Don't Worry About The Competition (Tip #20)
One of the biggest fears of new marketers is that someone will 'copy' their niche. Let me rephrase that - something that ALL marketers fear is that someone will steal their ideas/website/niche and outrank them.
I've actually had this happen before! See this post and this post.
But do you know what happened? After a while they stopped blogging. After a while their sites when silent, and now it's not a big deal.
So one of the things I've learned is that competition isn't such a big deal if you concentrate on what you are doing and DO NOT QUIT.
If you have chosen your niche correctly, there are going to be hundreds, if not THOUSANDS of terms that you can rank for. Some of them you will try to rank for intentionally, others you will rank for just because Google's algo understands what you are writing about. Either way, you will win some battles, and lose others.
Part of what will help you win a battle will be far beyond what's on your website. Of course having awesome content is going to keep people coming back to your site, keep you making sales, and keep you ranked high in Google. But there are many other aspects to a successful marketing campaign outside ranking in Google.
Here are some examples
- Paid advertising
- Video marketing
- Social media
- Email marketing
- Interaction with your visitors in comments
All of these things will contribute to your authority in search engines. 99% of the time, the marketers and website owners will not do these things, or not do them correctly. Those that do them correctly AND effectively, might not continue doing them over time.
And then it's a waiting game.
So someone has a badass campaign for about 6 months and outranks you for every keyword you want. Where will they be 1 year or 2 years down the road? Do they have the same level of commitment as you? Can you find a weak point in their campaign where you can shine and put them to shame?
Or even better...
Are there any ways you could collaborate with them to mutually benefit both parties?
There are options other than focusing on the ranking position of one or two keywords. If your campaign cannot survive without those spots, perhaps it's not a project to continue with.
Has competition ever been a worry of yours or have you been outranked by someone for a keyword you really wanted to rank for? Share you story in the comments!
Recent Comments
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Just do what you do to the best of your ability. Your people will come to you no matter how much competition there is in the field. You're going to send out a vibration to the universe that will connect with like-minded people. Like the post above says, "Just keep with it." People will compare the multiple sites and decide which one resonates best with them.
From my own personal experience I was attracted to a few of the teachers on The Secret. I follow them and have taken some of their coaching programs. Others didn't resonate with me even though they were talking about exactly the same thing.
You know I have, we talked about just this. I was afraid to share my idea, even to get feedback, in case someone with more experience would take off and do it, and do it much better than I could. You told me pretty much the same thing, which helped me to share my ideas with you. I suppose that's what competition is all about anyway, and if you keep doing what you are doing, you will come out on top.
After giving it some thought, I doubt anyone who would steal someone else's idea, would have the integrity to be able to KEEP any followers they would get from doing that. So, back to the grind, and just make what I'm working on the best that it can be, since I've always believed that what goes around, comes around, so I'm sure that holds true with this too.
I remember that conversation, and it was that conversation that sparked the idea for this post. I wrote it down, and someone asked me the same question recently, so I decided to finally write about it in my blog.
Great article, Nathaniell! You can waste a lot of time stressing over competitors but you can learn a lot from them as well...some you learn what not to do...others you may want to model some aspect of their campaign. I agree with Rick...keep your primary focus on what your readers want and need. Doing that brings loyalty.
Yes, there's going to be competition in any niche, and any niche that doesn't have competition might not be worth getting into!
This is really good and truly validates that, after all, imitation if the greatest form of flattery! ;-)
Good post. I have turned away from worrying about what others are doing in my niche and concentrated on what I think my readers want. I often ask myself, "What can I write for them today? What do they need?" And that starts my search as I begin to figure out what it is they are searching for and can I help them.
I don't mind when I see someone ranking for a great keyword; I think, kudos to them...and then look to see if there's something they didn't focus on or even take the topic in a different direction.
I really like your comment about the commitment we need to bring and the fact that we are in this long term whereas many of the others are here for a short time in the hopes of making a fast buck. One thing I should do is jot down what I want my website to look like and deliver a year from now. There is so much to learn and adding to it means also organizing it so it is easy to navigate for the visitor...help them get from point A to point B quickly and easily. Thanks for this.
I'm glad you enjoyed the post. I too look forward to seeing your website in a years time. Bootcamp has taken everyone a long way, but there's a lot more to do. I'm starting to get more active in the program and have really enjoyed sharing my site and content with everyone.
by staying in for the long haul, people will know, like, and trust You.
My dad was a brick-and-mortar store guy, big department store. People often asked how he felt about the fact that his biggest competitor was right across the street. And he answered with real conviction, that people would head for that corner of the city when they wanted to shop at a department store because that corner was where the 2 best stores were. Tons of traffic for both, as a result. Better than if a shopper went to one store on one day, and maybe the other store in a whole different part of town next week. He really understood traffic.
He also understood loss leaders. His department store had a fabulous bakery, right at the entrance. He steadily and on purpose lost money in that bakery all the time. But the bakery had a huge wide-open door (like the whole wall was open) from it into the main department store. And if you stood inside that bakery and watched what happened, people bought their treasures for dinner and tomorrow's breakfast , then walked straight on into the main store. They didn't just turn around and leave. There were no barriers between the bakery and the main store.
We do things like that, give away special reports that have real substance etc. we could sell those for money, but ----well, you know why.
Excellent story, and it shows just how much brick and mortar businesses relate to online business. Not every article we make has to be a promotion and not every product review has to make us money in some way. You're absolutely right that trust goes a long way, and your dad is right that competition isn't always a bad thing.
It is really very well said....i know that there are people out there that do that for temporary.benefits...we have to live with them and keep praying for them.....cheers
I'm new to this, so don't have any stories yet, but this was a really interesting post. Something I will definitely keep in mind!!! Thanks!
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What about jumping into an already saturated niche? In my case, I`m in the "six pack abs" sub niche of fitness. I most certainly do have competition and they won`t be giving up whey they`re already making so much money! What are your thoughts on this?
Jumping into a saturated niche can be tough, but there's always opportunity. Like putting marbles in a jar, if there's tons of big marbles, there's always room for smaller ones to fit in the cracks. There are thousands of keywords to rank for, and your rank will changes based on a persons search history, location in the world, and probably other factors. No one can dominate a niche, and if they do, they won't stay there forever.
Plus, you have the advantage here. You get awesome training, and very often will be ahead of the pack with regards to 'technique' and information. Many people are still trying to buy backlink packages to boost their rank. While they waste time and money on that, you can connect with people in your niche and build a following. There's always a way, and always an angle.
If that is your real six pack on your g+ profile, you already have a leg up on these fat guys behind computer screens just trying to turn a buck. Be honest and real, and people come back to your site. If you are a fat guy behind a computer screen, well, I guess I just put my foot in my mouth. LOL.
Lol it is me but I thought I was pretty out of shape! It`s supposed to be the before picture. Anyways, by the look of things my biggest competition is Mike Chang. After looking at some of his content, honestly, I know I can`t compete on that stage.
I know that the fitness crowd is always grasping for the next big thing so trying to offer a real solution is tough! Thing is , it`s not just my integrity that keeps me talking about real stuff, but I have the kind of mind that always digs to the unpleasant truth. It`s not something many share and I fully understand why!
Anyways, this is my very first website, so it sucks to have to take on something so daunting right from the get go! I`m at day 12 and I only get like 1 or 2 random search hits a day.