Is My Website Up to Par With My Competition?

Yvette Rodriguez

Yvette Rodriguez About The Author

June 4, 2020 at 8:55 AM

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Websites are the de facto "front door" to modern businesses. Companies that leverage cutting edge technology and web optimization practices can outperform less invested competitors. According to HubSpot, organic SEO is about 5.66 times more effective than paid search ads.

Of course, in today's plugged-in world, customers demand that a website is high-performing. Users want prompt answers to their questions, ease of navigation, and a seamless experience. Thus a key question for many business owners becomes: "How does my website stack up to the competition?" If you’re looking to analyze your website in comparison to your competitors, here are five questions to ask yourself. 

How Do Your Keywords & SEO Rankings Compare?

Keywords are one of the foundational pillars of any SEO strategy, and it's important to know which ones your competitors are ranking under during searches. There are a number of ways to accomplish this. For example, you can check Alexa to see how your site compares to your competitors when it comes to organic search. You can also use backlink analysis to determine which referral sources are contributing to your high-ranking competitors' success. Ahrefs is an excellent resource to efficiently identify and "score" competitor backlinks.

You may be asking if your website is using the same keywords or keyword phrases that your competitors are. Conduct a search yourself to see if your competitors appear when you’re looking for your company using the keywords. When you utilize a specific keyword or search phrase related to your industry on Google (or another search engine), look at the related searches at the bottom of the page for further inspiration. You are able to see what others are searching for and what keywords your competitors are using in their SEO strategy. By taking those related keywords and incorporating them throughout your website, you are helping to better optimize your website against the competition.

Is Your Target Audience Resharing Your Content on Social Media?

An excellent way to gauge the effectiveness of your website in comparison to the competition is to perform a social media audit. Look at what your target demographic is discussing, posting, and resharing on key platforms. For instance, is there a lot of social media buzz around a recent advertising campaign deployed by one of your main competitors? By seeing what your target audience is saying about your competition, you can utilize that feedback to your advantage. 

Another way to see how your website is performing from your audience’s perspective is to see if they’re sharing your website, reposting your content, or talking about their experience with your digital platforms. This information can be critical to monitoring how well your website is reaching your audience and fulfilling their needs. 

Are You Offering Content & Information That Stands Out Among the Competition?

Providing content that is not only valuable, but unique, can help your brand stand out among the competition. You need to determine what gaps can be filled in the lives of your audience and keep that information in mind when publishing content. What unanswered questions does your target audience still have? How can you creatively answer those questions and serve them through your site?

These digital marketing efforts will help your website be a true resource for your potential customers. Before making a purchase, consumers like to conduct online research to answer their questions and read reviews. If your company can provide the answers they need and have reviews and testimonials visible, that can help guide them to make a purchase. 

In addition to providing information, this content can be used to familiarize prospects with your brand even more. In many cases, a partnership with a reputable media company can help you to create high-quality content that’s engaging and even share-worthy!

Is Your Website Optimized for Mobile?

If a potential customer is watching TV and interested in learning more about your product, chances are they’re going to search using their phone. That’s why it’s critical your website is optimized for mobile. This will insure the user has a positive experience versus stopping the search immediately out of frustration. 

This just doesn’t stop at the website though. It’s important to make sure all your content translates to mobile, including videos, surveys and click-thrus. 

Is Your Website Loading Quickly?

Bounce rate is the measure of the number of visitors that come to your site, and then promptly leave, or "bounce." If your bounce rate is high, that could be a reflection of slow page load times. Page speed is a critical factor in customer conversion.

Checking to see if your site is loading at optimal speeds on PCs, tablets, and mobile phones can be crucial when it comes to having a website that stands out among others. Partnering with a technically proficient media company can help you to achieve maximum page speed, produce high-quality content, and successfully target your audience. 

If you want to ensure that your website remains competitive in today's marketplace, then examine it using the five questions mentioned. The field of digital marketing is constantly changing, which makes it vital to stay on top of industry trends. By doing so, you can keep pace, and even outperform, your competitors.

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