Search engine optimization is one of the best ways to market an online business.

It can help you attract high-quality organic traffic by increasing your visibility on search engines like Google. Although SEO is extremely effective, it is also competitive. Ranking for high-volume keywords can take years of creating top-level quality, building backlinks, and working on technical SEO.

In most cases, you also need to spend lots of money. That’s why brands like Amazon, Wikipedia, and CNN tend to dominate valuable keywords. Against that backdrop, many SEO experts agree that new businesses should target low-volume, easy-to-rank keywords.

But if you’re up to the task and want to work in the most competitive industries, here are the top 6 sectors to target in 2024.

Top 6 Competitive Sectors For SEO Success

1. Digital marketing

If you can help online businesses attract more customers, you can make money online. The catch is that there are too many online marketers to compete with, and they’re all trying to rank for the top spots on Google.

Ranking for digital marketing is especially hard if you target more than one form of marketing:

• SEO
• Affiliate marketing
• Content marketing
• Advertising
• Social media marketing

Of the different forms of marketing out there, SEO has the hardest keywords to rank for. The explanation is straightforward. SEO is a highly profitable business. Hundreds of digital marketers target this keyword, whether they offer on-page, off-page, or technical SEO.

The best way to rank your digital marketing business on Google is to niche out. Consider offering a specific service within marketing, say content creation, social media marketing, or Pay-per-click advertising. Provide a specific service to a niche audience, and you’ll have a decent chance of ranking on Google. For example, you could provide content creation services to local businesses in your state or country.

2. iGaming

One of the most intensely competitive sectors for SEO is iGaming, which includes online gambling, sports betting, online casinos, and e-sports betting.

Several factors make SEO particularly challenging for iGaming. First, the industry’s high profitability leads companies to invest heavily in SEO to capture a larger market share. Additionally, the complex regulatory environment across countries requires tailored SEO strategies to comply with diverse legal requirements while effectively reaching customers.

A prime example is Ontario, Canada, where the regulation of its iGaming market in 2021 led to a surge in competition. More casino review sites, like bestontariocasinosites.ca, have emerged to capitalize on this growing market, providing valuable information and attracting traffic through effective SEO.

Keywords related to online gambling, casinos, and betting are highly competitive. These keywords often have high search volumes but are dominated by well-established sites with significant SEO budgets, making it hard for new entrants to rank. Competing in this space requires substantial investment in SEO tools, content creation, and link-building campaigns.

For businesses willing to invest the necessary resources, the potential returns in the iGaming sector are substantial, making it one of the most competitive yet lucrative industries for SEO.

3. Banking and finance

Banking is one of the most difficult industries to rank for on Google. It is easy to see why. Every bank is willing to spend money to buy high-quality content, great SEO consultancy, and all the other services that help websites rank on Google’s SERPs. If you’re not prepared to spend thousands of dollars in marketing every month, you have to target a very specific niche to stand a chance at success. Affiliate marketing for finance is an excellent example.

Financial businesses need brand awareness, leads, and sales as much as anyone else. Some of them have lucrative affiliate programs, but they can be extremely competitive. Learn about keyword difficulty to determine the best content to offer online. Target long-tail keywords with a ‘KD’ of below 30. After your blog builds a consistent flow of traffic, you can target keywords with higher difficulty levels.

4. Health and fitness

Most people who want to live long, healthy lives are always looking for ways to take care of their bodies. Some of them are after-workout tips, nutrition guides, and body positivity. Others want expert health advice.

Regardless, content for the health and fitness industry is always in high demand. Similar to banking, healthcare providers are the reason it is so difficult for a new business to succeed in this business.

Established health-related brands have been building quality content for their brands over the years. They have huge SEO budgets spent on exemplary backlink profiles, amazing on-page content, online PR, and social media marketing. That being said, anyone willing to spend time and effort in marketing has a chance to succeed in health and fitness. It has so many companies willing to pay you for your marketing efforts.

All you need is to find a small niche within health that has easy keyword difficulty levels. Create great content on your website and partner with brands that pay commissions on successful sales.

5. Tech and AI

SEO is compulsory for many tech and AI companies. Some of these businesses—SAAS, and IAAS—rely on website traffic to grow their businesses. Without website traffic, they cease to exist. Although tech companies need SEO and advertising to generate sales, they have different marketing strategies. Companies like Apple spend most of their marketing money on paid ads, celebrity endorsements, and social media marketing.

Many tech companies also pay marketers for help. That means you can make money in the tech industry even though it is a competitive sector in SEO. All you need is to build a niche. For example, you can create a blog that promotes smartwatches. Promote brands people love to increase your chances of success. However, also consider keyword difficulty when creating content.

6. Law and legal firms

Most people looking for a lawyer in 2024 use Google for their research. The best legal firms spend thousands of dollars every month to rank for competitive keywords in the areas they serve. For example, a personal injury law firm in Boston will want to rank as ‘Personal Injury Lawyer Boston.’ If there’s a high demand for this keyword, it is difficult for new attorneys to succeed.

Conclusion

Fortunately, you can rank your website high using SEO, even in the most highly competitive industries. You can create better content and spend more time trying to rank for the most important keywords for your website.