "download a white paper," "sign up for this newsletter" or "buy this product now"? Are they using long tail keywords, such as "weight loss products for women in South Beach?" If they are using this method, you should consider employing it in your efforts.
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