In traditional market research it's essential to get to know who your competitors are. The same principle applies to search engine marketing. You shouldn't rely solely on Internet marketing companies for this sort of information. You have to do your own bit of research to see exactly which of your competitors have a powerful voice on the web and why.
Start With Search Engines
Search engines are the first place to start your research. Start by entering the most generic keyword describing your industry and business. Normally (although this is not always the case), the first site that is returned is likely to be the site with the most authority in the field. It can be a company, a direct competitor, an industry association or organisation. This is where you should start your research.
Authority sites not only provide useful information on your industry but also list external links to related sites. These are very valuable because sites mentioned by authority sites are likely to be high profile and reputable in themselves. A company which you are competing against at the same level could be one of those high profile sites. Having a high online profile means that they put a lot of effort in their online presence.
Directories
Directories are another excellent place to look for related sites within a certain industry. There are general directories with hundreds of categories such as the Yahoo! directory and the Open Directory. Dig deep to find sites that fit the profile.
Putting Everything Together
So you've found several high profile sites mentioned by search engines and directories. They're also mentioned by authority sites in your industry. Now you have to see just how visible they are on the web:
- Run their name in search engines. This will bring up most sites that mention their name in a way or another
- Try to understand why other sites link out to these sites. Is it because they're highly reputable or because they offer something of value to visitors on their website?
- Jump from link to link to dig deeper for information about your industry. Don't limit yourself to researching your competitors. If you find interesting links, bookmark them, they might come in handy at a later stage.
- Search newsgroups and discussion lists for their names and see what people mention about them and how they feel about them.
- Do they have specialised staff communicating with the industry (with partners and potential customers) through discussions lists, newsletters etc. What are they doing in order to have louder online voice than yours?
- Search specialty journals, newspapers and web libraries for their name and see what kind of exposure they are getting and why.
- Are they advertising on other sites through banners, links? Where are they advertising? What type of sites?
- Is their name mentioned on conference, industry associations sites?
- Are they looking to increase their reputation or are they also looking at attracting and converting visitors into customers?
These are just a few of the things you can do to grasp a better understanding of your competitors. Look for information on all aspects of your industry, and not just on your competitors. Commit as much time as you can and you will get a better perspective of your industry.
Industry Information in the Search Engine Marketing process
No matter which company you choose, you will have something very valuable to contribute to the SEO campaign. You will know your industry much better than the company do, to begin with. Sharing information with the company, expressing your ideas, opinions and your understanding of the industry can help them understand your needs better and help you to establish both the goals and the path to achieving those goals.
This also allows you to see whether the SEO company is a fraud and whether they have any idea how to use the information you give them. If they can't use the information to understand what you need or if they're trying to change your mind regarding your own needs (which let's be honest, you know a lot better), it might reveal that they lack the necessary experience and expertise in the field.
All Internet marketing companies have particular ways to research a certain industry. These can be methods developed in-house and if effective, are kept under wraps because they're so valuable. That is why this is a two way partnership. You're sharing your knowledge of the industry with them and you should expect the same in return. Ask them to show you the information they obtained from their own research (not the methods they used, just the results). It will come in handy to you in the long term, whether you continue your relationship with the company or not.
This article was first published on 06 August 2004 and does not necessarily match current events or the current opinions and views of bigmouthmedia ltd.
