How Google’s March, April and August updates might fit together

It’s been an interesting year in Google-land, with a number of large updates, including those in March, April and August.

Many have written at length and shared related data about all of these updates. In today’s post, I’ll cover in depth one aspect of the August update that hasn’t received much attention: brand authority.

I believe that one significant component of what Google did with the August update — increasing rankings for sites with general brand authority — was an adjustment to the impact of the March and April updates.

To be clear, the August update clearly had many different components that are also of critical importance. I’m calling out brand authority because it was not explicitly identified by other articles on the update.

I’ll go into this more deeply below, but I’ll begin with a brief recap of what others have said about the March, April and August updates. Feel free to skip ahead.

A brief recap of the March and April updates

I’m not going to repeat what’s already been said in the many excellent articles about these updates (though I link to some of them below). I will summarize some of the basics, then add some additional thoughts about what happened.

Here are some of the key quotes from Google on the update:

Google SearchLiaison

✔@searchliaison

 · Mar 12, 2018

Each day, Google usually releases one or more changes designed to improve our results. Some are focused around specific improvements. Some are broad changes. Last week, we released a broad core algorithm update. We do these routinely several times per year....

Google SearchLiaison

✔@searchliaison

As with any update, some sites may note drops or gains. There’s nothing wrong with pages that may now perform less well. Instead, it’s that changes to our systems are benefiting pages that were previously under-rewarded....

10:27 PM - Mar 12, 2018

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Per Google’s John Mueller in the Webmaster Central office-hours hangout on April 23:

The updates that we made are more around relevance, where we’re trying to figure out which sites [are] relevant for certain queries and not so much a matter of quality overall. That might be something where we just don’t think your site is exactly relevant for those specific queries. It doesn’t mean that it’s a bad site, it’s just not relevant for those specific queries … That’s something that I think happens to a lot of sites over time in that they might be really high-quality content, but over time [they’re] just not seen as relevant in the overall picture of the web.

Overall, there is a general consensus that the main components of this update were about how your content’s relevance is measured and Google’s adjustments around its understanding of user intent. This is consistent with statements from Google, as well as the data shared and analyzed by a variety of people in the industry.

Here are some of their analyses:

1. Recap by Barry Schwartz on March 12, 2018
2. Recap by Marie Haynes, last updated April 23, 2018
3. Recap by Glenn Gabe on May 16, 2018 (Part One)
4. Recap by Glenn Gabe on June 5, 2018 (Part Two)

My supplemental comments on the March and April updates

One aspect of the March and April updates that didn’t get much attention is the idea that the breadth and depth of a site’s content were considered as a ranking signal. Sites with large volumes of content that thoroughly and completely address a topic of interest did extremely well in these updates. Here is how I would characterize breadth and depth of content:

1. Content created by true subject matter experts.
2. Content created in high volume (from tens to hundreds of pieces of content per month).
3. Content that addresses key topic areas both deeply and broadly. In other words, they address many subtopics that are important to users, not just the surface level of the topic area. This depth and breadth may be (and probably should be) accomplished across many articles.
4. And, of course, content that isn’t sliced thinly for the sake of volume. Each of the different articles has a real reason to exist.

I saw many sites with these four characteristics experience a major uplift with the March and April updates. Here is an example of the Searchmetrics data through April for one of those sites:

As you can see, SEO visibility nearly doubled during the course of these updates. That’s a pretty serious set of gains! This is a phenomenon seen with many sites that follow this pattern of publishing quality content in volume. But, as noted, I do believe that a big key to this is the perceived depth and breadth of coverage of a topic.

To preserve anonymity, let me share what I mean with a fictitious example. Let’s say you want to be seen as an authority on replacing a kitchen sink. You might create a comprehensive article on the topic and include a companion video. That would be a great start. But perhaps some portion of your audience might be interested in one or more of these related topics:

1. Disposing of the old sink.
2. Installing a kitchen sink countertop.
3. How to install kitchen sink plumbing.
4. What type of caulk to use.
5. How much it costs to replace a kitchen sink.
6. What tools are needed for the job?
7. Installing a garbage disposal with the sink.
8. What would a plumber charge to install one?
9. Changing a sink faucet.
10. Special considerations for brass sinks.
11. Special considerations for copper sinks.

