Google your competitor – StartupSmart

It’s OK, you can admit it – you like to Google your own name, don’t you? It’s something every entrepreneur does from time to time, just to see how they are being seen in the big bad world of the internet.

Heck, I even Google Taskmaster every now and again (apparently I am a fictional comic book character, as well as a suave business advice guru).

But today I want you to stop Googling yourself and spend 10 minutes Googling the name of your biggest competitor.

Why, I hear you say? Because there is a lot you can learn from this exercise, and not just your rival’s web address.

From a simple Google search you’ll see:

• Where they rank for their own company name (you might be surprised by this, as their Wikipedia entry or a story in a news website may actually rank higher).
• What Google Ad Words advertising is around them (you might see an opportunity to put your ads there and piggy back off their traffic).
• What news sites or blogs are mentioning their name.
• What other companies they have affiliate or distribution deals with.
• Info about their social media strategies (if and how often the Tweet or post on Facebook, for example).
• What directories they have listed themselves on (and whether you need to be on these directories too).

In a few minutes and you’ll learn a lot about their Google strategy. And don’t forget to run their name through other search engines such Bing and Yahoo while you’re at it.

Get it done – now!