Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most effective ways to make sure your website gains more visibility and brings in a steady stream of organic volume. However, to get to that point, it’s important to know where and when you should prioritize certain digital marketing tactics.
One of the most effective ways you can start to move the needle on your SEO efforts is by reverse engineering the high ranking websites on the first page of search results.
Analyzing the Winners of 1st Page Results Pages
When you’re trying to rank for a new set of keywords or phrases, it can be difficult to know if the efforts you’re putting into making the content relevant and searchable are actually working. But rather than flying blind, so to speak, you can evaluate the websites that are already ranking for your chosen keywords to see how your own content stacks up.
You can start this process by following the steps below:
Identify Your Target Keywords
The first thing you’ll want to do is create a comprehensive list of keywords that you want to target. There are a variety of tools you can use to help simplify this process, but the important thing to do is look for keywords and phrases that have a difficulty score that’s not too high.
While some keywords might have a lot of volume, if the keyword difficult rating is higher (typically 20 or above), it’s likely that you’ll have a much more difficult time replicating the same high ranking as other brands.
Take Note of Your Competitors
Once you’ve settled on the keywords you want to rank for, note any competitors whose listings show up on the top results pages. Either create a spreadsheet or track these competitors using online SEO tools.
Rankings are highly dynamic, which means there can often be different spikes in how rankings are achieved. Tracking your competitors will help to make sure you’re not only seeing what type of content they are most successful with but also things they are doing that may be impacting their rankings long-term.
Things You Can Learn From Your Competitors
After you’ve identified all of the competitive listings you want to track, you can now start diving into the different variables that might be helping them to rank. Some relevant things you’ll want to track include:
Keyword Insights
Often, when you start to analyze your competitor’s listings, you’ll start to see specific trends in how they incorporate keywords into the website and supporting content. In many cases, you might not see an overuse of your target keyword but notice a variety of associated terms closely related to it.
Make a note of any of these similar keywords so you can analyze them further. Typically, these semantic terms also play an important factor in ranking for a specific related word or phrase.
Content Gaps
Although you want to see what your competitors are doing right, you also want to look for areas where they might be missing some important points. Google prioritizes content that is unique and isn’t readily available on other websites.
When you create various types of content that feature unique perspectives or more knowledgeable topics, they will often outrank generic pieces of content that have already been duplicated in a number of different ways.
Navigation Structure
Another variable that search engines use to rank certain types of content has to do with the user experience that brands create. The longer a user remains on a website and engages with other elements, it shows to search engines that the content is providing value and helps to reinforce rankings.
Many times, creating a great user experience comes down to creating a website that’s easy to understand and navigate.
Take note of how your competitors are structuring their web content. Does it follow a certain hierarchical structure with header tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.)? Do they have a table of contents? By paying attention to these details, you can start to uncover what types of elements perform well when compared to other similar content pieces.
Use of Media
Most people are visual learners, and Google knows this. This is why the use of media – whether it’s images, videos, or infographics – can be a major weighting factor in which content Google prioritizes on results pages.
Have a look at your competitors and take note of how many various media elements they’re using (or not using) to get an idea of how you can create a similar experience on your own website.
Website Performance
Website performance and mobile-friendliness have become other important ranking factors for search engines. More individuals browse and shop online using their mobile devices than desktop PCs. This means that websites need to be responsive enough to provide the same experience to users regardless of how they’re exploring new content.
This importance extends into the performance of the site itself. Google has very specific guidelines and benchmarks in place that help website owners make sure they’re meeting industry standards on website loading speeds, image rendering times, and overall responsiveness.
By seeing how your competitors stack up to these benchmarks in relation to your own content, you can potentially identify other areas of improvement you should focus on.
Reverse Engineer Your Way to the Top of Search Results Pages
Reverse engineering page one results can be a great way to give yourself the insights you need to keep your SEO efforts focused. However, while learning from your competitors can be helpful for your own initiatives, it’s not a license to copy their content or structure.
You want to use the information you learn as inspiration and to help you avoid missing optimization opportunities. By doing this, you’ll be sure to show search engines that your content is relevant, unique, and deserves to be used as a valuable reference for users.