I could keep going, but you get the idea.

A brief recap of the August update

People have called out many different aspects of this update. Some of the principal ones have been:

1. Health-related sites being impacted more heavily, hence the “Medic” name Barry Schwartz gave to the update. However, it’s become clear that many different types of sites were impacted, not just health sites.
2. An increased focus on expertise, authority and trust (E-A-T). In this context, authority tends to mean using subject matter expert writers, citing other authoritative research (including outbound links to same), managing your reputation online and so on.
3. More speculation on aligning your content with user intent.
4. Basic SEO factors like crawlability, avoiding thin content, mobile readiness and more.

There is not quite the same level of consensus that there was with the March and April updates, probably partly because Google made fewer statements specifically about it. In addition, I think it’s quite likely that between April and August, Google collected a lot of data on the March and April changes and decided to make a series of adjustments as a result. More on that in a minute.

Here are some of the recaps written about the August update:

1. Recap by Barry Schwartz on August 8, 2018
2. Recap by Barry Schwartz on August 9, 2018
3. Recap by Ignite Visibility on August 14, 2018
4. Recap by Marie Haynes, last updated on August 8, 2018 (Part Two)

Digging deeper into the August update

I already noted that when Google does any large-scale update, they continue to collect data on how the SERPs are performing, and they’re able to compare that with what they were seeing prior to a given update. Based on this, they can make adjustments to build upon the success of the earlier update and correct its weaknesses. It’s a process of continuous improvement.

For example, here is the Searchmetrics data for one Fortune 100 retailer, showing a large drop to their traffic in April:

This site is for a very well-known brand, but it has fairly thin content on the e-commerce pages. The products are there, but there’s not much description or detail about them. And the site took a hit. However, they appear to have seen some level of recovery in the August update.

Here is a look at another site from a large, well-known brand through the same updates:

This site had the same problems with a lack of content on major e-commerce pages, and it took a substantial hit in the March and April time frame. However, it also recovered in the August update. So, I went looking for more of these. Here is an example from the travel industry:

Yes, another major brand with some content problems that sees a recovery in the August update. Here is yet another example of a prominent e-commerce site taking a hit in March and April but recovering in August:

To try and figure out what was going on, I did an analysis of each of these sites (as well as several others). In each of the above cases, and in several others I looked at, it seemed like the March/April evaluation of the site’s relevance was hurt by a lack of good, in-depth content on their e-commerce pages.

Why did all these sites recover during the August update? Based on the data I’ve seen, my speculation is that the weight of brand authority signals was one of the things that was adjusted in the August update. When I talk about brand authority, I don’t mean authority in the E-A-T sense, but in the pure and simple strength and power of a brand. How does Google measure that? There are probably many components to it, including factors like links, mentions and overall user engagement with a brand.

Why should brand authority matter so much? Think of it from a user perspective for a moment. Users develop a strong affinity for brands. They learn to trust them, and they give them the benefit of the doubt. As related to this series of updates, it means they may prefer sites from prominent brands they trust, even though the content of those sites is materially weaker.

In addition, for curiosity’s sake, I also looked back at my example site that I shared earlier, the one that did really well with the March and April updates. How did it fare?

It kept on soaring upward! For that first example site, the depth and breadth of their content has kept them going strong.

Source:- Latest Google update

Maccabees Update: Google Confirms New Core Algorithm Changes

Today we received confirmation from a Google spokesperson that “several minor changes” were made to the core algorithm this month.
“We released several minor improvements during this timeframe, part of our regular and routine efforts to improve relevancy,” a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Journal.
The timeframe with the most volatility for some websites was between December 12 and 14.
Following published reports about the Maccabees Update, Danny Sullivan, Google’s public liaison for search, downplayed its significance on Twitter:

Reports calling this a single “update” or calling it “Fred” don’t reflect what we actually said: there were several minor changes that happened as they routinely do in any particular week. — Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan)

 

 What is Update Maccabees (formerly known as Fred)?

