A Guide to Conducting a Competitive Landscape Audit

Conducting a competitive landscape audit can be a great way to understand your industry's competitive environment. It can help you identify potential threats and opportunities in the market. The audit also provides insight into your competitors' actions and how you can stay ahead of the game. This blog post will look at how to conduct a competitive landscape audit, what to look for, and how to use the data to your advantage.

What Is a Competitive Landscape Audit?

A competitive landscape audit is a comprehensive assessment of a company's industry and market competitors. It is a process used to identify strengths and weaknesses within the competitive environment and gain insight into competitors' strategies and tactics.

The competitor audit will usually include an analysis of the competitor's product offerings, pricing strategies, marketing efforts, and customer service. It also looks at the competitor's financial performance, customer feedback, and other factors that could impact the company's success.

To conduct a competitive landscape audit, you will commonly utilize various market research techniques and data sources. This can include interviews with industry experts, customer surveys, and publicly available financial information analysis. You can also use more effective technology to monitor the competition. This includes using analytics software to monitor online conversations and review competitors' websites and other marketing channels, like social media.

The information gathered during the audit is used to develop strategies to gain a competitive advantage. This could include launching new products or services, adapting pricing models, or improving marketing campaigns. The audit can also identify weaknesses in the competitor's offerings, helping to create an opportunity for your company to gain an edge.

Identifying Your Competitors

Identifying your competitors is essential for fair comparisons. You can achieve this by separating direct and indirect competitors. Business entities in the same market space are called direct competitors since their offerings are comparable or nearly identical to yours. Indirect competitors offer alternatives that may or may not be similar to your offering but compete for the same customers.

The Value of a Competitive Landscape Audit

Organizations can identify potential opportunities and threats by understanding the competitive landscape and informing marketing, operations, and product development decisions. Some of the values of the audit include:

Learning More About Your Industry

A competitive landscape audit can include information about your competitors, the industry's size and scope, its growth and development, and the current market. It can also provide insight into customer demographics, industry trends, and the competitive landscape.

Learning More About Your Customers

The audit can provide valuable insights into customers and their preferences. It can provide customer base information, including demographics, purchasing behaviors, and preferences. It can also give information on customer loyalty and satisfaction and how customers view your competitors.

Seeing What's Working and What's Not

A competitive landscape audit can give insight into which strategies and tactics are successful and which are not.

Determining Where to Invest

The audit can help organizations identify where they should be investing. It can provide information about which channels their competitors are investing in and how they compare.

Organizations should make conscious decisions about which channels to invest in and which to ignore. A competitive landscape audit can provide valuable information about the resources needed and the projected ROI of investing in certain channels. This can help organizations decide which channels to invest in and which to pass on.

What Should the Audit Focus On?

When conducting a competitive landscape audit, it is important to focus on three key areas: SEO strategy, website, and external channels. Each of these areas can impact an organization's competitive advantage. Understanding the competitive environment in each of them is essential for developing a successful strategy.

SEO Strategy

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) aids in enhancing a website's visibility in the search engine results pages (SERPs). A comprehensive SEO strategy should include various elements, from keyword research to technical optimization. As such, it's important to understand the competitive landscape to craft your SEO strategy. Conducting an audit can help you evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of your competitors' SEO strategies and uncover opportunities for your own.

Is SEO Worth It?

With a well-thought-out SEO strategy, businesses can reach their target audience, increase brand awareness, and boost their online presence. SEO can help businesses reach their goals, but it is important to consider the costs and potential return on investment.

Here is an SEO-made-easy guide explaining how to conduct a competitive landscape audit for SEO strategy, including what to look for and tools to use.

SERP Ranking

One of the first steps in any competitive landscape audit is to analyze the SERP rankings of your competitors' websites. By looking at their rankings for specific keywords, you can understand who dominates the SERPs and which are the most competitive.

Tools such as SEMRush, Moz's Keyword Explorer, and Mangools can help you analyze the SERP rankings of your competitors. SEMRush will analyze the top-ranking websites, including their estimated organic traffic and keyword rankings. If you're wondering how to get competitor backlinks, SEMRush can still help. Each of the mentioned tools will provide detailed insights into the keywords your competitors are ranking for, including their ranking difficulty and search volume.

On-Page SEO

Once you've evaluated the SERP rankings, the next step is to analyze the on-page SEO of your competitors' websites. This includes looking at title tags, meta descriptions, headings, content, and internal links.

There are great tools, such as Google's PageSpeed Insights and Sitechecker's SEO Reports, that can help you analyze the on-page SEO of your competitors' websites. PageSpeed Insights will provide insights into the page loading speed and recommendations for improving page speed. Sitechecker's SEO Reports will provide a detailed analysis of the on-page SEO of your competitors' websites, including title tags, meta descriptions, headings, content, and internal links.

Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO involves the activities you can do past your website to enhance your SEO. They may include content promotion, link-building, and social media marketing. These activities can help increase a website's visibility and create more backlinks, which can then lead to higher search engine rankings.

Use Tools to Track Your Competitors' Progress

Once you've evaluated the SERP rankings, on-page SEO, technical SEO, and off-page SEO of your competitors' websites, it's important to track their progress continuously. This will help you stay up-to-date on their SEO strategies and take advantage of any new opportunities they uncover.

Quality Check

Ensure to assess the overall quality of their SEO strategies. This includes looking at keyword selection, content quality, and link-building strategies.

You can also learn how to differentiate your SEO strategy to target untapped keywords.

Website

There are several must-examine elements when conducting a competitive landscape audit focusing on a website. These include the website's design, usability, content, and technical features. In addition, it is important to analyze the website's performance in terms of traffic, conversions, and engagement. The following are the spots to focus on.

