It can be very easy when learning SEO to assume that as you improve your website, your competitors around you stand still. It isn’t true and in the real world, the reality is, your competitor websites are measuring you as much as your analysis on them.
In my agency years, one of the most frustrating things was getting a client to understand that SEO is not an administration process and that adding a few links here and a bit of content there, is not enough for a long-lasting strategy, especially if rankings are stolen from someone else. As soon as the competitor notices a drop in their rankings, then the same instruction to recover rankings is sent to their SEO agency.
Just Like Any Sport Or Business, It Is Ever Moving
But it is not all bad news, because not all businesses are tuned into visibility or wish to invest in the right people to keep them at the top of the correct search rankings. The initial question when employing a local SEO agency “What are the overall objectives” of this online investment is often not answered. Very often it is all about the Kudos of ranking for a few search terms, rather than as a strategy that targets a set consumer base that matches that business.
A Luxury Car Dealer could get more traffic to their website if the website is optimised for “cheap cars” or “value family cars”, but would sales increase? I doubt it, there needs to be research and an understanding of the customer’s search intent and those who will buy from you. Not only that but it will create negative engagement signals, if those visiting your site, bounce back or fail to click on your site in the first place. Google uses these signals like CTR (click-through rates) and retention times, to measure a site’s quality and relevance. Real customers will stay on your site and show their interest.
There are regions in the UK such as my local area of Teesside, that do not have the visibility of major cities, but have a lot of talent to share. Ranking for “Teesside” based search terms may not attract the Nationwide customers being sought.
Being part of the competition does not mean always playing by the same rules, there are strategies that can match the customer bases and be more cost-effective.
Long tail search terms can bring very little traffic, but they are known to have a much better conversion rate, especially if your website is one of the few that have targeted those.
Only Join The Competitions You Can Compete In
There are some reality checks, competing against large corporations that have an unlimited budget, may be a mistake. So, seeking out other less competitive search terms that match your customer base and convert, will always be more fruitful.
Putting together the content and strategies that match a business’s unique selling point and relating them to the right type of customer, can separate the quality of the agency or consultant being employed.