Updates to the core algorithm do not receive a formal name. So they are informally named Fred. However, Barry Schwartz of SERoundtable named it Maccabees in recognition of Hanukkah and the search community followed on.

In a separate tweet, Sullivan was wary of giving this flux period a name because it wasn’t a single, major update:

There was no single update. I suppose some might find it useful to give a name to the general flux period, but I think it’s important to understand there were different changes happening — as happen in any week. — Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan) 

What Does a Core Update Mean?

Updates to the core algorithm can be a variety of things.
Here are some examples:

1. Algorithms that determine the relevance of a search query to a web page
2. Change in how links to a site are scored. This means, some links begin counting less or other links can count more. This will result in a re-ranking of certain kinds of sites. Sites that depend on a single kind of link can be vulnerable if that kind link is devalued.
3. Change in how page content is scored. For example, if a search query is informational in nature, then a commercial site may be deemed irrelevant.

What Is the Maccabees Update?

First reports of changes to Google’s search results began December 12. The impact is not widespread.
Anecdotal evidence shows that many affiliate type sites have felt it the most.  Normal e-commerce sites have not been affected on the same scale but some have reported as suffering drops in traffic (WebmasterWorld Google Update Discussion), but e-commerce sites appear to be in the minority.
It is tempting to view updates to the core algorithm as targeting a certain kind of site. However, as the Google spokesperson said, these changes are meant to improve relevancy. So that means it could be, as noted above, improvements to on-page or off-page relevance signals, and possibly both.
Here are the prevailing theories and counterarguments:

1. Maccabees Update is mobile-first related: This theory has been dismissed because some have reported that their sites are mobile friendly and others have reported they’ve seen no increase in Google’s mobile bot.
2. Desktop visibility affected more than mobile visibility: This is an interesting hypothesis but some have reported the opposite. I am inclined to rule this out.

Today we received confirmation from a Google spokesperson that “several minor changes” were made to the core algorithm this month.
“We released several minor improvements during this timeframe, part of our regular and routine efforts to improve relevancy,” a Google spokesperson told Search Engine Journal.
The timeframe with the most volatility for some websites was between December 12 and 14.
Following published reports about the Maccabees Update, Danny Sullivan, Google’s public liaison for search, downplayed its significance on Twitter:

Reports calling this a single “update” or calling it “Fred” don’t reflect what we actually said: there were several minor changes that happened as they routinely do in any particular week.

— Danny Sullivan (@dannysullivan)

What Kinds of Site are Affected by the Maccabees Update?

Given the timing, it may not be far fetched to speculate that this relevancy change might be shopping related, especially given how many affected publishers are in the shopping space.
I’ve been seeing quite a bit of concern in Facebook groups associated with aggressive linking techniques. This isn’t to say that this is a link related issue.
It could be that those kinds of sites share certain attributes related to their sites. It could be that they lack certain on-page or off-page signals of authority.
There are many affiliate sites that are still ranking fine. So it’s definitely not an affiliate related update. But it may be related to something that aggressive sites share in common.
Jim Boykin of Internet Marketing Ninjas told me that he checked and double checked the rankings of client sites and reported, “nothing changing in rankings or Google organic traffic for the past month.”
Casey Markee, of MediaWyse in San Diego offered this clue:

“I did have some sites contact me and they did have drops… Their content and overall user experience though had some holes.”

I polled some affiliate site publishers who had been affected and they shared that both mobile and desktop traffic has been affected. So there you are, a minor update to the core algorithm that feels major to certain sites on the Internet.
If you have been affected and feel it’s not merited, if the site truly does not merit, then history has shown that Google tends to dial back on changes when they find it’s been creating false positives.

