The 12-Step Program for Online Marketing

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Estimate Website Traffic with Compete.Com by Using Regression Analysis

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As a webmaster who competes with other websites or has an interest in entering a new niche, you might want to get traffic numbers for sites that you don't own. You can't actually do that with Google Analytics...but Compete.com, combined with Google Analytics, may give you at least a very reasonable estimate. Keep reading to find out how.

It is important as a webmaster to at least estimate the number of actual unique visitors to any website. Of course, you know that you can get accurate data using Google Analytics and other tools. However, you need to be the owner of the website in order to see those data.

If you are not the verified owner of the website, then you cannot obtain website traffic data using Google Analytics or other tools such as Stat Counter.

A feasible but not entirely accurate approach is to use online tools that can estimate the traffic/unique visitors' data of any website, and for free. One of these tools is Compete.com.

However, the main problem with using such tools is the accuracy of the result. The data given by Compete.com could never be the same as the Google Analytics data.

While the tool provides you with some data, you will never have a clue as to how it relates to Google Analytics which is a standard in web analytics.

This study aims to estimate the unique visitors of a website as if measured by Google Analytics but using Compete.com's raw data.

At the end of this study, any webmaster will be able to estimate the number of unique monthly visitors to any website, if they are using Google Analytics, given its Compete traffic value, to a certain accuracy level (an 83% confidence level, for example).

The main objective is that, even if you do not have access to the Google Analytics account of a certain website, you will still be able to estimate the number of  unique visitors it receives, using Compete.com data.

Methodology of the Study

In order to estimate traffic, a model needs to be generated using regression analysis. To conduct a regression analysis, the following steps are employed:

Step 1: Select a website with at least one full year of Google analytics data.

Step 2: Gather the Compete.Com unique visitors' data of the website. Compete.com by default provides one full year of data (12 months maximum).

To do this, you need to go to this URL: http://compete.com/. Click "Site Profile," enter the domain name and then hit "Go."

Screen shot:

The unique visitors' data is available from the resulting unique visitors' plot.

Step 3: Gather the equivalent unique visitor's data in Google Analytics for those months with Compete.com data.

To get the absolute unique visitors data in Google Analytics, first, click "View Report" after logging to your Google Analytics account. In the "Dashboard," adjust the date range to reflect the same date range used by Compete.com's data gathering.

For example, if Compete.com provides September 2009 to September 2010 data, then adjust the date period to September 1, 2009 to September 30, 2010 in Google Analytics.

Finally, click "Visitors" -> click "Absolute Unique Visitors." To get monthly data, click the "Month" option beside "Graph by:" It should look like the screen shot below:

Step 4: Summarize all the data gathered in an Excel spreadsheet.

Step 5: Perform regression data analysis.

Step 6: Make conclusions and consider recommendations/case examples.

Next: Data Gathering and Regression Analysis >> More Search Optimization Articles
More By Codex-M

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How Not To Ruin Content With SEO

How Not To Ruin Content With SEOSearch Engine
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NewsSearch Engine Guide > Stoney deGeyter > How Not To Ruin Content With SEOHow Not To Ruin Content With SEO

November 9, 2010 Comments (1)

Stoney deGeyter

Articles

There are a lot of different ways to say the same thing. Anyone who has performed keyword research knows that people search for a lot of the same things using very different phrases and terminology. For example, if you're looking to build your online business, you could search for: internet marketing, website marketing, online marketing, website promotion, search engine optimization, search engine marketing, SEO, and a dozen other variations.

Or if you're a physician looking to manage health records online, you could search for: EHR, EMR, electronic health records, electronic medical records, medical software, personal health records, practice management software, and so on. One of the problems many business owners and SEOs come up against is how to optimize their site for each of these variations that all potentially mean the same thing.

Quite often, your website will have different pages on your site that can be (or already are) focused on different aspects of your service that cover each of these topics as separate entities. In other cases, your similar phrases can be (or are) used interchangeably throughout the site.

The problem comes when each of these similarly defined terms is extremely competitive, and using them interchangeably won't allow you a strong enough SEO focus to achieve rankings for any of them. You need pages that focus on one (or just a couple) phrase(s) at a time if you want them to be successful.

Optimize Similar Keywords on Existing Site Pages

Ideally, you want to target keywords that are already a natural fit for any given page. But, when several keyword phrases essentially mean the same thing, there is no clear distinction to be able to say definitively which keywords fit where. For example, "keyword research" is pretty clear while "keyword optimization" can mean the same thing as SEO and all the other phrases.

One easy solution is to find a content page relevant for any group of similar meaning phrases, choose the highest volume phrase and target that. Since each phrase basically means the same thing to the common searcher, changing all instances of various phrases to the single phrase you're targeting can be done without changing the meaning of the page in any way.

The value here is that the core message of the page hasn't been changed or the sales message diminished. It's simply a matter of talking about "online marketing" as opposed to "internet promotion", or "search engine marketing" vs. "website marketing." I should note that you don't always want to change every instance. Some variety is a good thing.

Reduce Site Clutter... Blog Instead

The strategy above works great, but it can become problematic once you run out of pages and still have a number of phrases left to optimize. Most people will just go about creating new pages of sales content to target the remaining phrases. The problem here is you're going outside your core marketing message to do this and creating site/navigational clutter as well.

