Our first recommendation is that you identify your direct competitors on the web. This will include sites that offer similar services or products. Why? Because the web provides users with a sales environment in which:
- Finding competitors is easy.
- Comparison of products and services is simple.
- Customers tend to return to sites where browsing is user-friendly (usability) and the information is plentiful.
Our website competitive analysis is designed to highlight the strengths and weaknesses between your website and comparable websites.
Why Conduct a Website Competitive Analysis?
You have probably visited your competitor’s websites, but do you have the tools and professional website knowledge to examine them objectively and thoroughly? Conducting a thorough analysis requires expertise in usability, search engine optimization, and web development.
We create a customized analysis that identifies specific areas where your site exceeds or falls short compared to your competitors. Our focus is typically centered on features, functionality, tools, content, usability, design, and website structure. This analysis offers another lens for you to understand where your website stands and how effective it is in communicating messages and serving users’ needs.
Learn more about website development strategies here.
Let Psycray Analyze Competitor Websites
We can identify features on your competitors’ websites that yours may be missing. Our research includes:
- Examining best practices and advanced web capabilities.
- Identifying areas for improvement to enhance your website’s return on investment.
- Providing a complete report that offers insights into key findings and suggestions.
Your end result? A well-documented analysis containing:
- Key findings and actionable suggestions.
- A synopsis of features, functionality, and tools.
- Detailed breakdowns of competitor websites and their effectiveness.
Measuring Usability
We evaluate the usability of competitor websites. Do your competitors offer a more user-friendly experience? Are they making the purchasing decision process easier for their visitors? Our analysis includes answers to these questions and more.
Once issues are identified, you can choose to implement changes in-house or hire Psycray to handle them efficiently. Our reports provide the necessary background and critical details to help guide these decisions.
The Importance of Competitive Analysis
A strong competitive analysis provides usability and search engine optimization insights while also aiding decision-makers in setting strategic goals. Done correctly, this analysis can steer a web development project in the right direction. The goal is clear: outshine your competitors and boost your website’s overall success.
First Steps in the Process
Most of our customers are business specialists who may not be familiar with web design, usability, or information architecture. Their primary concern is understanding what the competition is doing and how to do it better.
We specialize in usability and SEO, so we analyze your website based on these two critical elements and compare our findings to other sites in your industry. Our service includes:
- A detailed presentation.
- A comprehensive written report with ample details, including an executive summary and appendices loaded with important insights.
Identifying Competitors
Companies often provide us with a list of competitors. However, we go beyond this by conducting our own research to validate these competitors and identify additional relevant ones.
Some companies may miss relevant competitors because they focus solely on their industry rather than considering similar functionalities. For example, a freight cargo business might overlook travel websites like Expedia or Travelocity, even though they offer features relevant to logistics.
What to Analyze?
Once we have a list of competitors, we analyze critical elements such as:
- Home page: Does it provide the right context for visitors?
- Meta Data & Page Titles: Are they optimized for search engines?
- Keywords: Have effective SEO strategies been implemented?
- Navigation & Site Organization: Is the user experience seamless?
- Content Depth & Readability: Is the site providing valuable information?
- Performance: Are pages loading efficiently?
- Links & Labels: Are they intuitive and easy to understand?
- Search Engine Presence: How does the site rank in search results?
For an in-depth look into technical SEO, check out resources like Moz and Google Search Central.
Conducting the Analysis
With a list of sites to research and a structured checklist, we begin our analysis by:
- Visiting each competitor’s website and following similar navigation paths.
- Taking detailed notes for every criterion.
- Evaluating competitors first before analyzing our client’s site.
By following this method, we ensure an objective assessment that provides a clear measurement comparison.
Conclusion
A competitive analysis is essential in today’s digital landscape. It not only helps improve usability and SEO but also supports long-term strategic planning. When done right, it can significantly enhance your website’s performance and business success.
Request a quote from Psycray today to gain a competitive edge in your industry.