Resources:- Google Updation Maccabees

5 Essential SEO Techniques To Master In 2015.

SEO has truly come into its own as a marketing channel, but columnist Jim Yu argues that that doesn't mean we should rest on our laurels.

Each year, SEO evolves to become a more sophisticated discipline. As marketers refine their skills sets, as search engines improve their search products, and as brands across industries continue to see the impact that organic search can have on their growth, search engine optimization has come from humble beginnings to become a recognized strategic field of marketing.

Organic Search Past & Present

Industries across the board benefitted from SEO in 2014, and there is no sign of this slowing down in 2015. According to this study by the National Retail Federation, search marketing — including SEO — was the most effective source for acquiring new customers in 2014 for 85 percent of online retailers.

Other data points last year showed that organic search was a key starting point for brands to put their products and services in front of the target customer. According to this data from Kenshoo, search is the starting point for the majority of people looking to book travel (58 percent of leisure travelers and 64 percent of business travelers).

In a study conducted by BrightEdge (my employer), we discovered organic search was the largest driver of traffic and revenue for almost every industry analyzed. For B2B marketers, organic search drives over 51% of traffic.

So, what can SEO practitioners do to keep the momentum going in the new year? Following are five areas in SEO that should be on every marketer’s list to master in 2015.

1. Map Strategy To Audience & Competitive Insights

Over the years, SEOs have become really good at understanding keyword intent and segmenting the marketing strategy to match intent.

With the loss of keyword data in Google Analytics, and the general progression of SEO as a discipline, we are starting to merge more traditional marketing concepts into SEO to create a new way of segmenting audiences.

Now, we must merge quantitative data around the topics that are driving search demand and pair that with market insights about who our personas are, and what types of information is useful to them on their buying journey.

In addition, we need to gain an understanding of what the competition is doing for those topics driving demand, because as we know, search is a zero sum game.

That means finding data points that can help us:

• Identify new ways to tackle adjacent markets
• Discover new keywords to target
• Understand what types of content perform
• See where the competition is doing well, and where you can do better

Progressive SEO means technical, analytical and traditional marketing all rolled into one.

2. Align Your Content & SEO Teams

Your SEO efforts are really only as good as the experience you’re creating for your target persona. That’s why great SEO needs to work in tandem with great content. If you’ve taken the time to explore Step 1 in this article, you have a good foundation for content and SEO alignment that’s focused on the user.

Data coming from the Content Marketing Institute in 2014 show that B2Bs and B2Cs are embracing content in the form of blog posts and web content as a key facet of their content marketing.

Many of us believe that that the best approach is to start with strategic content and apply SEO best practices to help maximize its value and visibility online. Google algorithms like Panda tell us that user experience and quality are what we should all be striving for.

And while recommendations on making creative content and technical SEO come together sound great in theory, many brands are still struggling with which department or team does what and in what order.

I talked about this in a 2014 article on content and SEO, where I touched on one solution to ensure that the creative and technical teams are working in tandem: Establish a clear workflow from content creation to optimization.

I’ll mention again one important takeaway from that discussion for brands that are trying to define how technical and creative teams can work together: Uncover all the roles and skill sets on the digital marketing team, and discover where overlap and cross-training opportunities exist for creative folks to learn SEO, and SEO folks to learn creative.

For more insights on creating value through your content in 2015, I would recommend reading this recent article over on Marketing Land.

3. Make Mobile SEO A Priority

We’ve been hearing about it for years: Websites and brands should have a mobile marketing strategy. In 2015, it’s safe to say that the year of mobile is well upon us.

In fact, mobile has surpassed desktop in digital media time spent by device, according to comScore:

May [2014] turned out to be a banner month for mobile as it delivered on some huge milestones which underscored just how impressive the medium’s ascendance has been in the past few years. Mobile platforms – smartphones and tablets – combined to account for 60% of total digital media time spent, up from 50% a year ago.

