Question

Topic: SEO/SEM

Website Comparison To Competition

Posted by melissa.paulik on 7/3/2008 at 12:51 PM ET 500 Points
I am familiar with some of the tools that I can use to assess how our own website is performing along common metrics. Are there any tools I can use to see how we stack up against the competition in some of those areas. Obviously, we don't own the competitor's site so our access to the analysis would be limited, but there must be some metrics that can be used.
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RESPONSES

  • Posted on 7/3/2008 at 3:42 PM Accepted
    Here are metrics I track to compare one business to another over time.

    1) Website Grade (get it from www.WebsiteGrader.com)

    2) Alexa Traffic Rank (get it from Alexa or www.WebsiteGrader.com)

    3) Inbound Links (get it from Yahoo Site Explorer or www.WebsiteGrader.com)

    4) Delicious Bookmarks (get it from Del.icio.us or from www.WebsiteGrader.com)

    5) Google Indexed Pages (get it from Google or www.WebsiteGrader.com)

    6) Google Page Rank (get it from the Google toolbar or from www.WebsiteGrader.com)


    There are three ways to get these metrics.

    1) You can go to each of the services on a repeated basis and get the metrics and put them into Excel to track them over time. This is free.

    2) You can go to www.WebsiteGrader.com on a weekly basis. It will give you all the metrics in one place, but it won't track them over time. You'll have to use Excel for that. This is also free.

    3) HubSpot software will gather and track the metrics for you automatically and make some nice graphs. This is not free, but you get all kinds of cool software and marketing insights when you become a HubSpot customer.
  • Posted by Pepper Blue on 7/3/2008 at 6:04 PM Accepted
    Hi Melissa,

    SEO Book offers a nice collection of competitive analysis tools, most of them for free:

    https://tools.seobook.com/competitive-research-tools/

    iBusinessPromoter at https://www.ibusinesspromoter.com/ is also a good program. They have a free version with some limitations and a pay version that although not cheap does offer a ton of SEO tools including nice ones that show how you stack up against the competition.
  • Posted by Jay Hamilton-Roth on 7/4/2008 at 4:12 PM Accepted
    These are some companies that will perform the comparison for you:

    https://www.watchmouse.com/en/performance_benchmarking.php
    https://www.site-booster.com/website-assessment-package.html
    https://www.gomez.com/products/performance-benchmarks.php

    Ultimately, you really care about how your company is performing. Therefore, work on getting your website conversions (from prospects to clients) higher. Then, work on getting more traffic to your site (which will translate into many more clients).
  • Posted on 7/4/2008 at 10:15 PM Accepted
    Melissa:

    I am going out on a limb here, but i don't see how any of the previous answers can help you. There is no rhyme or reason to comparing numbers between competitors. If you are putting together a real marketing strategy, you need to measure the drivers of the business.

    Here's an example. I am in the middle of a pitch for corp housing. I compared web sites of 8 different providers. There is NO way i can get quant info, but i can assess what makes a business successful such as brand representation, web 2.0 tools. and customer service, to give 3 examples. By doing "Harvey Balls" on these key business drivers, it is clear where my prospective client needs to focus.

    To me that is better than knowing they got 3% more or less traffic, or some other arcane web stat...
  • Posted by Neil on 7/6/2008 at 1:50 AM Accepted
    Install the Google toolbar and you can compare site scores -- they range from 0 to 10. That gives you some idea.

    Also, do a search in google for keywords/phrases and see who is ahead. You can see how you rank in comparison to your competitors for various key words.

    Of course, as Kevin mentioned, it is not the only thing but -- on the other hand -- it should not be ignored. It is important.
  • Posted by melissa.paulik on 7/7/2008 at 3:38 PM Author
    Lots to check out here. Thanks to everyone who has replied so far. In addition to the free options, I'll also check into Hubspot. I've never subscribed to their service, but I have heard good things about it.

    BTW, I do think Kevin has a point. The usefulness of the data is somewhat limited when conversions matter much more than number of visitors and what not. However, I just can't quell the competitive streak in me. Plus, I think the information helps complete the picture and I will never say "no" if I can easily get more info. As Neil mentioned, it shouldn't be ignored.

    Thanks again, all! I'll leave this open for a couple more days to see if anyone else has any other thoughts or suggestions.

    Melissa



  • Posted by flanger on 7/9/2008 at 2:12 PM Accepted
    Just ask analytics from Blueliner NY at https://www.bluelinerny.com to check and analyze your website - you'll get all reports you need
  • Posted by melissa.paulik on 7/10/2008 at 1:31 PM Author
    Thanks all! Plenty to check out here so I will be closing this question. I appreciate all of your thoughts and ideas.

    All the best!

    Melissa Paulik
    www.themarketingsurvivalist.blogspot.com
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