1 00:00:00,170 --> 00:00:03,670 So our last couple of videos were all about doing user research 2 00:00:03,670 --> 00:00:06,330 to determine the best ways to label and group content. 3 00:00:06,330 --> 00:00:10,690 And if you know your visitors' preferences and priorities, it'll be much easier to 4 00:00:10,690 --> 00:00:15,120 build navigation and provide the right search options as well. 5 00:00:15,120 --> 00:00:18,750 But another great source of insight already exists online and 6 00:00:18,750 --> 00:00:21,180 it comes from your competitors. 7 00:00:21,180 --> 00:00:23,740 Competitor research is pretty straightforward. 8 00:00:23,740 --> 00:00:29,230 Make a list of the companies, groups, or apps, that are competing with yours. 9 00:00:29,230 --> 00:00:33,760 These competitors might offer the same services or sell the same products, or 10 00:00:33,760 --> 00:00:37,480 they might just create content about the same topics. 11 00:00:37,480 --> 00:00:41,250 Once you have a list, go check out their websites and make notes. 12 00:00:41,250 --> 00:00:44,700 What categories of information did they use? 13 00:00:44,700 --> 00:00:46,910 In what order do they present them? 14 00:00:46,910 --> 00:00:50,290 What links do they include in their main menus? 15 00:00:50,290 --> 00:00:52,820 What do they call the main sections of content? 16 00:00:52,820 --> 00:00:55,550 And overall, which terms did they use the most? 17 00:00:56,560 --> 00:00:57,832 Here's an example, 18 00:00:57,832 --> 00:01:02,575 two of the biggest home improvement stores in the US are Home Depot and Lowe's. 19 00:01:02,575 --> 00:01:07,367 If you view their websites in their main departments use side by side, 20 00:01:07,367 --> 00:01:10,302 you'd see a bunch of similar item listed. 21 00:01:10,302 --> 00:01:17,357 Things like appliances, building materials or supplies, electrical, paint and more. 22 00:01:17,357 --> 00:01:22,628 There's a lot of overlap here which is to be expected, but some categories like 23 00:01:22,628 --> 00:01:28,850 molding and trim, or smart home and security are exclusive to the Lowe's site. 24 00:01:28,850 --> 00:01:33,790 So, if you're Home Depot, what could you learn from this analysis? 25 00:01:33,790 --> 00:01:37,100 Maybe you might wanna consider listing more categories or 26 00:01:37,100 --> 00:01:40,220 including a couple of the ones you don't have. 27 00:01:40,220 --> 00:01:43,990 But, if you look at this from Lowe's perspective you might think hey, 28 00:01:43,990 --> 00:01:45,790 maybe we've got too many categories. 29 00:01:45,790 --> 00:01:49,730 Or we might wanna test some of the labels we've used. 30 00:01:49,730 --> 00:01:51,380 But if you're a new up and 31 00:01:51,380 --> 00:01:55,160 coming home improvement store directly competing with these two companies, 32 00:01:55,160 --> 00:01:59,390 looking at both of these menus gives you some immediate insight. 33 00:01:59,390 --> 00:02:04,190 You know which menu items you should probably include on your own website, 34 00:02:04,190 --> 00:02:08,450 other categories to consider, and you might see opportunities 35 00:02:08,450 --> 00:02:11,810 where you could compete by adding items they don't have. 36 00:02:12,860 --> 00:02:15,060 It goes beyond menus of course. 37 00:02:15,060 --> 00:02:19,910 You could look at a competing blog and see what its main categories are, or 38 00:02:19,910 --> 00:02:22,608 what they call similar formats of content. 39 00:02:22,608 --> 00:02:27,630 Consider this scenario, if a few different websites produce e-books 40 00:02:27,630 --> 00:02:33,270 filled with marketing tips, one site might call them resources while another place 41 00:02:33,270 --> 00:02:39,000 might call them guides, and still another refers to them as e-book learning. 42 00:02:39,000 --> 00:02:41,200 What's the right term to use? 43 00:02:41,200 --> 00:02:43,350 It depends on your users. 44 00:02:43,350 --> 00:02:48,120 What terms are they familiar with, and what do they use themselves? 45 00:02:48,120 --> 00:02:52,760 By combining your competitor research with your user research, 46 00:02:52,760 --> 00:02:55,870 you should be able to figure out some answers. 47 00:02:55,870 --> 00:03:01,350 So, the key here is to monitor your competitors, make an actual list. 48 00:03:01,350 --> 00:03:05,860 Do it in a Google Doc or a Trello Board, so your team has access to it. 49 00:03:05,860 --> 00:03:08,790 If you're not sure who your competitors are, 50 00:03:08,790 --> 00:03:13,100 ask your customers on social media or with an email survey. 51 00:03:13,100 --> 00:03:15,090 If you're a sporting goods retailer, 52 00:03:15,090 --> 00:03:19,490 ask what other websites do you visit to research or buy your athletic equipment? 53 00:03:20,670 --> 00:03:24,820 And don't just look at these competitors one time when you're building things, 54 00:03:24,820 --> 00:03:26,110 keep and eye on them. 55 00:03:26,110 --> 00:03:29,690 Subscribe to their newsletters and visit their site regularly. 56 00:03:29,690 --> 00:03:34,080 Look for any interesting ways they provide access to their content. 57 00:03:34,080 --> 00:03:38,720 And don't be afraid to look at websites in completely different industries too. 58 00:03:38,720 --> 00:03:44,570 If everyone you compete with does things the same way, you may have an opportunity 59 00:03:44,570 --> 00:03:50,510 to try something revolutionary by offering a new kind of information experience. 60 00:03:50,510 --> 00:03:55,440 Again, use competitor research to look for trends and opportunities, and 61 00:03:55,440 --> 00:04:00,230 user research to validate new ideas before rolling them out. 62 00:04:00,230 --> 00:04:04,400 You may discover a great new way to provide access to information.