7 steps to evaluate your competitors' websites
TRANSCRIPT
7 Steps to Evaluate Your Competitors’ Websites
Understanding the Strengths and Weaknesses of Your Practice’s Web Presence through
Competitive AnalysisBy Adam Rowan, Content Specialist, Page 1
Solutions
1. Explore Web ContentAs the old adage says, “Content is king.”
Each website has a few key “castles” where you can find content that will help
you understand who your competitors are, what they find important, and how they integrate these priorities into their
practice website.
To learn what your competitors are doing online, pay particular attention to these
three sections of their website:
a. Home Page
b. About Page c. Blog
2. Check Social MediaFor most practice websites, the
“big three” social media platforms are:
A competitor’s YouTube channel can be particularly instructive because it
contains elements of the following:
Social engagement Custom content Search engine optimization
YouTube
Two important aspects of your competitors’ social media profiles to analyze are the profile information as
well as the activity. Practices with complete profiles tend to enjoy more
social traffic, and updates that are timed to coincide with the peak activities of
fans and followers will likely drive more engagement.
3. Read ReviewsReview websites might be the first
opportunity that clients have to learn about your practice online. However, if
your competitors have more reviews or a higher average rating than you do, your practice might not see as many leads.
Google+ not only hosts client reviews but also has social posting capabilities
as well as applications to provide accurate business information to
search engines.Also consider the positioning of your practice on industry-specific websites
(ex: Avvo for lawyers, Healthgrades for doctors) and general review platforms
(ex: Yelp).
4. Check Search Results Getting a comprehensive view of how your
practice website is performing compared to the websites of your competitors generally requires a specialized tool that monitors organic search and Web presence. However, you can start to identify
how your practice competes online with a few simple searches.
First, define a few key terms for which you want pages on your practice website to rank well. These should be conversational keywords
describing the service you offer, plus relevant localizations.
Hundreds of factors affect the placement of Web pages in search results. The important thing to
understand is where your practice stands online compared to competitors.
*Disclaimer: Google and other search engines are built to deliver unique results to each individual
user. There is often variability between one user’s results and another’s. Your initial findings might
not be reflective of what other users sees.
5. Compare User ExperienceMobile traffic now comprises a substantial portion of Web users, and search engines make ongoing adjustments to reward sites that provide a good experience for mobile
and tablet users.
In order to check the mobile capabilities of a competitor’s website, simply enter the URL you accessed on your desktop computer into
the Web browser app on your phone or tablet. If the website automatically adjusts
for the smaller screen size and the functionality changes for users operating a
touchscreen instead of a mouse and keyboard, that website is mobile-friendly.
6. Review Contact InformationYour clients like to have options, and that reality is no different for the websites they
visit to learn about and purchase goods and services. In an always-connected world where phones function like computers,
websites with the best user experience are the ones that are multifaceted enough to anticipate the different behaviors a visitor might exhibit and provides functionality to
match.
Practices that implement the capability to call the office directly, send an email or fill out an online form, and chat with a real-life representative can successfully receive and respond to any type of user request, setting the practice apart and likely winning more
clients than the competition.
Integrating access to social media profiles prominently in your site contact information can provide
users another means of getting in touch with your practice and cross-promote different aspects of your
practice’s online marketing presence.
7. Pay Attention to AdvertisingAds can take many forms online. While it’s easy to spot a competitor on a billboard,
park bench, or side of a bus, Internet advertising is designed to be more subtle
(but no less effective).
Depending on the websites you visit and the searches you perform, you might see several
types of ads. You must be in the same location as your competitor to see these ads;
they are geo-targeted.Display AdsMight be found on
websites you regularly visit as part of your
daily routine, such as YouTube, news
affiliates, and others. Typically located above
or to the side of content.
Pay-Per-Click (PPC) AdsSearch results given prominence
due to practices bidding on a keyword phrase and creating
landing pages to draw attention. Focus generally given to priority
keyword terms and phrases that are difficult to compete for in organic search results, or to drive more
leads to the practice.
The information you find after following these suggestions should be treated as a starting point. In many cases, thorough competitive analysis requires access to tools such as Google Analytics, Web presence management platforms, and more, as well
as the knowledge to use the insights provided by these tools effectively.
Staff at your practice might not have experience with this technical side of competitive analysis, but team members at Page 1 Solutions do. We can help you gain insights into your competitors and find areas of opportunity for your practice.
Next Steps
If you are currently a client of Page 1 Solutions and you would like to learn more about how competitive analysis
can drive leads to your practice, please contact your Internet Marketing
Consultant today!
If you are considering Web marketing services and would like to find out how
our team can use competitive intelligence to benefit your practice, please contact our Sales Team by calling (800) 368-9910 today!
www.Page1Solutions.com(800) 368-9910
Effective Web Marketing