Depending on your business, you might want to build a landscape and see the winners and losers for a single niche like pest control (vertical) or see winners and losers across many niches/categories (horizontal).
Aspect | Vertical Landscape | Horizontal Landscape |
Focus | Single niche, industry, or category. | Multiple niches, industries, or markets. |
Keywords | Specific to one area (e.g., plumbing terms). | A mix of keywords from various areas. |
Competitors | Niche-specific competitors. | Cross-category competitors. |
Insights | Deep visibility into one market. | Broad trends across multiple markets. |
Use Case | Focused strategies for dominating a niche. | Identifying opportunities across niches. |
Vertical Landscapes
We call niche-focused landscapes "Vertical" because a landscape is focused on a single market, niche, or industry, diving deep into its specific segments. The term "vertical" originates from the idea of a vertical market, which refers to a focused industry or category that serves a specific need or audience.
In a vertical structure:
You analyze depth: all the keywords, competitors, and trends within one niche.
It’s like drilling down a column to understand the full picture of that niche.
Example: In the Home Services niche, you’d create a vertical landscape that tracks only plumbing-specific keywords, competitors, and performance. You’re going “deep” into one focused industry.
Why "Vertical"?
It reflects the idea of moving up and down within one focused industry—covering all the players, trends, and opportunities from top to bottom.
Horizontal Landscapes
A horizontal landscape tracks performance across multiple niches, categories, or industries, providing a broader view. The term "horizontal" comes from the concept of horizontal markets, which span across industries and serve general or cross-category needs.
In a horizontal structure:
You analyze breadth: cutting across many industries or markets at once.
It’s like looking across multiple columns to compare trends and performance.
Example: A horizontal landscape might include keywords and competitors from Home Services, Finance, and Retail to compare who’s winning across these diverse markets.
Why "Horizontal"?
It represents moving side to side across industries, categories, or markets to find cross-industry trends, competitors, and opportunities.
When to Choose Vertical vs Horizontal?
Choose a Vertical Landscape if:
You’re laser-focused on dominating a single niche or category.
You need granular insights into specific competitors and market trends.
You’re managing SEO for a business that specializes in a single industry (e.g., plumbing, HVAC, or finance).
Choose a Horizontal Landscape if:
You’re tracking performance across multiple markets or clients.
You want a broader understanding of cross-industry trends and competitor performance.
You’re identifying new opportunities by comparing winners and losers across categories.