Search engine optimization, informally known as SEO, is a complex and multi-faceted field that requires expertise in several different areas in order to be successful. It doesn’t matter if you’re attempting to rank your site among search results in Utah or those on the East Coast — the playing field shows no preference when it comes to quadrants such as keyword competitiveness, inbound site traffic and user-friendly content.
So with SEO being such a competitive field (In Utah and in surrounding areas) how can you successfully (and legally) navigate the task at hand? To be frank, try taking a cue from your competitors. As much as you might view competitors as business rivals, competitors can be your best friends when it comes to search engine optimization.
Re-Spin Your Competitors’ Content
Although the phrase “content is king” still reigns in the digital kingdom of SEO, the phrase itself could benefit from a bit of a facelift. Although content certainly is one of the integral components of search engine optimization (whether you’re ranking for Utah-centric search terms or otherwise), the playing field has added a new referee: ideas. To take search engine optimization seriously means you absolutely must be aware of the content ideas your competitors are spinning, and then execute them with more precision and appeal.
Track Competitor Traffic with Link Mirroring
The advent of easy access to search engine research tools such as Moz’s Open Site Explorer have made it easy to not only track your competitors’ inbound links, but to mirror them. Although you should refrain from completely mimicking the strategy of your competitors, it’s vital that you become privy to where your competitors are getting their information. To beat a competitor, you must first get inside the mind of a competitor. Tracking and analyzing competitor links is the first step in accessing the thought processes of serious, major-league competition.
