Search competition: Who are you really competing with?
Assessing your traditional competitors in search is critical, but you also need to analyze who competes with you purely through search rankings.
Andrew Dennis is a Content Marketing Specialist at Page One Power. Along with his column here on Search Engine Land, Andrew also writes about SEO and link building for the Page One Power blog. When he's not reading or writing about SEO, you'll find him cheering on his favorite professional teams and supporting his alma mater the University of Idaho.
Assessing your traditional competitors in search is critical, but you also need to analyze who competes with you purely through search rankings.
Andrew Dennis | Jul 29, 2020 at 10:40 am ETEach page on your site should have a purpose, and if you are strategic, your pages can support one another and your overarching business goals.
Andrew Dennis | Mar 10, 2020 at 2:10 pm ETIf your strategy has a heavy focus on link acquisition, the end of the year is a good time to shift some of your efforts to other areas.
Andrew Dennis | Dec 4, 2019 at 4:23 pm ETUnderstanding your competitors’ content strategies will help you outperform them where it matters most, in the search results.
Andrew Dennis | Sep 30, 2019 at 8:10 am ETStart with your existing pages to identify opportunities, which typically involve some form of repurposing, reformatting and updating.
Andrew Dennis | Aug 1, 2019 at 3:15 pm ETA good understanding of what types of content are linkable will guide your link development strategy. Here's what you need to know.
Andrew Dennis | May 28, 2019 at 3:18 pm ETHere are some best practices to get content and SEO teams working together throughout the creation process to ensure your pages are well-suited to succeed in organic search.
Andrew Dennis | Apr 12, 2019 at 9:01 am ETPages need to be optimized, linkable and have search opportunity to grow.
Andrew Dennis | Jan 30, 2019 at 10:04 am ETSearch engines are getting more sophisticated at measuring how well a page matches intent so here are some tips on how to build a better strategy for it.
Andrew Dennis | Nov 30, 2018 at 7:45 am ETContributor Andrew Dennis shares recent tweets made by Google public Search Liaison Danny Sullivan and looks at how they've helped SEOs get a better understanding of what's OK when it comes to link building.
Andrew Dennis | Aug 28, 2018 at 11:22 am ETContributor Andrew Dennis explains why you shouldn't overlook internal links on your site: They leverage link equity from external links and direct organic visitors to important, converting pages.
Andrew Dennis | Jul 2, 2018 at 12:28 pm ETContributor Andrew Dennis (kinda) disagrees with a previously published SEL article and offers his view on why link building may be difficult.
Andrew Dennis | May 7, 2018 at 2:14 pm ETWhy should you outline a link-building strategy before content is published? Contributor Andrew Dennis explains how smart research and planning boosts rankings and linking success.
Andrew Dennis | Mar 14, 2018 at 3:34 pm ETColumnist Andrew Dennis walks through link-building tactics implemented on a new website, resulting in an increase in links and traffic.
Andrew Dennis | Feb 14, 2018 at 10:12 am ETLooking to increase traffic and links to your site? Columnist Andrew Dennis shares the process he used to greatly improve search engine visibility for a B2B client.
Andrew Dennis | Oct 24, 2017 at 11:27 am ETCreating great content isn't enough to achieve great SEO results in and of itself. As columnist Andrew Dennis demonstrates, there is a lot that goes into a truly effective content strategy.
Andrew Dennis | Sep 27, 2017 at 10:22 am ETWant to know how to outrank your competitors on YouTube? Columnist Andrew Dennis outlines his process for dominating the top spots in YouTube search.
Andrew Dennis | Aug 29, 2017 at 10:30 am ETWondering where your best SEO opportunities lie? Columnist Andrew Dennis outlines his process for discovering content ideas based on keyword research and competitor analysis.
Andrew Dennis | Aug 1, 2017 at 10:33 am ETColumnist Andrew Dennis outlines the process he used to successfully build up traffic for a brand-new website -- without using any tricks or hacks.
Andrew Dennis | Jul 5, 2017 at 9:51 am ETIn the third and final installment of his series on authority versus relevance in link building, columnist Andrew Dennis shares insights from experts who believe that the better metric depends on the situation.
