How to Understand my Competition

sarafletcher

I have a question about online competitor analysis - I'm looking to start a custom printed clothing store targeted towards campus organizations, such as fraternities and clubs. However, I'm wondering what the competition would be like, since I've noticed that there's a fair amount of stores that operate exclusively online (such as this one). How would my new business fare against competitors online, especially when I don't have a local audience? Any advice is welcome, thanks!

ShyEntrepreneur

I like to use google to get an idea of who the top dogs are. Type in your main keywords and see who comes up. Once you identify the top few players there are a ton of tools out there which allow you to assess their websites. i have a toolbar that shows me the number of indexed pages, age, Alexa rank, and a bunch of other metrics. These give a good insight on a companies web presence and consequently how hard it would be to compete with them. SEO quake offers such a tool.
TJ
ShyEntrepreneur

lisabet

It sounds like you are worrying too much about back links. Focus on your content and user experience. People will find your site, it cannot be helped. Your real concern is getting them to stay longer and come back. If people like what they find on your site they are more likely to return and tell their friends about it.

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saighsteve

It will be very complicated to offer on the internet with a lot of competitors but it is possible - needs time, perform and perseverance. You need to analysis competitors with your regional industry.