Person searching in web browser
SEO is a powerful tool that marketers use to outperform competitors on various search engines. It is crucial for companies that want to maintain their financial position.
Implementing an SEO Strategy is beneficial, and companies around the world have noticed it. Therefore, business owners should remember that they are not alone in making the effort to use this valuable tool. The hard truth is that someone out there has a stronger SEO strategy than you. Embracing this fact can be the key to your success.
Identify your audience
Former Google Employee Cody Jensen has a strong appreciation for analytics, which led him to found Searchbloom, an agency that provides SEO-specific services. He suggests that companies see the importance of understanding their target market.
“Understanding your online audience should always be the first step of your SEO strategy,” says Jensen. “This process is especially important if you’re trying to reverse engineer search results to your advantage. Once you’ve determined your target audience, you can identify the keywords they’re using, which will help you identify direct competitors. Once you understand what your competitors are doing, you’re well on your way to reverse engineering the SERPs and beating your competitors on Google.”
There are many ways to identify your current or desired audience. If you have a website, chances are you already have a plethora of information about the demographics of your visitors. This information, combined with demographics from other channels, such as social media, can provide insight into the types of people who are looking for your product or services.
Identify keywords
The second step in reverse engineering search results is identifying the keywords used by your defined audience. This process can take various forms. Hannah Trivette, a digital marketing expert at NUVEW, recommends using Google as a guideline.
“Keyword research can be done manually through Google searches,” says Trivette. After performing a search, check out the questions under the section titled “People Also Ask”. Here, Google provides questions searched by others that are similar to your original search. By optimizing your keywords and blog topics based on what others search for, choose content that improves your ranking in these searches.”
Identifying a searcher’s intent during this research phase also provides valuable information about your target audience. To understand the intent of your searcher, you need to specify the type of solution a person is looking for when they enter a query. For example, a person’s search may be commercial, meaning the user is looking for a product or service. Other times, a person will look for information in a long article or blog rather than in a product. Finally, searchers may be looking for solutions or information that is more local to them.
Understanding why potential customers use search engines will help you understand the types of content they need and the keywords they use. This information will also help you rank higher in algorithms that also aim to understand their seeker’s intent.
Identify your competitors
Now that you have a good understanding of your target audience and their keywords, you can use the keywords to see where your competitors are gaining an advantage on search engines.
Pay attention to how your competitors design or optimize their websites for SEO. Where do your competitors post their keywords and how often? What kind of content do they create? What kind of pages rank highest when you use your keywords?
By analyzing what your competitors are doing correctly, you can develop your own SEO strategy. Using this information to optimize your own website can help you become more competitive in your field.
The SEO reverse engineering process provides businesses with valuable information every step of the way. However, it does require conscious time and strategy.