CTAs

For the CTAs, check for the following:

• Are they visible?
• What is the message?
• Are they clickable?
• Are they placed in good spots?
• Are they effective?
• Are they relevant?

UX of Homepage

The homepage is also very crucial in a website. Check:

• What type of layout do they have?
• How easy is it to find things?
• How easy is it to interact with?
• Is the design modern?
• Are the colors and fonts easy to read?
• Are their visuals attractive?
• Does the page load quickly?

Blog/Newsletter

Blogs are also common spots visitors will land. Check the following:

• What type of blog posts do they have?
• Do they have a newsletter?
• Do they have a mailing list?
• Do they have any social media accounts?
• Do they have any calls to action?

How To Audit a Website

Here's how to conduct a website audit.

How Good Is Your Experience as a User?

Start by visiting the website and evaluating your experience as a user. Ask yourself how easy it is to find the information you need, how quickly the page loads, and if the design is up to date with current UX and SEO best practices. It's also helpful to have someone else look at the website and provide feedback.

What Are Your Strengths and Weaknesses?

Once you have evaluated your experience, create a list of the website's strengths and weaknesses. Consider the layout, colors, fonts, and visuals. It's also helpful to consider how quickly the page loads and if the design is modern.

How Easy Are Things to Find?

When auditing a website, it's important to consider how easy it is to find information. Is there clear navigation? Are the calls to action visible and clickable? How easy is it to get in touch with the company?

How Clear Is Their Brand Voice?

The website should be an extension of the company's brand. The tone should be consistent with the company's mission and values. Consider how the language is used and if it aligns with the company's brand.

How Clear Is Their Messaging?

The website should have a clear message that is easy to understand. Consider how the message is communicated and if it is consistent throughout the website. Is there a clear call to action? Are the visuals and messaging aligned?

What Can You Learn From Their Website?

Look for patterns on the website. What are the most popular pages? What type of content do they have on their blog? Consider their content and messaging and how you can apply it to your website.

What Is Beneficial/Frustrating About Their Site?

Think about your experience as a user. What do you like about the website? What could be improved upon? Consider how the website is designed and if it is user-friendly.

Where You Can Improve on Your Site

Once you have identified the strengths and weaknesses of the website, consider how you can apply them to your website. Are there any pages or content you might benefit from adding? Are there any trust builders you can include on your website?

Accessibility

It's important to consider the accessibility of the website. Are there any accessibility issues? Are the visuals clear and easy to read? Are the colors and fonts easy to read? Are the buttons and forms easy to use?

External Channels

When conducting a competitive landscape audit, the focus should also be on the external channels of the website you are auditing. This includes the website's social media presence and other digital marketing efforts. The audit should examine these channels in detail to assess each channel's visibility, reach, engagement, and effectiveness.

Social Media

Look at your competitors' social media channels. You should then analyze what type of content they are posting, how often they post, and how their audience responds. This can give you insight into what content resonates with their audience and what content may need to be added to their strategy.

In addition, you should also look at the overall strategy they are using on social media. Are they focusing on building customer relationships or simply pushing promotional content? Are they engaging with customers in the comments section? Are they responding to reviews? Understanding their strategy can help you gain insight into how they connect with their customers and what strategies may be successful for you to adopt.

Digital PR

Another important aspect of a competitive landscape audit is to look at digital PR. This includes looking at who is talking about your competitors, where they are guest posting, and what type of content they are posting about. It gives you insight into what type of content resonates with the audience and what kind of content you can create to fill the void.

You should also look at what value your competitors are providing with their digital PR efforts. Are they providing content that is helpful to their audience? Are they creating content that is informative or entertaining? How is this content benefitting their brand? Understanding how your competitors use digital PR can help you craft a digital PR strategy that is successful for your business.

Ads

Look at where they are advertising, what type of ads they are running, and how often they are running them. Are they bidding on your keywords? Are they bidding on your brand name? Are they bidding on their brand name?

This can give you insight into how your competitors allocate their budgets and strategies to gain an edge in the market. It can also provide insight into what channels they are missing out on that you can use to fill the void and gain an advantage.

CTAs

You should also look at the CTAs your competitors are using. How often are they using CTAs? What can you learn from the CTAs they are using? Are they using CTAs that are effective for their audience? Are there any channels they are missing out on where you can fill the void?

By looking at the CTAs your competitors use, you can gain insight into what type of content your audience responds to positively and what content is not well-received. This can help you craft a successful CTA strategy for your own business.

Audience Insights

A competitive landscape audit should also focus on understanding your competitors' audiences. This includes analyzing where your audience spends their time online and identifying trends within your industry. By understanding the behaviors and preferences of your competitors’ audiences, you can gain insights into optimizing your digital marketing strategies and gaining a competitive edge.

Engage the Experts

A competitive landscape audit is a key component of any successful business strategy. It allows you to learn from your competitor's successes and failures and use that information to develop an effective plan for achieving your own goals. By closely examining your competitors’ assets, you can better understand the market and create a strategy that puts you in a better position to succeed. Also, approaching interactions with competitors as opportunities to learn can help you gain valuable insights that can be ideal for improving your business.

However, conducting a competitive landscape audit on your own can be a challenge. You may not have the necessary resources or expertise to assess the competitive environment accurately. There's also a sheer volume of data and analytics to review, making it more challenging. This is why it is essential to consider utilizing experts like Steel Croissant.

We understand the importance of a competitive landscape audit and are here to help. Our team of experts can provide you with the guidance and support necessary to conduct a thorough audit. We provide detailed and comprehensive reports to give you a clear picture of what's happening in your industry. With our help, you can make informed decisions backed by accurate data. Contact us today to ensure a successful competitive landscape audit.