If you've ever taken a business class, you're probably familiar with the SWOT analysis.
What Is a SWOT Analysis?
Simply put, the SWOT Analysis is a decision-making tool used to evaluate a venture in which you input all the Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats you can think of into a matrix, which (in theory) makes it easier for you to identify all of the negative and positive factors that could affect the project's outcome, planning and strategy.
Keep in mind that a SWOT analysis is only helpful with goals that are attainable. It's not a replacement for a brainstorming session. A SWOT analysis deals solely in verifiable facts that can lead to a realistic goal.
Here is a sample template for a SWOT Matrix:
SWOT analyses are often helpful solely for the visual impact that they can have.
For example, if the Threat and Weakness quadrants wind up with a number of entries far in excess of the sections for Strength and Opportunity, that could be a strong indicator of challenges that need further discussion before moving forward with your decision.
Conversely, if your matrix is overwhelmed by entries in the Strength and Opportunity fields, you could be looking at a winner.
As you can see from the above diagram, the SWOT also helps you categorize challenges into both External and Internal Origins as well as which data is labeled either Harmful or Helpful to the outcome.
"Strengths and weaknesses are often internal to your organization, while opportunities and threats generally relate to external factors."
So, What the Heck Does That Have To Do with Keyword Research?
Here's the thing: Keywords can also fall into those categories.
I'm going to show you how you can perform a competitive analysis using SEMrush to sort keywords into a SWOT Matrix, from which you can prioritize your SEO plans.
In my limited spare time I volunteer as a lacrosse coach for a local high school program, so I'm always looking for deals on marked-down equipment. I'm on LacrosseMonkey.com a lot. They have great sales on closeout items. I'm going to use them as my example.
Let's start with strengths.
I'm going to show you how you can perform a competitive analysis using SEMrush to sort keywords into a SWOT Matrix, from which you can prioritize your SEO plans.
In my limited spare time I volunteer as a lacrosse coach for a local high school program, so I'm always looking for deals on marked-down equipment. I'm on LacrosseMonkey.com a lot. They have great sales on closeout items. I'm going to use them as my example.
Let's start with strengths.
Strengths – What's working now?
The Strengths are the easiest to identify. Which keywords are working best for your domain?
This is easily achievable using the Organic Positions report.
We input the domain and get a list of keyword data.
