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Competitive Internet Intelligence lets you know what you're up against.

Four hundred years ago or so, British essayist and poet Sir Francis Bacon coined a phrase that still resonates today, at least in terms of using the Web for business purposes: Knowledge is power. Understanding how your company’s Web site stacks up against your competitors’ sites can provide you with a trove of valuable information—about them and you.

That notion captures the essence of what is known as competitive Internet intelligence (CII)—the process of comparing your site’s search performance, usability, marketing message and functionality against your business rivals. While many companies have developed some sort of Web-related presence, not everyone does it equally well. For example, some sharply designed sites might not be scoring highly in search engine results, while others often stumble in areas such as site functionality. At the same time, even a well-designed, extremely usable site can offer insight into a competitor’s marketing focus. Done right, CII can help you uncover and capitalize on points of differentiation.

How do you do CII right? The key is to be as thorough as possible. A rigorous CII assessment should compare your Web site with competitive sites, examining everything from search engine result performance to link reciprocity to marketing message focus, and the like. At the same time, it should also examine how your site stacks up against general Internet trends.

While a CII analysis is almost always illuminating, it can be especially useful in some specialized circumstances. “CII is particularly valuable when you are making a decision to sell into a new, unknown market—if you are, say, a manufacturer looking to set up a retail operation, but have little experience selling retail,” says Craig Berdie, an MTI Internet business consultant. “Another instance could be if there are limited numbers of competitors in a high-cost/limited-opportunity industry.”

CII resources

A quick Internet search will provide a wealth of information from a variety of consultants and suppliers on CII. You’ll also find plenty of material on using the Internet for competitive intelligence, which is not quite the same thing as CII. One place to start is with MTI, which offers specialized information and CII consulting services. For more information on them, go to www.minnesotatechnology.org/business/consulting/ebusiness.asp, or call 612-373-2900, 800-325-3073.

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