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What’s Over theFence?

Using Competitive Gap AnalysesTo Discover Low-Hanging Fruit

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Introduction toKeith Goode

• 20+ years of Experience in Online

• Currently SEO Manager for Systems at IBM

• Previously at:• seoClarity

• Dell

• SpareFoot

• BDX

• HomeAway

• AMD

• Follow me at @keithgoode

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What We Mean by Low-Hanging Fruit

• Quick Wins – for when you need to move the dial for an impatient stakeholder or executive

• Head-smacking Realization –Activities or Changes You Simply Overlooked

• Established SEO Efforts Needing a Fresh Perspective

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Organizational Challenge

• Strategies Built in a Silo• Naming Conventions

• The Way We Talk About Ourselves and Our Products

• The Way We Think Our Clients and Potential Customers Talk About Their Problems

• Marketing

• Information Architecture

• Etc.

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Step One: Competitor Validation Verify You’re Looking at the Right Competitors

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Market Competitors May Not Be Organic (NS) Competitors

Who’s Missing?

• Dell/EMC

• HPE

• Oracle

• IBM

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Your NS Competition May Be Smaller, More Nimble Organizations

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Best Tool Tip: VSAHead-Smacking Tip: Use Your Eyes

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Visual SERP Analysis

SERP = Google’s Translation of Searcher

Intent

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Visual SERP Analysis

Questions to Ask:

• Are you trying to compete with news outlets or informational sites

• Are these your competitors … or potential link relationships?

• Will adding to the query specificity get you closer to the right search intent?

• Head-smacking Realization: You may be throwing off your KPIs by measuring against the wrong competitors

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Mapping Search Intent Can Edify Information Architecture

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Step Two: Gathering

Competitive Keyword

Intelligence

For What Does Your Competition Rank?

Identifying Competitive Gaps – Keyword Methodology

[Your Company]

Competitor B

Competitor A

Easy to assume that where there’s no overlap, their

strength is branded term-

related

By looking at more than one competitor,

you can find the unbranded terms

you’re missing out on

It’s very easy to build a brand and the SEO strategy in a

bubble.

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Tools to Use

Competitive Keyword Analysis Tools

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AHREFs

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BrightEdge Data Cube

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SEMRush

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seoClarity

If you have seoClarity, you can skip the next slide

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Time to Get to Work

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Compile/Scrub Data – The Hard Work

1. Compile Self and Competitive Data into a Single Workbook

2. Match Fields or Remove Extraneous Columns

3. Label Each Row with Competitor Name

4. Combine into a Single Spreadsheet

5. Pivot & v-Lookup

6. Identify Keywords Where Multiple Competitors Rank But You Don’t

7. Sanity Check with SME, Stakeholders, Etc.

8. Make Recommendations for Content Additions

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Link Intelligence, PR

and Relationship

Building

Competitive Gap Analyses for Links

Identifying Competitive Gaps – Link Methodology

[Your Company]

Competitor B

Competitor A

Easy to assume that where there’s no overlap, links are partnerships

or subsidiary sites

These sites link to two or more of

your competitors. … Why not you?

Your Awesome Link Partners

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Tools to UseLink Intelligence Tools for Evaluating Site Authority

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Majestic

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AHREFs

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Moz Open Site Explorer

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seoClarity

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Time to Get to Work

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Compile/Scrub Data – The Hard Work

1. Compile Self and Competitive Link Data into a Single Workbook

2. Match Fields or Remove Extraneous Columns

3. Label Each Row with Competitor Name

4. Combine into a Single Spreadsheet

5. Pivot & v-Lookup

6. Identify Links to Multiple Competitors Not to You

7. Check Your PR Teams’ DO NOT CONTACT List

8. Devise Link Partnership Strategy

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Cooperate with PRThe Gate-Keepers to Your Most Valuable Link Assets

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Honor the DO NOT CONTACT List

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Co-Identify Industry Contacts for Links

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Bonus Round#1

Social Opportunities

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Quora – Are People Asking About You?

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Answer the Public – What Question Are They Asking

Google?

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Industry Forums:

Conversations About You

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Reddit: Ask Me Anything

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Bonus Round#2

Internal Search - What You Seek May be Within

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Internal Site Search

• Captures Precise Search Volume

• Captures CTR from Results

• Captures Preferred Destination

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Summary

• Validate Your Competitors

• Validate Your Keywords by Reviewing SERPs

• Identify Keyword Gaps Using Multiple Competitors

• Do the Same for Link Gaps

• Work With Your PR Team for Link Outreach

• Tap Into Your Internal Search Data

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Thanks!Reach out via:

LinkedIn: linkedin.com/in/keithlgoode

Twitter: twitter.com/keithgoode

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Flickr Photo Credits

Jacob Munk-Stander - Grapes - https://flic.kr/p/6JY3UF

Anja Pietsch - Peaches - https://flic.kr/p/p5uVYy

Adam McGee - Apple - https://flic.kr/p/8DSA4c

Vicky Sedgwick - Lemon - https://flic.kr/p/9bTZtx

Cathy Shrout - Cows at Fence - https://flic.kr/p/dxwwWX

Chris Burke - Horse at Fence - https://flic.kr/p/b4Cjce

svklimkin - Cherries - https://flic.kr/p/XdCbiN

Randen Pederson - Silo - https://flic.kr/p/34dhWw

David Pacey - Raspberries - https://flic.kr/p/p2dtEo

Alex O’Neal - Honeysuckle - https://flic.kr/p/7fWfbV

Mrs. Gemstone - Strawberries - https://flic.kr/p/9o3STj

John Tann - Indian Strawberry - https://flic.kr/p/noH7Sw

OlaUSAola - Plum - https://flic.kr/p/av2vkf

Randen Pederson - Prairie Dog Fight - https://flic.kr/p/6sdqt

Garry Knight - Garden tools - https://flic.kr/p/aqNH7R

Christopher Sessums - Garden tools - https://flic.kr/p/9DbC7E