When you decide to put some effort into local SEO, there’s a fairly straightforward process to follow. We help clients identify the keywords they want to work on, we work on content clusters and relevant linkbuilding, we step up their social media, and we watch their analytics to make sure we’re getting results.
In a couple of weeks we begin to see changes, and over a period of months we get to be all smug over their progress.
That’s normal, but it’s not guaranteed. Aggressive SEO competitors can derail your plans.
Competition
You don’t have to worry about competitors for local SEO as often as you might think. This is because so many businesses and professionals are unaware of SEO. They don’t have analytics. They don’t understand keywords. They have no idea how — or indeed whether — they get web visitors.
In the average competitive landscape, you can sneak in and push ahead of your competitors before they even notice.
What if your competitor is not average? What if they track their keyword rankings, see you sailing ahead, and double down on their own efforts?
This is likely if you see a lot of change in the keywords you’re working on. When you’re working on a specific keyword, you should expect to see improvements in your rankings for that term. If you’re not doing a good job or you have made an unrealistic choice in keywords, you may not improve your rankings.
But if you start at #13 for “celiac treatment” and see yourself swapping places with a competitor week after week, they’re probably working against you. You may have aggressive SEO competitors. Sometimes you’ll be at #11 and sometimes at #13, but it’s tough to hit the front page if you have someone aggressively working against you.
So you’ll have to be aggressive with your efforts, too.
Where are you ranked?
You can’t tell by Googling, but Google’s Search Console or ManageWP’s SEO add-on will give you pretty accurate information.
Spyfu can give you a hint about where your competitors are.
Whatever method you choose to establish your rankings, stick with it. You want to see the changes over time, so you must be consistent with your measurements.
If you like spreadsheets, this is a good time to use one.
Content
Content is the most important factor in Google rankings, so this should be your first priority. Develop a strong content marketing strategy based on your chosen keyword. If you want to rank for “celiac treatment,” make sure you have a page which offers the best possible information on celiac treatment.
Then write additional articles on the subject:
- Gluten-Free Diet for Celiac Treatment
- Celiac Treatment for Women
- The Future of Celiac Treatment
- Celiac Treatment and Nonfood Products
Try to answer all the questions you hear from patients or clients, and make sure to link each new article to your original, keystone post or page.
Links
Ask colleagues or influencers for quotes for your articles. When you publish your posts, send them a link and ask them to link to the article from their own website or their social media.
Send a link to publications and journalists you know might be interested. Ask for a link if you have established a relationship.
Create an infographic or other creative asset to go with the keyword and offer to share it with bloggers who write about celiac disease or celiac treatment. Make sure to include a link to your article on celiac treatment.
What’s your competitor doing?
Content and links to the content are the main tactics in SEO. If you see your competitor doing something creative as they try to knock you down in the rankings, however, you should go ahead and copy them. Obviously, you don’t want to copy any shady activities or ineffective tactics, but learn from their good ideas.
It may take time to beat your competitor. While the two of you are working against each other, however, you’re providing valuable content on the issue for your visitors. You’re improving the overall value of your domain. You’re making the internet just that little bit better.
We can help. If this describes your situation but it doesn’t sound like a DIY project, contact us.
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