The last part of content analysis is competitor analysis. It is important to note that many people will try to match competitors effort-for-effort in hopes of outdoing them. However, every company is unique with their goals and objectives, which means careful consideration should be taken of your own objectives while analysing a competitors content. What works for me might not work for business x, yet works amazingly for business y.

How are Websites Organised?

By observing the competition's website structure you may gather valuable information; such as:
Whether industry standard labels have appeared. For example if competitor x is calling their newsfeed ‘news’ you might want to call yours ‘Super awesome best news ever’ (who wouldn’t want to click on that!?).
If there’s a certain trend to organise information by certain categories like; product/service or even target audience.
Whether there are any techniques or idiosyncrasies you can use as inspiration

Which Topics are Covered?

This is an ideal opportunity to find out where you can create a competitive edge. What aren’t your competitors covering? What does your user research show is most important? Here you can add that little extra that your competitors don’t seem to have. A little creativity coupled with competitor awareness can create some awesome ideas.

Note: Consider the depth of your competitor’s content as well, for example, with their product pages.

Which Content Formats are Available?

Take a look at the digital media (if any) involved in your competitor's sites. Do they feature videos or podcasts? Do they have downloadable extras?
What’s their brand and messaging like?
What are the style, tone and voice of their content? Some may sound too academic or obviously marketing orientated. This is where you can set yourself apart by using conversational content as opposed to technical jargon. You want to give your customers something that will hold their attention by providing them with content that is relatable and easy to understand.

Where Else are They on the Web?

Do they engage in social media like Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn? Do they have a blog? How often are these updated? Try to find out what other kinds of web initiatives your competitors are using. This will give you an indication of the types of campaigns your brand will be effective with.

Search Engine Ranking

Consider your competitor’s search engine rankings. Content and SEO go hand-in-hand which means if you’re analysing a competitors content who’s search engine ranking ain’t so hot, I can guarantee you their content won’t be either.

So let’s recap: Content analysis involves looking at the content you have and trying to figure out what to do to make it better. The first step of the process is to plan and strategise, setting goals and targets, depending on the nature of your business. Next you will have to determine what kind of content you will need by evaluating user's needs and the competition.

Missed the first 2 parts? Catch them here: Content Analysis Part 1, Content Analysis Part 2.
Next article in the series: Content Strategy Part 1

This article was inspired by the book Content Strategy for the Web by Kristina Halvorson, 2010.


Sound Idea Digital is a full service digital agency | www.soundidea.co.za

Julian Karstel is a Digital Marketing Consultant for Sound Idea Digital | @JulianKarstel | Julian@soundidea.co.za

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