When it comes to search engine optimization, creating a mobile site should be at the core of any solid SEO plan in 2015. But be careful in your configuration — research from BrightEdge last year found that mobile configuration errors resulted in a 68 percent loss in smartphone traffic on average.

And even though Google recommends a responsive design, you may find that a hybrid approach suits you best for your marketing needs.

And remember that whichever route you choose, Google wants sites to render above-the-fold content in under one second. Slow sites could negatively impact mobile rankings.

4. Find Measurement & Reporting That Works

While the research studies we read on the impact of organic search are important for gauging how we’re doing as an industry, we still struggle as brands and marketers to measure results, quantify our efforts, and continue to prove our position for SEO budgets.

Even back in 2013, we were talking about the need for marketers with analytics skills. And in fact, according to the CMOSurvey.org, 44 percent of survey respondents said they lacked the metrics to demonstrate the impact of marketing in 2014.

This sentiment was echoed in an Adobe survey in 2014 that showed 49 percent of marketers used intuition, not data, when thinking about where to invest marketing spend.

Reporting does not have to become increasingly complex. In 2015, SEOs should focus on simplifying their data sources and work to uncover the right information via structured data sources.

That means identifying the KPIs that truly matter to prove marketing efforts (those that impact the business), and obtaining the technology that can pull multiple data sources into one platform to provide real insights in performance.

5. Integrate SEO Data Across Teams

Don’t forget that the SEO practitioner or team is working towards some of the same goals as other teams are. When these various marketing teams share their learnings and work in tandem for cross-channel marketing, the concerted effort can be much stronger than when performed alone.

Take SEO and PPC as one example of two channels that have a symbiotic relationship. SEO data can inform PPC, and vice versa. Reports from Google, Kenshoo and others show just how much organic and paid search can impact one another’s success.

In 2015, are there ways you can share your SEO data with other teams to create a concerted effort in your marketing campaigns?

Making Small Steps Toward Mastery

The old saying that “life is a journey, not a destination” can also be applied to SEO.

Search engine optimization should be a part of a website for its lifetime, continuously improving its ability to make a brand (and its content) be more visible and to create a better experience for users.

You can’t master SEO in a day, but you can resolve to make small steps in each of the areas of SEO that will make your site better and your efforts more impactful in 2015.

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Some opinions expressed in this article may be those of a guest author and not necessarily Search Engine Land. Staff authors are listed here.

How to Manage a Low Budget AdWords Campaign:

Google AdWords campaigns are usually not considered cost effective for small and medium sized businesses.  In reality, these campaigns can be both useful and budget friendly for smaller budget users when they are carefully managed.  By using these tips I have learned after spending more than $40,000 on Google’s advertising product, you can run a successful low budget AdWords campaign.

1)      Campaign Objectives: Before you launch an ad campaign, clarify the reason for the campaign: is it to generate traffic, target specific keywords, or as a marketing stunt against your competitors? Being clear about your objective allows you to create a more effective, targeted ad.

2)      Stick to Google Search Networks: Use of product listing ads (PLAs) by e-commerce websites is also on the rise. Such options are usually recommended for campaigns with a comfortable budget, and is not recommended for budget conscious users.  

3)      Extensive Keywords Research: Bid for generic keywords can be very high. So look for unique and longer keywords to compete effectively on a smaller budget. Find effective long tail keywords using your Analytics account to see organic searches leading to your website, Google auto-complete option, and tools like Google’s Keyword Tool or Word Stream’s Niche Finder                

To keep your PPC expenditure in control, keep exact match or phrase match keywords. Speaking of web services industry, choosing exact match keywords such as [web design company] will not display your ad for terms like “website design company” or “web design agency”

Targeting keywords like “web design company India” will give you relevant clicks and impressions at a lower bid. Such keywords are especially helpful for people running small and medium ventures.

