Search Engine Optimization All-in-One For Dummies, 3rd Edition

Chapter 1

Identifying Your Competitors

In This Chapter

• Getting to know your competition
• Figuring out the real competition
• Knowing your strengths and weaknesses
• Looking at conversion in a competitive market
• Discovering the difference between conversion and traffic

As with any business, you need to know what you’re up against. Knowing who your competition is and figuring out how to beat them are the hallmarks of good business planning. Online businesses are like any business in that regard, but online and traditional businesses have some slight differences in how you build a competitive strategy, especially when it comes to search engine optimization.

In this chapter, we discuss how to figure out who your competition is and how to make their strengths and weaknesses work for you. You figure out how to research who your competitors are for the coveted top search engine rankings. Also, your competition in the brick-and-mortar world might not be the same as your competitors online. Finally, it's one thing to know your competition; it’s another to put that information to use. Not to worry: We’ve got you covered in this chapter.

Getting to Know the Competition

With any business, you want to feel out the market. Whom are you competing with, and how are they doing? This is important because it gives you an idea of how to run your own business. If others are succeeding in your market space, they’re doing something right. You also need to know what other people are doing wrong so that ...