Join UsIn his tiny 76 page book, “The Dip,” marketing expert Seth Godin tells people that there is a common trait amongst great marketers and entrepreneurs: they know when to quit. In the book’s case, the trait is observed amongst online entrepreneurs, particularly those in the technology sector. The most successful entrepreneurs, Godin says, can do two things that others can’t. Firstly, they can see when a venture is going to fail, and know when to pull out of it. Secondly, they can sense when a venture is going to succeed, and know exactly how to work through the stress, uncertainty, and difficulties.
The comparisons to SEO are numerous and quite easy to make. SEO, when reduced down to its simplest form, is a big vs. small fight. Small upstarts take on the high-ranking website, and often win. The thing is, they just as often fail. The Dip is endemic amongst SEO experts — the best fight their way through and end up winning the battle, and at the same time judge their fights well.
One of the most important parts of SEO is understanding exactly what you are competing against. The Dip affects everyone, but it is amplified when you pick an opponent that outclasses you, not just in sheer power but in resolve. Whenever you are planning an SEO campaign, take these steps to judge your opponents, and work out whether The Dip is worth climbing through.
1. Check backlink quantity
This step is easy. Fire up Yahoo Site Explorer, look through your competitors’ websites, and determine whether or not they are going to be tough opponents. Backlink quantity is one aspect of SEO, but it is certainly not everything. Still, in order to create a good long-term SEO campaign, it is good to know exactly what type of competition you are up against.
2. Check backlink quality
In combination with the first step, this will give you the bulk of your analytical data. When you are surveying rival websites, do not just look at the numbers — look at the quality. If a competitor’s website has multiple inbound links from CNN.com, you have got to value their total count differently from how you would if they only had links from small local websites.
3. Think of their future strategy
Looking through their inbound links, it is easy to establish patterns and strategies. If they have lots of links coming from article directories and content-heavy news websites, it is quite clear that they are using article marketing to boost their rankings. If their links are low quantity but from authority websites, it is obvious that they are not highly invested in SEO strategy, and are much more focused on generating quality inbound direct traffic.
From these findings it should be easy to see what your rival’s next steps could be. Once you have got a picture of where they are going, it is much more simple to create a winning strategy.
4. Craft a strategy that builds off of their work
The most effective way to fight an SEO competitor is not with blunt force links, but with strategic links. Once you have determined your competitor’s strategy, design your own that renders theirs valueless. If they are prioritizing low quality links in great numbers, design your website to generate a small amount of ultra-high quality links. If they are gaining links from article directories, submit articles for their target keywords before they can get to them.
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