4)      Avoid Dynamic Search Ads: These ads are not triggered by specific keywords chosen by you. Instead they are displayed when someone searches for anything related to the content of your landing page. While this seems convenient, it often results in irrelevant impressions and clicks, which push your daily budget up.

5)      Negative Keywords List: Make an extensive list of negative keywords and update it regularly if campaign keywords are broad match and phrase match type.  An important source could be irrelevant organic search results found in Google Analytics account, AdWords search results, and also by using negative keyword search tools like Wordstream

6)      Bidding Strategy: Instead of letting AdWords automatically adjust your bid, set it manually to match the ad position and cost per acquisition that you desire. Bid according to the location that you want to target. Your AdWords account tells the Geographical Location of your past traffic.

If you think that you are reaching the daily budget for a certain campaign, try to lower your bid so that you can be visible for a longer time without much change in your campaign’s performance.

7)      Targeting Competitors Head-on: Using the name of your competitors or industry leaders as your keywords (after insuring trademark policies) is an effective trick to get impressions. Avoid using their name in your ad copy. Frame your ad copy in such a way that you clearly reflect what the visitor will find on the landing page to avoid a high bounce rate.

8)     Target Keywords by Industry: Always stay updated with your industry best practices. To improve the list of keywords that prompt your ad to display, try finding the details of the ad campaigns of other players (keywords, budgets and ad copies) through online tools like Semrush.com orkeywordspy.com 

9)      Focus on Ad Position when You Can’t Match a Bid: You don’t have to be at the top of the ad results to be noticed. Having your ad displayed on top 3 positions increases the chances of getting clicked on by mistake or by immature searchers. Always keep track on the average position of your ads.

10)  Check for Overlapping Keywords: If you are using similar or duplicate keywords in different ad campaigns, the keywords will start competing against each other. So, use ad campaigns with keywords which do not overlap.

Keywords like “office furniture NY” and “furniture NY” in different campaigns are overlapping. A search query for one might trigger an ad for the other.

11)  Use Features of Enhanced Campaigns: People usually have different campaigns to target different locations and devices, spreading the daily budget even thinner. With a limited budget at hand, it’s better to have minimum number of campaigns (maximum 3).

You can bid higher for certain locations which get you maximum business.

12)  Optimize According to the Nature of your Business: Your ad campaigns need to be optimized according to your marketing vertical. For example, a blog about food might get extra traffic on weekdays and negligible on the weekends, or if you are in the travel industry you do better advertising more on weekends.

13)  Quality Score:  The quality score of your keywords depends on click-through rate, ad relevance, and landing page experience. The overall ad position is determined by the CPC and quality score:

Ad position = CPC Bid*Quality Score

A high quality score decreases your cost and makes your ad rank higher.

What actually contributes to a good quality score?

• Past and current performance of your keywords.
• A high click-through rate, preferably above 1.5%
• A working and relevant landing page that loads quickly

14)  Targeted & Conversion Optimized Landing Pages: An important component of your ad quality score is your landing page, which is judged on the parameters of relevance, content originality, transparency, and navigability. You will not get conversions from poorly structured or outdated landing pages.

15)  Analyze before Changing: Check your ad campaign regularly and take time to see how the campaign is performing. Refrain from making changes till you have enough data in the form of impressions, clicks, and conversions.

16)  Branded Campaigns: Use your brand name in your ad copy if people know you well. If you are new to the industry, you can experiment by using your company name and build a brand name gradually. Target the keywords that you are unable to achieve through organic search in your ad copy. Using brand name as a keyword won’t have a very high bid and is thus easy on the pocket too.

17)  Ad Extensions: You can add details to your existing ad to garner more attention if your ad is displayed above the search results. These details could include local address, site links, special offers, a phone number, seller rating, or social rating on Google+.

If you provide the option of phone number, you can set your ads in such a way that they turn off after your office working hours if you do not have 24/7 support.

18)  Track Cost per Acquisition: CPA shows the amount that you pay for a single conversion. After running your ad campaigns for a few weeks, you can adjust the ad if you are paying more than you estimated.