Andrew Dennis | May 17, 2017 at 11:31 am ETIn part two of his three-part series on authority versus relevance in link building, columnist Andrew Dennis hears from experts who favor authority.
Andrew Dennis | May 11, 2017 at 12:58 pm ETWhen pursuing a link, which is more important, relevance or authority? Columnist Andrew Dennis asks expert link builders this question, and in the first of his three-part series, we hear from those who value relevance.
Andrew Dennis | May 9, 2017 at 11:20 am ETColumnist Andrew Dennis outlines the research necessary to provide a solid foundation for your link-building strategy.
Andrew Dennis | Apr 11, 2017 at 10:07 am ETYou know that link building is necessary to achieve the results you want, but how do you sell the C-suite and secure budget? Columnist Andrew Dennis shares his advice.
Andrew Dennis | Mar 14, 2017 at 9:45 am ETIt's not too early to start thinking about Valentine's Day 2018! Columnist Andrew Dennis explains how to structure a link-building campaign for success during crucial seasonal periods and provides an outline for preparing 12 months in advance.
Andrew Dennis | Feb 14, 2017 at 11:58 am ETLink building and content marketing often complement each other, but columnist Andrew Dennis notes that there are plenty of ways to build links, even if you don't have the resources to create content.
Andrew Dennis | Jan 17, 2017 at 10:52 am ETWhether you're planning to pursue links in 2017 or continue an existing link-building project, columnist Andrew Dennis reminds us that December is an ideal month to review your link campaign strategy.
Andrew Dennis | Dec 20, 2016 at 9:36 am ETColumnist Andrew Dennis explains how link building is built on the same fundamental principles as effective marketing: thorough research, strategic promotion, carefully crafted messaging and sustained effort.
Andrew Dennis | Nov 22, 2016 at 9:46 am ETAre you excited about the recent Penguin update? You should be! Columnist Andrew Dennis explains why this algorithm adjustment is a boon to webmasters and SEOs.
Andrew Dennis | Oct 25, 2016 at 9:32 am ETWhat makes content link-worthy? Columnist Andrew Dennis discusses the qualities that make content easy to promote and share.
Andrew Dennis | Sep 27, 2016 at 9:56 am ETColumnist Andrew Dennis walks through his competitor analysis process to show how you can inform your organic search efforts by unearthing competitor strategies.
Andrew Dennis | Aug 30, 2016 at 10:05 am ETLink building is an art that many, including columnist Andrew Dennis, have learned through trial and error. Today, he shares some of what he's learned about how to identify and obtain better links.
Andrew Dennis | Aug 2, 2016 at 10:06 am ETNeed some great link-building ideas? Columnist Andrew Dennis has them for you -- with examples from major brands to illustrate how each might work.
Andrew Dennis | Jul 5, 2016 at 11:20 am ETObtaining valuable, future-proof backlinks requires human interaction -- and that means being prepared to offer something of value. Columnist Andrew Dennis shares his advice for putting together a successful link building outreach campaign.
Andrew Dennis | Jun 7, 2016 at 10:45 am ETAside from technical metrics related to web page authority, what factors should be used to inform your link building efforts? Columnist Andrew Dennis shares his ideas and those of other industry experts.
Andrew Dennis | May 10, 2016 at 11:00 am ETWhat does modern-day link building look like? Columnist Andrew Dennis explores the results of a 2016 survey on link building conducted by Moz, Credo and Page One Power.
Andrew Dennis | Apr 12, 2016 at 11:02 am ETThe secret to getting valuable, high-quality links? According to columnist Andrew Dennis, it's one-on-one interaction with another person.
Andrew Dennis | Mar 22, 2016 at 11:04 am ETWhat are the secret ingredients of an effective link building campaign? Columnist Andrew Dennis believes they are collaboration, great content and a solid product/service.
Andrew Dennis | Feb 16, 2016 at 10:32 am ETWhat's the best way to determine which links to pursue and which to pass up? Columnist Andrew Dennis shares his criteria.
Andrew Dennis | Jan 19, 2016 at 9:29 am ETMany SEOs agree that building quality links requires manual effort, but how can you scale that which cannot be automated? Columnist Andrew Dennis shares his thoughts.
Andrew Dennis | Dec 22, 2015 at 10:15 am ET