Checking Out The Competition Is Not What It Seems

The interesting thing about using keyword research to check out the competition is that keyword competitors can be potential partners as long as they are not direct competitors.

How does this work? Let's assume that you have actually gone to the trouble of generating a list of keywords that are applicable to your market niche:

• Perform several searches based on the most applicable keywords for your niche
• For each search, visit each of the sites listed on the first page of the search engine results and assess what they are about (make notes)
• Keep an eye out for complementary offerings (If you are offering yoga lessons, complementary offerings might be yoga mats, blocks, clothing or music, for example)
• Consider the possibility that a you could have an article on your site that they could link to, thus adding value to their site while helping your traffic
• Consider the possibility that you could make a commission selling their stuff or they could make a commission selling your stuff or both

...and then there are your actual competitors. In the case of your true competitors ask yourself "What's missing that I could provide?" If they are the least expensive, maybe you could provide superior quality. If they are tried and true, maybe you could offer a high degree of responsiveness and customization.

You might discover that your your dream business is simply too competitive, in which case it's good to find that out before you dump a bunch of cash into something that ultimately won't work.

Next Installment: Identifying Your Tribes