Whether you’re optimizing a website to sell a physical product, a service, or a digital service (like SaaS), no organic product marketing strategy is complete without comparison keywords.
Google is constantly improving its understanding of the various user end goals (not just intent) behind search queries and tailoring search results pages to cater to different “perspectives” on a specific term.
Incorporating comparison keywords into your growth strategy can help improve your organic search visibility and traffic, especially if your market is highly competitive.
It also assists users in better understanding your product in the context of the market.
There are two kinds of comparison search phrases that you should include in your strategy. They represent two distinct user groups:
- “Alternatives” search phrases: Users are aware of one product and may be aware of others, but they are not yet convinced of a viable alternative.
- “Versus” search phrases: At this stage, users have typically done more market and product research and are now directly comparing a shortlist of solutions.
Some websites combine these two target phrases on a single page. However, it is critical to distinguish and create the user experience required to fully satisfy these various user groups.
Recognizing Comparison Phrases
A complete opportunity list includes, in addition to your keyword research and all of the data provided by your tools, the following:
- Your personal market knowledge
- Prospects’ feedback on who they are comparing you to (whether you see the other company as a competitor or not).
- What Google returns in terms of search results (which is an indicator of its perceived value).
Phrases with “Alternatives”
I always recommend beginning with your alternatives, as this can help you expand the number of sites you thought were your competitors based on the search terms your target user base is using.
Let’s take Airbnb as an example of a leading competitor in the market where we’re attempting to gain organic traction.
Airbnb alternative search phrases (as a category) have a search volume of 5,300 and include a variety of modifiers such as best, physical location, “ethical,” and price (cheap).
But what’s more important from Ahrefs’ list of 173 keywords is that I can see the brands that users associate with Airbnb, so you get a double brand alternative:
- airbnb vrbo alternatives
- alternatives to airbnb and vrbo
- vrbo and airbnb alternatives
We can also look at the search results for VRBO alternatives from here. They may have some relevance (or overlap) with Airbnb alternatives, which expands the content opportunity.
The next step is to use the SERPs to find the information you’re looking for. A large number of travel sites have done the legwork for you in some industries, such as travel.
In other niches, you may come across sites like G2, as well as SaaS varying tech blogs.
When I search for [airbnb alternatives] from a UK IP address, I get the travel sites that have already done the legwork for me.
VRBO, Flipkey, TurnKey, Plum Guide, Homestay, Sonder, onefinestay, Agoda Homes, Third Home, Vacasa, and HomeToGo are all names I recognize.
When searching for VRBO, I discovered Casamundo, Wimdu, and Tripping.
This gives me a total of 15 potential comparison content pages to create.
Taking the search volumes of phrases that include [x], there is a potential monthly search volume of 6,190, which isn’t bad for a small comparison hub that is only looking at alternatives.
This search volume is then combined with [your-brand vs. competitor brand] to determine the potential of the page.
So, if we look at [airbnb vs vrbo], the potential search volume for this page is 16,500. And if we use the CTR for desktop from the most recent seoClarity study – 8.17 percent – we get a monthly traffic potential of around 1,350.
Phrases Beginning with “Versus”
Once you’ve compiled a list of competitors based on your market knowledge and alternative keyword research, these are fairly self-explanatory.
At this stage, I don’t place too much emphasis on search volume. Users who are looking for direct comparisons between your product and competitors are usually well-researched and close to converting.
As a result, traffic may be high in terms of quality but low in terms of volume.
You want to create a comparison table in plain HTML with verses so that Google can easily read all of the content without having to interpret an image. Include features that you have that your competitors do not, as well as elements that your competitors have but you do not.
Directly highlighting features that your competitors have that you don’t may appear counterintuitive.
You, on the other hand, are providing a better “user experience forecast.”
Users who have a specific need for something you don’t have are unlikely to generate a lead or waste the sales team’s time. They will not sign up and then quickly churn, leaving them with a negative impression of a product that did not meet their needs.
Creating an Excellent Comparison Page
With both of these phrases, you can create a fantastic comparison page that compares your products/services objectively and factually. And it will do so in a way that communicates to users a high-value proposition.
Establish an initial “hub” or page element on the specific product and solution pages that internally link to the comparison pages for structure.
Many websites make the error of attempting to create a separate user journey for their comparison content. In reality, being internally linked to product/solution landing pages has a lot of value.
Each page contains the following information:
- Include an introductory section that qualitatively explains and provides three key reasons why your product is superior to the one the user is comparing you to. From here, you should internal link to the relevant product/solution pages on your site, as well as any supporting blogs or support articles that further explain the highlighted product features.
- The second section should be a more quantitative comparison that compares direct product features, indirect product features such as support, and access to any other “added value” services using plain HTML tables.
- Create a conclusion that includes a heading and information about how users can transition from their product to yours, as well as a paragraph or two about some minor (positive) differences between your product and the competitors.
With the help of this article, you should be able to start the discussion and build the business case for comparison pages.
They are not only an excellent way to improve search visibility, but they also serve as a tool for converting and demonstrating trust and expertise to users.
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