While I don't tend to worry about what my neighbors are doing when it comes to the latest car or the latest gadget, I do keep an eye on my business competitors. You should to, and part of what you are watching should be their search marketing presence.

It's not enough to just keep an eye on the site that show up before and after yours for your targeted keyword phrases. You need to know if your competitors are taking advantage of your brand for things like pay-per-click advertising. Your need to know where your competitors are drawing their traffic from. Heck, you need to know who your competitors even are...there might be some out there that you aren't even aware of.

Learn more in Paul Bruemmer's featured article: "Competitor Intelligence Helps Protect and Elevate Your Brand."






About the Author

Jennifer Laycock is the Editor of Search Engine Guide, an educational web site aimed at translating the search marketing world into something that small business owners can understand. Jennifer specializes in common sense search engine marketing, viral marketing and customer outreach via social media and blogs. A former search marketing consultant and in-house trainer, Jennifer’s clients have included companies like Verizon, American Greetings and Highlights for Children. Her primary clients now are a little girl named Elnora and a little boy named Emmitt.

Jennifer Laycock is the Editor of Search Engine Guide, an educational web site aimed at translating the search marketing world into something that small business owners can understand. Jennifer specializes in common sense search engine marketing, viral marketing and customer outreach via social media and blogs. A former search marketing consultant and in-house trainer, Jennifer’s clients have included companies like Verizon, American Greetings and Highlights for Children. Her primary clients now are a little girl named Elnora and a little boy named Emmitt.