Usually these new pages offer nothing new that is substantial or relevant that can't be found elsewhere on the site. Your site then becomes over-run with pages of content that were built for the sole purpose of getting keyword rankings. That may help with rankings, but not for converting visitors once they arrive.

This is where blogs can come into play. Putting together keyword focused blog posts can help you optimize for additional keywords, while not worrying about adding additional "optimization" clutter to your main site.

But before you rush out to create some generic content to get your keyword on a page, think it through. Your blog isn't your sales content. So don't go creating another sales page. Think of a way to present new information in a new, unique, and informative way.

Once you have this awesome piece of standalone content written, place it on your blog, but not as just any other blog post. Instead, you can create a standalone "article" that is linked from your blog navigation. This keeps that content timeless and prevents it from getting buried with the rest of the stuff. Be sure to update this information regularly as necessary.

Be Selective When Optimizing Your Phases

Undoubtedly, when performing keyword research, you'll find a number of phrases that are similarly themed. Usually these are phrases using a single core term (say, "internet marketing") that add additional qualifiers (such as "internet marketing services", "internet marketing strategy", "internet marketing consultant", "affiliate internet marketing", and so on.)

One of the worst things you can do is to try and target all of these phrases on a single page. The better strategy is to organize these phrases into supporting themes and then build pages around each theme. Think of it as building in sub-categories for your product and services.

When going this route, adding new pages to the site (rather than the blog) is actually a good idea. You're building strong, relevant content that targets the specific needs of your visitors using language that addresses that.

Building Strong SEO Content

When keywords are applied correctly throughout your site, whether to existing pages, new pages, blog posts, or wherever, content can be written naturally without feeling forced or being noticed by your visitor. The end result will be a robust site, targeting dozens, if not hundreds, of keywords, all effectively optimized to bring in targeted traffic while still increasing sales.

Related EntriesBridging the Gap Between the Page, Keywords and CopywritingYou WANT Rankings, But What Do You Really NEED?What Does Your Competition Know That You Don't?What Can Brick and Mortar Teach You About SEO?

Comments (1)

Using a blog as a way to explore ranking for other keywords is a great idea. It lets you keep your sales pages focused and centrally themed while allowing you to rank for a keyword on a blog that could distract a user on a sales page.

Posted by: Alex on November 9, 2010Leave a comment

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About the Author

Stoney deGeyter is the President of Pole Position Marketing, a leading search engine optimization and marketing firm helping businesses grow since 1998. Stoney is a frequent speaker at website marketing conferences and has published hundreds of helpful SEO, SEM and small business articles.

If you'd like Stoney deGeyter to speak at your conference, seminar, workshop or provide in-house training to your team, contact him via his site or by phone at 866-685-3374.

Stoney pioneered the concept of Destination Search Engine Marketing which is the driving philosophy of how Pole Position Marketing helps clients expand their online presence and grow their businesses. Stoney is Associate Editor at Search Engine Guide and has written several SEO and SEM e-books including E-Marketing Performance; The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist, Period!; Keyword Research and Selection, Destination Search Engine Marketing, and more.

Stoney has five wonderful children and spends his free time reviewing restaurants and other things to do in Canton, Ohio.

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Search Engine Guide > Stoney deGeyter > How Not To Ruin Content With SEO

Stoney deGeyter is the President of Pole Position Marketing, a leading search engine optimization and marketing firm helping businesses grow since 1998. Stoney is a frequent speaker at website marketing conferences and has published hundreds of helpful SEO, SEM and small business articles.

If you'd like Stoney deGeyter to speak at your conference, seminar, workshop or provide in-house training to your team, contact him via his site or by phone at 866-685-3374.

Stoney pioneered the concept of Destination Search Engine Marketing which is the driving philosophy of how Pole Position Marketing helps clients expand their online presence and grow their businesses. Stoney is Associate Editor at Search Engine Guide and has written several SEO and SEM e-books including E-Marketing Performance; The Best Damn Web Marketing Checklist, Period!; Keyword Research and Selection, Destination Search Engine Marketing, and more.

Stoney has five wonderful children and spends his free time reviewing restaurants and other things to do in Canton, Ohio.

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Lethbridge SEO

Lethbridge SEO is simply the process of having your Lethbridge business rank high in Google search results, so that when a customer is looking for information or to make a purchase and they turn to the internet, then encounter you and your business.

As this becomes more and more common, it is increasingly important that your business ranks at the top of the results page. Most searchers will never go beyond the first page and most of them actually will not go very far down the page before clicking on one of the results.

It is of the greatest important that your Lethbridge business is ranked at or near the very top of the results. Try it. Go to Google and search for the service you provide. Type in Lethbridge followed by the business you are in. (for example Lethbridge Catering, or Lethbridge Golf Lessons, or Lethbridge Mortgage Broker)

Know what each of those searches has in common? The business at the top in the #1 position got their with the help of LethbridgeMarketing.com and our proprietary techniques to boost your business.

Want even more proof? There are currently 9 SEO companies in Lethbridge (you know, the expert guys who want to help you rank #1 in Google) there are also 22 others from across Canada who actively solicit local Lethbridge businesses telling them they can help them.

Search for: Lethbridge SEO
(one would think that the businesses who are experts would be at the top for their own search right?)

I encourage you to check out all 10 of the results on page #1 in Google. Then decide who you think is the top Lethbridge SEO company.