How To Get Your Website Ahead Of The Competition

It's very difficult to successfully market a website in 2019. The competition is incredibly fierce, and if you don't think smart there's almost always going to be someone else who thinks smarter than you. Navigating successful website marketing methods can feel labyrinthine since there are myriad pitfalls to avoid and things you shouldn't do. Whether you're new to creating a successful website or you've been doing it for a long time, there could still be obvious things you're missing.

Don't worry; we're here to help. There are lots of ways to market your website and get it ahead of the competition, and some of these techniques are more obvious than others. Some might give you pause for thought. Here are just some of the ways we've found effective to get your website ahead of your competition and establish yourself as a market leader.

Involve other people

It might sound strange, but other people can really bolster your website's rankings. There's a bit too much of a tendency among marketing personnel to rely on artificial intelligence - algorithms and rankings and computers. All of this is fine, but there's no recommendation quite like one that comes from a real person. One example of how to do this would be to get your website onto a human edited web directory. Human edited web directories guarantee that websites have been vetted and selected based on engaging and informative content, not just chosen by an (admittedly advanced) algorithm because they tick boxes. Networking with other people will boost your profile, give you a good name in your community, and help you differentiate yourself from others.

Research your competition

You can't know whether you're offering better services than your competition if you don't know who they are. There's no shame in checking out your competitors and the way they approach web design and engagement. Doing market research for your website is crucial if you want to stay competitive because there's a chance your competitors are all doing something you're missing out on. There are plenty of well-structured guides on how to research competitors out there. Make sure you're following one and you can't go far wrong. Once you've learned what your competitors are all about, ask yourself what you can repurpose for your site and how you can be the best you possibly can be for your visitors and customers.

Build a unique brand

Sounds obvious, doesn't it? "Be unique by being unique". Perhaps this doesn't seem like the freshest observation in the world, but you'd be amazed how many small site owners and content creators just don't understand this fundamental building block of making your site stand out. If you're unique and fresh with your content, you'll attract visitors simply by virtue of being original and individual. This doesn't just extend to your site itself, but also to its ancillary contributing content - videos on YouTube, social media posts, the influencers you reach out to, et cetera. Find a niche that isn't currently being served and look to fill it. People will start to recognise your brand as being cut from a different cloth to your competitors and word-of-mouth marketing will do work for you.

Establish strong social media presences

Traditional marketing is dead. Long live influencer marketing. You won't get anywhere with your website if you don't establish a presence on social media. Your competitors will definitely all be doing this. Back in 2015, around 2 billion people used social networking sites and apps. Imagine how this number has grown exponentially since then. You're just not reaching a big enough audience if you don't build a Twitter and Instagram presence for yourself. Facebook is also important if you want to reach a mass audience. You'll also need to create video content via YouTube. Ask yourself if your brand is something that could benefit from this type of content, and if it isn't, ask yourself if there's no way you could perhaps change it a little. Social media is crucial for getting ahead.

Use as much personal content as possible

This should go without saying, but if you want to make your website stand out then you need to use as much content that doesn't exist on other sites as possible. Hire yourself a photographer or create photos yourself. Don't use stock images, videos, or (if possible) sounds. If you do need to use stock media, make sure it's not commonly used stock media. Needless to say, DO NOT plagiarise content from other pages, even if it's slightly reworded content. You'll be found out and it won't be worth the massive hit to your reputation. The more content on your site is original and fresh, the more people will be drawn to it. If you're not confident in your ability to build a brand for yourself, then look for talented staff who can help you in this endeavour. It's worth it, trust us.

Keep communication simple

Before you create your website, you need to understand what your brand is about. Try to write a simple, short sentence describing what you do. If you can't do this, your idea might be flawed at the planning stage and you might need to start over. Once you've got your sentence, try to use it as a template for all the text content you create on your site.
Communicate your values and brand simply and clearly to your audience. The more obfuscated your core brand identity is, the less people will understand what you're trying to do. In general, a simpler and more accessible website is definitely a good thing to aim for. Imagine you're a user. Do you want to wade through menus and purple prose just to find what you're after? Write for your audience and it'll grow.

Savita Singh is the author of computergeekblog, She has a superlative knowledge of Graphic and Web designing. She is a part time and award winning tech blogger who loves to write about latest technology, social media and web design. Her blog focuses on creative things of designing and tech, providing professional opinions on designing products, performances and a variety of business.