As the next installment in our ongoing review of resources for online marketers, below is Part 2 of our Keyword Research Tools Guide. Part 1 of this series focused on Hitwise and comScore Marketer, so this time out we’ll take a look at Compete, the last of the three major search term products that focus on post-click data.
Methodology: Compete’s primary data source is an online panel who have opted-in to have their web activity monitored. Among the products used to recruit and retain panelists is the Compete toolbar which is baited with practical features like a “Trust Score” that alerts users to potentially malicious websites. Compete’s proprietary panel data is merged with data procured through external ISP and ASP relationships. All of the above are then blended into what Compete calls “panel multi-sourcing”, falling somewhere between comScore Marketer’s more panel-focused approach and Hitwise’s ISP-centric approach. Compete currently claims a “dynamic” panel of two million.
Search Data: Compete’s “Site Referral” report presents the search terms used to reach a given site and the total percentage of search traffic for each of those terms, along with an “Average Time Index” and “Total Time Index.” These latter two measures are among the more unique ones for providers of competitive search data. Paid search data is not available on a per-term basis as it is on other products, although the total paid click percentage is provided at the cumulative site level (e.g. 7.53% of total search referrals to Walmart were from clicks on paid search ads, as opposed to organic listings). Compete’s “Keyword Destination” tool provides percentages as well as calculated numbers of clicks for individual search terms, and unlike the “Site Referral” report, users can select either broad or exact match. Paid vs. organic data is not available at the per-term level in this module either.
Update Frequency: Compete is updated daily, typically with data from 1-2 days prior. Search data is not available in daily increments, however, but only as part of a rolling 90-day average. Users cannot choose their own timeframes or specific date ranges.
Key Strengths: Price and Breadth of Coverage. Compete is by far the least expensive of the three tools discussed, and it also offers monthly billing. There is even a free version of Compete with (very) limited features. Compete also claims to cover over one million sites, which means a user is more likely to find data on smaller niche websites. Looking at Compete solely as a tool for search term research (as opposed to overall traffic metrics), it is not nearly as flexible as the other two products covered and, as such, not ideal for deep digs into seasonal trends or other detailed analysis. But for small-to-midsize marketers with a limited research budget, Compete offers a solid and relatively affordable tool for monitoring topline competitive and industry trends.
Click here for Part 1 of the Keyword Research Tools Guide which covers comScore Marketer and Hitwise.
Glenn Lalich is VP of Research & Analysis at PM Digital.