9 Ways to Steal Traffic From Your Competitors It might sound shady to steal traffic from your competitors, but there are actually ethical and effective ways to do so.
By John Rampton Edited by Mark Klekas
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While it might sound shady to steal traffic from your competitors, there are actually ethical and effective ways to do it. After all, it's a constant struggle to capture the attention and wallets of consumers.
The goal, however, isn't to steal your competitors' audience with underhanded tactics. Instead, you need to create an experience that is better, more valuable and draws people in naturally. Here are 10 ways to do just that:
1. Know thy enemy — competitive research is key
It is crucial to gather intel before launching your so-called digital heist.
In addition to analyzing their content and targeted keywords, it's important to delve into their backlink profile and social media presence. Understanding their link-building strategies and engagement tactics can provide valuable insights into their digital footprint and audience engagement.
The world of SEO is a cutthroat business, so knowing your competitors is just as important as knowing your target audience. A competitive SEO analysis is kind of like peeking into your opponent's SEO playbook. The information you collect will reveal their strengths and weaknesses, further informing your competitive strategy.
Related: Experts Share The 5 Things You Need to Understand About SEO in 2024
You can avoid making the same mistakes as your competitors and learn from their successes and failures. You can capitalize on their weaknesses by creating content to fill the gaps in their strategy. At the same time, you can replicate their strengths. It's not necessary to reinvent the wheel. Consider adapting their winning tactics for your own brand and audience.
2. Create superior value with your content
The fact that your competitor has a popular blog post on "5 Tips for Networking" doesn't mean you should create a copycat. Instead, strive to dominate the content market.
Instead, imagine an even more comprehensive and engaging piece, like "The Ultimate Guide to Networking for Entrepreneurs: 20 Ways to Build Your Bridge to Success." With fresh insights, actionable tips, and captivating visuals, this would definitely grab your audience's attention.
If you're stuck, AI can be your secret weapon by helping you generate ideas, write prompts, and optimize your article for SEO. Just make sure you're always adding value and creating content with your audience in mind.
Related: 5 Tips for Creating SEO Content That Ranks
3. Soar above the competition with the skyscraper technique
The Skyscraper Technique is a powerful link-building strategy coined by SEO expert Brian Dean. The approach gets its name from the concept of building something taller and more impressive than what already exists. In the context of SEO, it involves identifying high-performing content in your niche and creating superior, more comprehensive content to attract links and outperform competitors in search engine rankings.
By creating truly exceptional content, you can naturally attract backlinks and boost your SEO authority. Compared to traditional link-building, piggybacking on existing backlinks also yields faster results. To get started with this approach, try these tips:
- Find the goldmines. Identify high-ranking content with a strong backlink profile using tools like Ahrefs or SEMrush. Check out listicles, guides, and in-depth articles that have been proven to be useful.
- Go higher, go deeper. Identify the content's strengths and weaknesses. Is it possible to add more data? Do you have fresh insights? Do you have compelling visuals like videos or infographics? Don't just make it longer; make it better in every way.
- Polish your gem. The content you create should be appealing, well-formatted and error-free.
- Spread the word. Once you create better content, it's time to reach out. Inform the websites that linked to the original content that you have a superior version and explain why their page should include it.
It is important to remember that The Skyscraper Technique is a marathon, not a sprint. You can boost your SEO (and backlinks) by being patient and creating excellent content.
4. Harness the power of social media
It's safe to say that your competitors are aware of the power of social media as a traffic goldmine. Determine which platforms they dominate and what type of content resonates with their audience by analyzing their social media strategies.
Afterward, tailor your content and engagement style to your target audience by creating your own unique social media presence. Focus on showcasing your brand's personality and values consistently across platforms. Utilize creative content formats, such as videos, infographics, or user-generated content, to capture attention and differentiate yourself from competitors.
Additionally, actively engage with your audience by responding to comments, initiating conversations, and fostering a sense of community around your brand. In order to succeed on social media, you have to be authentic and have valuable interactions.
5. Invest wisely in paid ads for quick wins
In the short term, paid advertising can be an effective means of stealing organic traffic. By targeting your competitor's keywords and audience through platforms like Google Adwords and social media advertising, you can put your brand right in front of their prospective customers.
You must, however, budget wisely and monitor your results carefully to ensure a positive return on investment.
Related: 5 Common Research Mistakes and How to Avoid Them
6. Play the long game of nurturing leads with email marketing
Don't let traffic slip away once you've attracted it. Offer valuable content, exclusive discounts and early access to new products or services when you build an email list and send engaging newsletters.
Through email marketing, you can convert one-time visitors into loyal customers who won't consider your competitors. You can establish direct communication channels. By providing relevant and personalized content, exclusive offers, and ongoing engagement, you can build trust and loyalty among subscribers.
This continuous interaction helps to solidify your brand's presence in their minds, making it less likely for them to consider competitors when making purchasing decisions.
Related: 8 Simple Email Marketing Tips to Improve Your Open and Click Through Rates
7. User experience is everything
The goal shouldn't be to just steal traffic; it should also be to keep it. One effective way to achieve this is to provide a seamless and enjoyable user experience on your website.
In other words, it means creating a website that is clean and intuitive. You'll need fast loading times, and it should be responsive enough for mobile use. According to Google, as the load time increases to 3 seconds, the bounce rate increases by 32%. Ultimately, visitors will quickly find their way back to your competitor's user-friendly website if your website is a labyrinth to navigate.
8. Local SEO — rule your neighborhood
Do you have a brick-and-mortar store or cater to a local audience? If so, local SEO is your secret weapon.
This approach prioritizes optimizing your website for local keywords, claiming your Google My Business listing, and asking for positive online reviews. As a result, your website will appear prominently in local searches, bringing potential customers to it.
9. Continuous improvement is key
Last but not least, keep in mind that the digital landscape is constantly changing. For this reason, you should regularly track your website's traffic and analyze user behavior to find out what is working and what isn't. Then, utilize that data to drive your strategy and adjust it accordingly.
You should always remember that ethical attraction is about building trust with your audience and offering genuine value. Creating quality content, providing a great user experience, and engaging your audience will keep your competitors in the dust — ethically, of course.
