Miamacs - 1:39 pm on Dec 31, 2007 (gmt 0)

Wait. You mean I shouldn't let all my TESTING be done by competitors? *grin*

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While I get the OP and agree with the intent, there's no recipe for success this simple. ( okay there is for US but not for a newbie reading this ) You can't go by in life without making decisions, which means that even if you're unprepared you'll need to know when and who to learn from.

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Let's look at it in a practical way.
There are two things you need for a website.

One is content... which can be information, a service or a product line, and the other is infrastructure ( this includes hosting, SEO, SEM, ecommerce, you name it ). Note on both: NEW usually means a new COMBINATION / PERSPECTIVE. Unless you are a godlike deity and are able to create new dimensions at will.

I'd say if you have an original idea for *either* you're all set to compete in the short run. But get ready to have your stuff copied ( either your content/idea or link campaign/navigation ) and surpassed by someone who had the resources to invest in the *other* aspect as well.

If you want to evade this, you'll need to cover every aspect.

If you had an idea for content but don't know SEO, or you can code like there's no tomorrow but meet very few people to know what the public wants... ie. you have no idea on how to do it, you have to look at your competition. There's no school to learn these things from.

This is called market research.

Analize them.

Learn from their gains and mistakes. Let them test every aspect of SEO and every take on the theme, and know long term success when you see it. Forget what's mainstream, utilize only what seems to be ideal. You mean no one does what you had in mind? Then you'll be a pioneer. Make sure you don't lack in either department otherwise you'll end up in someone else's 'creative idea pool' with a negative paycheck on the table. Don't invent stuff for others, have your ... uh... creativity covered.

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Your competitors are doing it?
Wheee... lucky you. Now look at their results, and keep monitoring them until it becomes obvious that your instinct ( that you should do it as well / OR they should have fallen out by now ) proves to be right on spot. Find their weaknesses, find the new market within the market. Find a new segment, a new way to target it, or a new layer in your purse to do the same but do it *better*.

And that's that.

I can tell you there's no 'we made it' on the net anymore.
There is however 'we are doing it'.
Which means constant awareness of your surroundings.
And reacting to a change in the environment.