What are the best practices when your niche or industry is extremely competitive?
One of the most common starting points for an SEO campaign is to conduct competitor research. However, the best advice to take to heart when you’re working in a very competitive search space, like travel or locksmithery, is not to intend to COPY your competitor’s campaigns.
Look For Your Unique Market Value Add
Unfortunately, a side-effect of SEO oriented keyword research is that you just chase strategies and tactics that others have ALREADY deployed, but you don’t have the advantage of seeing the EXACT outcome of that campaign. Perhaps those posts were weaker than other posts, or had less conversion potential.
You need to open your SERP query, see what’s ranking now and understand what is NOT THERE right now! What is a fresh angle, or content type you can use to grab visibility for your business in a competitive space.