Competition research is the practice of discovering and documenting companies that providing the same services as you. It is an essential step in designing the most effective website for your business. Competition research can also be an important component of Local SEO.

Professional or amateur competition research?

Should you do competition research yourself?

Depends on how much time you have on your hands versus money.

Competition research is usually done by professionals who are much more efficient than you can be and more thorough as well. You also want a third party who isn’t biased and won’t be “found out” by the competition.

Competition research done right isn’t unethical, but there are some grey areas that are best left to the professionals.

I always suggest hiring someone for competition research. Your time is best building your business and providing the service not doing research.

Here are some questions we ask in our competition research.

Are your prices competitive? Are you charging enough?
Are there new services you could offer that you haven't thought of yet?
Are there new packages you could bundle?
What is the pricing model used by your competition? Hourly/fixed bid/estimates?
Is the market saturated with providers of this service?
Is there a niche you can capitalize on?
Does your competition make it easy to schedule the service?
What keywords does your competition use in their website Search Engine Optimization?
What review websites are they on? How are their reviews?
Do your competitors advertise their prices?
How do your competitors use social media? How often do they post? What do they post about?
Should you be offering discounts for seniors or other special groups?
What trade associations are your competitors in?
How are your competitors marketing themselves? Adwords?
How big is the competition’s staff? Are they full-time, part-time, seasonal, or a combination?
What does the competition they pay their staff? Do they use a W2 or 1099?
Do your competitors have an irresistible freebie? Online quote form? Phone number prominently listed on their website?

Conclusion

Looking at the questions above do you see what your company is missing? Do you see opportunities for expanding the information you provide on your website? Is your pricing and offer showcased powerfully online?

Competition isn't just about snooping... it is to improve your company and offer. If you'd like help with some competition research our team can help.

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Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design and marketing agency from Seattle. Contact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCity, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

You wouldn't build a house without a blueprint. Why would you build a website without one? Yet the fact remains that many companies create a website without first properly outlining what they are going to build. They don't fully answer the question, why are we building this website.

You need a company that knows what questions to ask and what answers they need.

The truth is nobody's end goal is to have a website. They want something else whether it's more customers, to raise their prices, add a new offering, or any other business goal. They know that a new website can help accomplish that goal.

As developers, we need to know how people will make it to your website. I am shocked by how many companies build a website with zero idea of how they will promote or market it.

The fastest way to lose $5,000 (or any amount) is to hire a company that doesn't ask the hard questions. Here's how our process is different.

It begins with a discovery phase.

This process is designed to help us find out everything we need to know about your business so we can build a website that will work for you. This includes:

A vigorous intake form.
A conversation to define the project goals and criteria for success.
Competition research so we know how to differentiate you from your competitors.

It ends with a formal proposal.

We pride ourselves on robust proposals that include all the information you need to know in order to make an informed decision.

The scope of the project or what, exactly, we will deliver to you on launch day.
Time to deliver, or when you can expect a finished project.
Cost, or how much we expect you will spend on your amazing new website.

So don't waste $5,000 on a website (or more) that isn't well thought out and has measurable criteria for success.

Give us a call, drop us an email, send us a carrier pigeon, or attempt some smoke signals to let us know you need our help. We'd love to hear more about your project.

To learn more about what makes a website successful, read our guide.

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Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design and development agency from Seattle. Contact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCity, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

How much does it cost to build a website?

This is the most common question we get at Thrive.

I understand that cost is usually the #1 thing on people's minds when starting a new project.

However, it's the same as asking how much does it cost to build a house?

Hand on heart the cost of your project has many many factors

My best friend could build you a shack out of 2x4's for around $800. It could be considered a house but I wouldn't want to live in it.

Websites are like that. It all depends on what you are looking to do.

So start there... talk about what your goals and pain points are and we can figure out what it will take to get there.

Our typical websites range from $20,000 and $30,000. A budget of $20,000 is the minimum we have found to build a website that will convert users into paying customers. We are only interested in working on projects that will make bring you paying customers.

Examples of websites in this range:

This allows us to create a site that is uniquely branded, performs great, is secure and mobile friendly and also allows us time to create customer lead forms and email capture systems.

If you would like to learn more about what it would take to design and create your unique project please contact us.

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Thrive Design is a customer-centric web design agency from Seattle. Contact us today to find out how we can elevate your business online! Find us on Clutch, UpCity, LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter.

What we do

Research your competition before designing your new website