When Robb Digital starts optimization work for a new client, one of the first and most crucial steps we take is to conduct an SEO competitive audit. It’s similar to a traditional marketing competitive review, but with a search engine optimization-specific focus.

We aim to uncover who your real search engine competitors are (you’d be surprised to know that they’re not always your direct industry competitors), how well they’re optimized and what it will take for your site to achieve ranking success. The findings from this review also help inform our keyword research and selection process.

Typically, our SEO Competitive Audit will include:

• An analysis of top ranking websites for a short list of mission critical keywords to identify competitors. This will help answer questions like, “Are my industry competitors ranking well?” or “If they’re not ranking, who else is holding the top positions for my keywords?” In some cases, sites that you’ve never considered as head-to-head competitors are ranking well and need to be tracked.
• Detailed review of competitor websites to assess level of optimization. We’ll look at adherence to on-site optimization best practices and link profiles, as well as paid search and social media footprints. This shows what you’re up against and how much effort is needed to achieve the desired rankings and/or possibly displace competitors.
• Keyword ranking report, detailing exactly what positions you and the competitors we’ve identified hold on the search engines for benchmarking purposes.
• Key takeaways, which add insights to the data to help you understand your strengths and weaknesses relative to your competitors and what it will take to make keyword ranking improvements.

Francis Bacon said “Knowledge is power” (I can hear the groans as the connection to my title becomes clear!), and our competitive audit gives us the power to collectively design a search engine optimization program that will deliver real results.

Have questions or want to learn more? Call us @ 908-444-6239.