Competitive Research, Intelligence, and Search Marketing, Part 1
Tools for competitive search analysis for marketers of all sizes and budgets. Part one of a two-part series.
Tools for competitive search analysis for marketers of all sizes and budgets. Part one of a two-part series.
At Search Engine Strategies (SES) Toronto, an entire session was devoted to competitive intelligence. The room was packed, demonstrating once again search marketers’ high level of interest in the competitive landscape — and knowing what the competition is doing. Competitive research and competitive intelligence really deserve a two-part column. Today, part one of that series.
I’m constantly amazed at the obsession marketing VPs, CMOs, CEOs, and other executives have with their competition. In SEM (define), perhaps more than in any other medium, it’s obvious who the winners and losers are. But this obsession didn’t start with SEM and an obsession with SERPs (define).
Fifteen years ago, when I worked in traditional advertising at McCann-Erickson and J. Walter Thompson, one of the most valued reports discussed every month with the client was the competitive spending report that provided share of voice (SOV) and share of spending (SOS). The same holds true today in SEM, both for organic SEO (define) and PPC (define) search. Of course, due to the concentration of attention at the top of the search results, SOV data, while important, tells only part of the story. A top position means a lot more than a position six listing.
With SEM, campaign success or failure and the desire for competitive intelligence have permeated up to the executive suite and the corporate boardroom. If a listing needs a seemingly irrational bid price, my team pushes the “CEO” button. Some CEOs want to win at any cost. Yet the session at SES Toronto was fairly down to earth, with presentations from active industry participants, including LeeAnn Prescott, Hitwise senior research analyst; David Williams, chief strategist and cofounder of 360i; Cam Balzer, director of search strategy at Performics; and Allan Dick, general manager of Vintage Tub & Bath.
The panelists agreed on one thing: one’s marketing and business objectives must guide the desire for competitive intelligence.
The tools, technologies, and data sets that can be used for competitive intelligence have evolved significantly over the last year. Tools and services mentioned during the SES presentation, and some additional tools that weren’t mentioned, include:
Part two will cover the kinds of reports and data you may want to look at regardless of source and how those reports might influence your PPC search campaign strategies.
Want more search information? ClickZ SEM Archives contain all our search columns, organized by topic.