Digital Marketing Tools for Competitor Analysis and Site Audits
If you read prior blogs, then you know data is essential to a digital marketing strategy for a small business. Whether you are a lawyer, doctor or roofer, you must have an idea of how to compete within your industry. Certain tools can be very helpful for scouring and obtaining data for a digital marketing strategy. Some of the tools below are free or paid, depending on the specific package you purchase or download.
Screaming Frog
Screaming Frog is a free tool that can help you identify serious issues with a website. For example, if your website is missing meta descriptions or titles on certain pages, it will list each page where the problem occurs. Meta descriptions and titles are what often appear on Google Search Results Pages (SERPs) before people click onto your site. It would be a mistake to not utilize these, as you can often personalize meta titles and descriptions to entice potential site visitors.
There are many other issues Screaming Frog can identify. Broken pages (4xx errors), pages that load slowly, and pages that contain broken external or internal links are examples. The software may alert you to missing pages and titles. These are only a few examples of what Screaming Frog can identify during an audit.
While Screaming Frog is free, you can also obtain a subscription to the service which will unlock more powerful features. You can also use the free version of Screaming Frog if you need to migrate a website for any reason, or identify some of the errors above. You can use Screaming Frog to audit competitor websites.
Semrush
Semrush is a tool you can use to perform competitor research, site audits, industry research, keyword research, and much more. There are different subscription tiers for Semrush. With Semrush, you can obtain detailed information on your industry, website and competition. Semrush can help you compile data that is useful for fixing website errors, managing digital marketing strategies and spying on your competition.
Although Semrush is commonly used by digital marketing professionals, the interface is easy enough for a tech-savvy business owner to use. If you have any prior experience with digital marketing and are a business owner, Semrush can be very helpful for obtaining quick results.
For example, if I am a personal injury attorney, I can quickly compile all the best keywords for that specific practice area. I can then take these keywords and utilize them on my website, business profiles and paid ads to move myself up in the SERPs. I could also figure out what my competitors are doing to succeed within this practice area. It can help you identify which advantageous keywords they have that you are not using.
Prior blogs discussed the importance of user experience. When it comes to making user experience audits, Semrush really shines. It can help you find detailed information on various errors across your website. Additionally, it can help you identify possible optimizations on your website that could help with SERP placement.
With Semrush, you can schedule regular audits to help you identify some of the issues and optimizations mentioned above. As a result of automating this process, you may find that using Semrush saves you some time.
Ahrefs
Ahrefs is similar to Semrush. Both platforms have some of the same features. Personally, I, co-owner Dale Wooddy, use the Ahrefs’ Chrome Plugin to quickly audit a website. However, there is a much larger platform offered by Ahrefs that can help with website audits, backlink audits, competitor research, keyword research and industry data compilation.
I have used both Ahrefs and Semrush for many years. Personally, I prefer the user interface offered by Semrush, but to each their own. You may find Ahrefs easier to use, and I suggest trying both if you are a digital marketing expert or tech-savvy business owner. Go with what makes you most comfortable.
Yes, you can use Google by itself to perform competitor analysis. You should do this often if you own a business. Prior videos explain how to perform a custom local search using the web browser Google Chrome. It is worth mentioning that using this trick requires a much higher level of technical competency.
You are going to need to open an Incognito Chrome Window, then access its Developer Tools/Dev Tools. Once opening Developer Tools, you need to access the Sensors Window and input geocoordinates. Upon completing this, you can trick Google into thinking you are searching from ultra-specific areas, such as an office building. If you perform this trick correctly, you should be able to see very specific SERP data for that specific area and surrounding areas.
Accurate data is essential for any digital marketing strategy. If you use Dev Tools to review the SERPs for your area or an area you want to expand into, then you may get a better idea of what tactics you need to use to succeed.
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Follow future blog posts or the YouTube channel for TriLux Digital for more digital marketing tips. If you are a business owner who wants to learn more about how to utilize digital marketing, then I offer free consultations. If you want someone to take over digital marketing for your company, it is also a service offered by TriLux Digital. Contact us for more information.
