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How to Crush the Competition in the SERPs

Tired of falling behind your competitors in the search results? Ready to give your business an extra boost of visibility? Perhaps it's time to rethink your SEO and digital marketing strategy.

By Carlos FoxPublished 4 years ago 3 min read
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How to Crush the Competition in the SERPs
Photo by Campaign Creators on Unsplash

Tired of falling behind your competitors in the search results? Ready to give your business an extra boost of visibility? Perhaps it's time to rethink your SEO and digital marketing strategy. Sometimes, you need a bit of ingenuity and marketing know-how to be able to adapt in the face of stiff competition.

Luckily, there are a few smart ways to take greater control of your brand visibility and increase your prospective leads. All you need to know are a few smart competitor SEO strategies to help you surge forward.

1. Run a competitor analysis

You can't outsmart a competitor's strategy if you don't know what that strategy is. That's why you need to run an effective competitor analysis. This SEO tactic will help you find opportunities for your plan of attack. Sometimes, you'll realize that you're taking different approaches to your SEO that have differing levels of effectiveness. Other times, you may spot your competitors targeting keywords that make more sense for your industry.

While you can always incorporate SEO tools to run an analysis, there are a few things you can accomplish with a cursory look at some competitor sites. First, take a look at the content they produce. Is it more or less impactful than yours? Then, review their keyword strategy. Are keywords and phrases well-integrated? Of course, you should never directly copy a strategy, but you can certainly take some inspiration from your competition.

2. Reassess your internal linking

While external links and backlinks are still incredibly important facets of modern SEO strategy, internal linking can have a notable impact as well. Whenever a prospective lead lands on your website, your internal linking strategy can mean the difference between high bounce rates and that lead staying on your site for extended periods of time. In simpler terms, more time on your site means more potential for a valuable conversion.

Say, for example, you run a home improvement website. On a page about finishing a basement, you could find internal linking opportunities for flooring and wiring services. As long as your anchor text is smartly chosen and remains relevant to the content, your internal linking profile will benefit you in the long run.

3. Learn more about keyword research

One of the biggest SEO mistakes that businesses make is either not conducting keyword research or targeting only the highest traffic keywords. There are a few issues with each approach. For starters, without any keyword research, you may think you're targeting terms that your customers value but you're actually pursuing keywords and phrases that see minimal traffic. You will also have difficulty maintaining a robust content strategy.

As far as targeting only seemingly high-value search terms, you'll either find that you're struggling to rank against tougher competitors or are simply being overwhelmed in the SERPs. Often, you want a balance of high-traffic, long-tail, and achievable keywords. Long-tail keywords, in particular, are more specifically targeted and often convey buying intent.

4. Partner with SEO services

For many business owners, handling every aspect of their SEO and digital marketing strategy simply isn't realistic. If you find yourself wearing too many hats, it's likely in your best interest to reach out to an SEO service. Businesses like SERPtheory make it easier to outrank the competition without devoting all of your time and energy to your SEO strategy. Sometimes, the best way to stand out amongst the competition is to leave your digital efforts in the hands of the professionals. Look for services that strike a balance of affordability and effectiveness. It could be one of the best business investments you've ever made.

If this crash-course in SEO has you ready to dominate the search engines, you're off to a good start. Review your strategy and don't be afraid to ask for help. If you truly want to beat the competition, you'll need to use every tool at your disposal.

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