Relevant

It's important to know who your competition is and what they have to offer visitors. Try subscribing to their newsletters and check out your main competitors' sites from time to time. Ask yourself questions like "Who's in the Top Ten for your main key phrases"? and "How does my business compare to theirs? It's also important to recognize your strengths and weaknesses. If the web sites that are all in the top ten have been in existence on average for ten years, and if they have hundreds or even thousands of links pointing to their site, it will take time to compete with their well-established rankings

It's very important to know your competition online. Researching your competition can save you money in the long run. For example, pick your main keyword or key phrases. Do a Google search, then look at the first ten results. Here's your competition! Look around on their web sites if you're unfamiliar with them. Ask yourself: "What do I do that they don't? What have they got that I don't?" If you're selling something, are your prices higher or lower? Can you buy these products on your competition's sites or are they just displayed? Do they have quality photos?

Even if you get into the top ten, if you can't compete with your competition, or you don't offer them the same things on your web site, you may not see your sales increase. Just because you rank above another web site doesn't mean that visitors will want to use your service or buy your product. That's why RESEARCHING YOUR COMPETITION is so important.