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Methods for Researching Regional Website Competition by Ron Bohn

Why is Web Design Research Important?
If your company website is going to be successful, it is more important than ever to have a solid understanding of what your competitors are doing. You and your web designer can't reasonably expect to get anywhere if you don't know where you want to go! Once you acquire a firm understanding of what your competition is doing, you will have a huge advantage and understanding when you make decisions about the website for your company. This research will help you avoid “re-inventing the wheel” on aspects of your website and will give you a basis to evolve or confirm your own strategy. You simply can't lose by researching your competition on the web!

Where to find your competitors' websites?
You probably already know many of your top competitors. How good are their websites? Are they attractive, inviting, informative, and easily usable? If you were a customer, would you feel comfortable buying from these companies based on their websites?

The best place to research competition is on Google. When it comes to marketing it's a smart idea to use the search engine that majority of people use. Start off your competition analysis by doing a broad search that includes your primary service and region (if applicable) and your primary service. If you specialize in a particular region, then make sure you include that region. For example if you sell web design in St. Louis, MO, then you would search for the most relevant phrase possible such as "st. louis web design." If you are national or global, then follow the same concept, but just remove the region in the keyword description. Either way, the results on the first two pages will give you a good understanding of your competition respectively. If you are geo-based, make sure you check Google's local results for your industry. Look through each site in detail and give each one a rating. I have a standard spreadsheet that I use and you are more than welcome to use it also.

Rate your competition and organize it in a spreadsheet:

Before you get started, make a spreadsheet where you can compare key aspects of your competition such as graphic design, navigation quality, years in business, content quality, and client list/examples. Designate a row to each competitor site you research. Then, make a columns for each area of these aspects so you can rate each site on a scale from 1-10. At the end of each competitor row you can make a sum of your ratings for an “Overall Rating.”

This is not the only way to go about this, but is simply an example. Your time is important so just make sure you do your research in a way that allows you to easily compare the strengths and weaknesses of other web sites.

1) Design and Appearance
How good does it look? Does it strike you as tasteful? Does it annoy you? The desgin and appearance of a website is the main factor in determining the first impression that visitors will get. A clean, refereshing design can help any business instill trust to its potential customers.

2) Usability
Is it easy to find information on this website? Are there sensibly marked categories? Or, is it impossible or even painful to find even the most simple information?

3) Quality of Writing
You can usually tell how much thought was put into website content when you read it. If not, then you will get better from this research by reading more of it :)

4) Client Testimonials
This refers to whether there are real client testimonials or other evidence of the company doing a good job such as job photos or a portfolio of some kind. Potential clients put a lot of weight on this kind of thing regardless of the industry. You have to gain the trust of the people you want to do business with. Why not do this with your website? See how or, even "if" your competition is doing it. If they are, then do it better. If they are not, then use it to an even greater advantage!

5) Quality of Photos
Photo quality can make or break the overall presentation of your design. If your web designer is using ugly out-dated photos, then there is only so much that he or she can do to make you look good. Haller Concepts is a very reliable St. Louis photography company and they also offer quality video services.

Extending Your Research – How to be the best of the best
Once you have successfully rated the top competition for your industry in your local region, it would be wise to go through the same web design analysis in more competitive cities or areas. If you do business mostly in a medium-size city, look to the bigger metropolitan regions to see what their trends are. Make a new page in your spreadsheet for each new city you research. Once you have done this, compare and contrast this new data with your local market. Find the aspects you like from the top rated competitors and use them to formulate a unique, competitive web design strategy for your organization.

Ron Bohn is a freelance web designer for St Louis Graphic Design, Kansas City Web Design, and Bohn Studios Web Design St Louis.