The rules of SEO constantly change. If you’re a small business owner, you won’t likely have the marketing resources or the time to learn the every big idea offered by big online marketers. SEO is a lot harder than you imagined it would be.

There’s another way of gaining a competitive edge. Instead of chasing those bright ideas offered by the big players, learn the things that allow your competitors to have better search engine page rank, search engine visibility, and, therefore, more traffic. It will save you a lot of time and resources.

When it comes to finding out competitive information, no expensive computer hacker services is necessary. You can go Sherlock Holmes yourself. An effective web traffic spy tool is all you need.

There’s a lot of negative connotation to the phrase “web traffic spying”. Some people regard it as cheating. Where search engine optimization is concerned, however, we don’t share their opinion. It’s not like you’re going to steal some marketing ideas from a rival -- meaning they can no longer use the idea. With web traffic spy, that’s not how it is. Rather, you simply gather information about the various pins and bolts that make successful online sites turn around their wheels. You then use the information as inspiration for creating your own marketing strategies.

When spying on competitor’s traffic statistics, you are basically concerned about two things: targeted keywords and backlinks.

Just as you would use Google keyword tool to find the keywords people are most likely to use in a search, you use a website traffic spy tool to uncover the keywords and backlinks that allows your competitor to have the edge in terms of search engine ranking and site traffic generator.

Where to Get Started

Internet domination is all about getting the lion’s share of the targeted market. Before plunging into the world of online spying, you have to know who’s who in your industry or niche. Find out the top performers per Google, Yahoo, or other search engine ranking.

As too what web traffic spy software to use, you have no shortage of options. There are tons of free and paid versions of traffic spying software.

Keyword spying tool

If you know what the hot keywords are, you don’t even need to invest in traditional keyword research tools. Using the keyword spying method, you can easily increase your chances of getting in the Google top 10.

The keyword spying tools focus on different results and have varying degrees of accuracy. Complete Search Analytics delivers a wider range of data on a website, including top keywords that bring the most traffic to the site; paid share vs. natural share; and the average time visitors spend on the website. KeyCompete, on the other hand, is Google-focused.

Backlinks spying tool

Backlinks are another force that drive internet traffic to your site. If you know the exact places where your rivals got their free and paid backlinks and the anchor text used, you can benefit from using the same sites or blogs.

Just like other traffic stats programs, web traffic spying tools provide estimates rather than conclusive results. Look for software with high level of accuracy so you will become successful in your marketing campaign.