How often do you visit competitor websites?
Oh, it seems innocent enough. A page view here, a page view there. Pretty soon you are hooked on competitor websites and can’t make a decision without first looking at their site. As simple as it seems, it is often overlooked as the first sign that a startup may be losing focus. Here is how to tell if you have this terrible illness:
- You reference a competitor’s website before they can decide what something should look like or how it should behave
- You preface every response with a question “How does [company xyz] do it?”
- You start to realize that you can’t differentiate your startup from your competitors
I had to consult for a company like this a few years ago, and it isn’t fun for anyone. Take comfort my friend, as there is a way to overcome this problem:
- Instead of referring to your competition all the time, consider looking at them once more to make notes on what you like and dislike and then stop visiting their site
- Determine how you could do it better, doing what is right for them and not what the other companies are doing
- Begin to write your website copy based on what your product does/will do, not what “those other guys” do
Start today. Your customers will thank you for it!
[tags]Startup development, startups, competitors, competition analysis, entrepreneurship[/tags]