Форум Сообщества Практиков Конкурентной разведки (СПКР)

How to Stalk Competitors’ Websites with Web Monitoring Software

www.clearci.com/blog/bid/187016/how-to-stalk-competitors-websites-with-web-monitoring-software

How many times a day do you research competitors’ websites? Perhaps once or twice. But much time does it take to browse through their websites when looking for changes? And, what kind of changes are you exactly looking for, anyway?

With the rapidly-changing nature of company’s websites, it’s extremely difficult to monitor competitors’ websites for changes. Yet stalking competitors’ sites is a MUST, especially when leaders want to know the details on new products, prices, and marketing campaigns. For those who don’t research competitors, best believe your competitors are monitoring changes on your site! So you might as well return the favor.

Here are three options companies have to monitor websites for changes (the third option being most effective):

1) Take periodic screenshots of pages in competitors’ websites and look for the differences, just like the childhood puzzle game “Spot the Difference.” Warning! This way to monitor websites for changes can take hours and potentially damage eyesight.

2) Have competitors’ websites open at all times and hit the F5 button on your PC or Mac to refresh continuously and manually monitor websites for charges. Warning! This can potentially damage the computers’ F5 button.

3) Or, use a web monitoring software, such as a competitive intelligence tools, to monitor websites for changes and receive alerts, even if the smallest comma (,) changes in a competitors’ site. Web monitoring software can also tell you what existed prior to the changes, giving you added visibility.

The first and second options are obviously outdated and inefficient ways to monitor websites for changes, so please consider other alternatives to get the job done. Companies can always subscribe to RSS feeds, but not all websites have RSS feeds on their sites, and if they do, it just posts new data. No one really has the time to keep up with competitors’ updates manually. If so, it really is a waste of time and resources.

To monitor website changes in a automatic, structured and routine manner, organizations are relying on web monitoring software. Tools like clearCi’s competitive intelligence software are programmed to take daily snapshots of competitors websites’ HTML code to look for changes. As soon as changes are detected, a page modification alert is sent via email or it can be accessed through the web monitoring software platform.

By looking at the history of your competitors’ websites with web monitoring software, companies can:

1) Notice trends in competitors’ price changes

2) Monitor how product positioning has changed over time

3) Keep an eye on their competitors’ marketing strategies

4) Track new business development efforts

Here’s how to research competitors’ websites for critical changes with web monitoring software:

Monitor Websites for Changes in Pricing:

Monitoring competitors’ websites for changes in pricing is crucial to identify new opportunities to lower prices that will drive more business, raise prices to increase margins or strategically match prices.

Companies should use web monitoring software for those competitors that post pricing on their websites. This way, leaders can be alerted every time their competitors change their products’ prices. Organizations should monitor websites for changes in pricing to understand historical pricing trends and promotions to anticipate changes before they are made and maintain a competitive edge.

Monitor Websites for Changes in Product Position:

Competitors’ product content provides insights on the value these companies place on reviews, customers, and how they position their product through unique descriptions. Organizations should monitor websites for changes to see what companies the competition is partnering with and what other products they are recommending to their customers. Companies should research competitors websites to see how they are positioning their products, what messages are being used, and what groups they are targeting.

Monitor Websites for Changes in Marketing Strategies:

When companies research competitors, leaders should analyze what content a competitor is focused on to see where their priorities are and what weaknesses they have. Organizations should also understand what marketing techniques are being used by the competition to gain an edge. Leaders can monitor website for changes in online marketing messaging and interactions. Tracking webinars, social media marketing tactics, and content marketing can be very insightful. Web monitoring software can also be used to plan improvements to your own site and execute strategic content. The idea is not to copy competitors’ messaging or marketing initiatives, but to TOP IT!