Whether you are running a high and low budget AdWords campaign, it will require planning, tracking, and timely changes. Low budget ads can be effective, if they are managed correctly. So, whether you do it on your own or hire someone to do it for you, make sure you pay attention to above mentioned points.

Website Competitive Analysis Tools: 10 Ways to Check the Competition.

I usually ignore competition. Watching the other guy can be a distraction. It takes your focus off important things like doing your best work for the customers in front of you.

But competitor websites have data, and looking at this data can quickly give you ideas for your own web marketing. Of course, we can’t see their Analytics, but there are other ways to get competitive intelligence.

Here are ten free competitive analysis tools that you can use to see what the competition (or at least similar websites) are up to…

Search Engine Performance

What phrases are they ranking for? How high are they ranking? Without using a tool, the only way to find this information would be to search for every conceivable keyphrase.

1. SEMrush (super powerful, highly recommended)

2. ahrefs.com

3. Searchmetrics Essentials

How and What: Enter a site to see rankings for top phrases and AdWords advertising budgets. Once you see what phrases they’re ranking for (and bidding on), it may give you ideas on new phrases to target. If you can create better pages and content on those topics, you may be able to outrank them and capture those visitors!

The Catch: Free versions shows only five to ten phrases and AdWords ads. You’ll need to create an account to see more.

Link Popularity

Why do they rank so well? How authoritative is their domain? It’s a factor of “link popularity.” Generally speaking, a site with more links (higher “domain authority”) than you is going to outrank you in Google, unless you target phrases that they aren’t.

4. Open Site Explorer

5. Majestic SEO

How and What: Enter any website to see the number of inbound links and domain authority.

If you find yourself in a tough neighborhood (competing in Google with sites that have powerful domains with very high link popularity), avoid targeting general phrases. Try to become relevant for longer, more specific phrases, or you may not get any search traffic at all.

The Catch: Free versions show total number of links, but not all the linking websites. There is limited use without a paid account. Also, the terms are a bit technical. You may need to read up to fully understand the metrics.

Traffic and Visitor Activity

Yes, there is a way to get a sense for how visitors are using your competitor’s website. Get a glimpse into the kind of data that only Analytics would normally provide…

6. SimilarWeb.com

7. Compete.com

8. Alexa.com

How and What: Enter any website to see traffic estimates, pages per visit, time on site, bounce rate, and percentage of traffic from search engines. Also, some data about the demographics are available.

Compare their site to yours. If the stats are a lot better, visitors may feel more at home, and you may want to start planning a new site. The demographics information is interesting, but I’ve never found a way to use it.

The Catch: I recommend starting with SimilarWeb. Alexa only shows historical data (chart) for the top 100,000 sites in the U.S. Compete requires you to create an account to use even the free version. For both tools, the data isn’t super reliable. Use these to get a general idea.

More ways to compare

Here are a few more analysis tools you can use for comparisons.

9. Hubspot’s Marketing Grader (general web marketing overview)

Enter a competitor to get all kinds of competitive analysis: search optimization, mobile site, facebook shares, etc. It gives you a nice “marketing grade” which you can compare to your own site. Requires you to register.

10. Simply Measured (social media)

The free reports let you enter the Twitter, Facebook, Pinterest, or YouTube account of a competitor to learn about who’s following them (or at least what keywords their followers use in their bios). Requires you to go through a pretty annoying registration process andsend a tweet on their behalf.

When to do this kind of competitive analysis

These are the times when checking out the competition is especially useful:

• When starting a web-based business
• When starting a website redesign project
• Twice a year or so, just because (put it on your calendar!)

There you have it. Nine tools to snoop on the competition. Don’t pay too much attention to the other guys, but never miss a chance to find the data that can help you make better decisions.

PS: I’ve once made the case that for content marketers, there’s no such thing as competition, only collaboration. If you think you’re competing with someone, you probably just don’t know them well enough. They likely have a different specialty, price point, and target market.