MySearchology SEO Kung Fu

Be Agile

Larger companies tend to be slower in responding to things such as new technology, news or consumer opinion due to bureaucracy. Use their lag time to your advantage. Think of ways to be “first” in key areas and garner customer trust. When the bigger guys finally catch on, you’ll be a few steps further.

Big companies might have big budgets to spend on their ecommerce websites, but they can’t create a great, relevant page for every keyword phrase related to their industry, and that leaves windows of opportunity for small businesses, even in competitive industries. To be able to take advantage of those opportunities they need to create high quality content (that’s better than the content currently on the 1st page) which is very closely related to the keywords they want to target. 

One Inch Punch

Larger organizations can often afford to market effectively in many places. To follow in their path with a limited budget will only lead to lukewarm results. Instead of spreading a thin marketing budget around the most popular keywords, focus on being more specific. Be more detailed and granular in your keyword list and concentrate your strike on smaller less exciting targets; the impact will be substantial. The competition for keywords in many industries is quite fierce. 

One effective strategy is to invest your time and money into “the long tail of search”, specifically developing long tail keyword tactics with PPC campaigns and SEO. Lower search frequency typically equates to lower cost per click. As your keyword phrase gets longer and more specific, the phrase’s total search frequency drops, along with it the competition for that phrase and the approximate cost per click.

So if the searches are so scarce and the numbers are so low, why should you pursue them? Well, firstly because not many others are targeting them so they’re generally more cost effective to acquire. And secondly, because these searches are more precise, granular and targeted they generally turn out to be higher quality prospects and convert at a much higher rate than the average.

Don't Fight On Their Turf

If you discover that your larger rival is buying up many of the ads on a certain keyword, theme, search engine or online marketplace, Look for an alternative – a place where your product  or service can shine without distraction.  Be everything that your competitor is not. 

When you compete on the turf of a major competitor, many of your dollars will be spent on playing catch-up rather than developing a relationship with your audience. Opt for being a big fish in a smaller pond. Successful online marketing is more about skill rather than brute strength. If you find yourself dealing with a behemoth, know that victory hinges on your ability to fight in an intelligent way.