Be SEO Competitive: 5 Ways To Stay Strong in The Game

The truth is that SEO is not a self-paced game.

It is innately a competition of sorts – and a stiff one at that. You go against your competitors to win the coveted title of ranking #1 (or landing on page one, if you’re not being very ambitious). If you mind your own business without glancing at how others are doing, you might find yourself outpaced in almost all aspects, and if that’s the case, you can kiss your search ranking goals goodbye.

Hence, you and your marketing team should be on your toes when it comes to SEO activities. It’s a balance between constantly improving your own site while at the same time, looking out the window to get a taste of the competition.

1. Target keywords strategically.

   
   Getting the top rankings on Google is not the ultimate objective; you also have to know which keyword queries yield the most traffic for your site. Just because a string of particular articles gave you the top spot doesn’t mean you have to stick to that framework. If it has minimal effects on your site traffic, then the top spot is practically useless, and thus you have to look for alternative routes.

   
   

2. Keep an eye on your competitor’s on-site SEO activities.

   
   When your rival sites make dramatic changes to their sites, it could be that: one, they have stumbled upon a better way to optimize their site for search results, or two, they’re updating in response to penalties or failure to achieve high rankings. Either way, you have to be aware of their movements so you could respond (or not respond) accordingly.

   
   

3. Check if other sites are banking on backlink profiles.

   
   Sometimes, marketers accidentally discover new linking strategies they can use to try to beat you. By using tools like Majestic SEO (free, with paid plans starting at $49.99 per month) or Open Site Explorer (free, with paid plans starting at $99 per month), you can uncover if they’re working on unpublicized techniques behind your back. This can also identify potential linking partners for your own site.

   
   

4. Be updated with current SEO news and trends.

   
   If you haven’t noticed yet, SEO is a constantly-evolving field of marketing. For all you know, last month’s popular trends are already futile, and you have to stay abreast of what’s new. Make it a habit to regularly check Search Engine Land or Search Engine Watch for fresh nuggets of gold.
   Example: Twerk Marketing: Lessons From Miley Cyrus’ Infamous VMA Performance

   
   

5. Content is still king; focus on it.

   
   Did you really expect to finish off this SEO blog post without it telling you to that content creation is still the key? It’s a fact, and it remains to be. Making quality content as your priority is a win-win situation – it appeals to both the strict indexing programs and, most importantly, people who read your posts.