Search for Your Competitors in Google Repeatedly

Posted on July 1st, 2008 by Larry Chase

Try searching for the exact same thing a few times in a item on Google. You will often find you’ll get different results. You may be accessing a different server or it may be because Google seems to purposely change its search priorities frequently. But the exercise is instructive in pinpointing the types of things search engines look for when they rank you. Then search for your competitors repeatedly. Don’t just search for their names. Try using link:Competitor.com and see who’s pointing at them. Then take the time to visit those sites to see why they’re pointing at your competitor’ site and not at yours. Is it an ad? Maybe you should be advertising there, too. Is it a press release or a blog mention? The point is, Internet marketing doesn’t exist in a vacuum. There are millions of moving parts and variables, many of which you can’t control – but some you can. So before you optimize, recognize the fluid environment you’re in, and react accordingly.

The Internet Marketing Tip above originally appeared in Larry Chase's Web Digest For Marketers which you can subscribe to at no charge at www.wdfm.com.