Every business has competitors, and online they’re only ever a click away from your customers. When someone searches for what you offer, your website, ads and social media are sitting right next to theirs.
That’s why it pays to keep an eye on what your competition is doing. You’re not trying to copy them. You’re looking for what works, what doesn’t and where the gaps are that your business can fill.
Here are four ways to stake out your online competition and use what you learn to get ahead.
1. Seek Out Their Social Sphere
Look through all of your competitors’ social media channels and try to spot trends in what they post and how people respond. For example, if their sales held at weekends get more comments, likes and shares than the ones held on weekdays, it might show that your industry and target audience are more active at weekends.
Pay attention to negative feedback too. Complaints and criticism on a competitor’s page show you exactly what their customers are unhappy with, so you can make sure your business doesn’t make the same mistakes.
You can also see the ads your competitors are running. The Meta Ad Library shows every active ad on Facebook and Instagram, and the Google Ads Transparency Center does the same for Google. Both are free and can tell you a lot about the offers and messages your competitors are pushing.
Look at what gets customers talking, what they respond to and what they ignore. This will give you a much better understanding of the people you’re targeting.
2. Pounce on Low-Competition Keywords
Search Google for some common terms that both you and your competitors would want to rank for. Then try some less obvious terms that still apply to your businesses.
Say you both run printing businesses. You might both appear in searches for “business cards”, but perhaps your competitor isn’t as visible for searches such as “wall decals” or “brochure printing”. If that’s the case, you’ve found keywords with less competition.
You can then create website content and ad campaigns around these keywords to establish yourself as the go-to business in those areas and reach a broader customer base.
Tools such as Google Keyword Planner (free with a Google Ads account) can help you find more keyword ideas and see how often people search for them.
3. Analyse Their Website
Spend some time going through your competitors’ websites as if you were a customer. How easy is it to find what you’re looking for? How quickly do the pages load? Is it simple to get in touch, book or buy?
Take note of what they do well and where they fall short. Look at their prices, their calls to action, the reviews and testimonials they show, and the content on their blog. If their website is slow, outdated or confusing on mobile, that’s an opportunity for your business to stand out.
4. Become Your Competition’s Customer
Take a break from sleuthing and actually become a customer of one of your competitors. Buy and examine their products, or try out their services yourself.
What are they doing differently from you that draws customers in? How is their customer service? What’s their delivery or follow-up like?
You might come away underwhelmed and discover that your business offers something far better. If so, you need to promote your USP (unique selling point) more. If you offer things your competitors can’t, make sure every customer knows about it.
Stay One Step Ahead
Keeping an eye on your competition isn’t about worrying what they’re up to. It’s about learning from their successes and their mistakes so you can make smarter decisions for your own business. Check in on your competitors regularly, and you’ll always know where you stand and where your next opportunity lies.
At Whelan Web Design, we take all the necessary preparation and aftercare steps to make sure your website stands head and shoulders above the competition. We’re a Waterford-based web design agency helping businesses across Ireland. Get in touch with us to have a standout website designed, developed and launched for your business.
