3 Things you need to know about search engine optimisation that aren’t about your ranking

/ Learn, Technology / 3 minutes of reading

The purpose of your website is much more than just ranking well for keywords. How does just ‘ranking for keywords’ improve your business?

Search engine rankings alone are a means to an end – so let’s look at 3 things to help you get to that ‘end’, be it a sale, an enquiry, a download, or just a phone call.

Step 1 – Choose the right keywords

Would you search for this term?

Think of a keyword that applies to your business. Open up Google’s home page and type it in there. Before you press enter, think: “Would I actually type this in to Google? And if I did, would I expect to find my business? Or does it really apply to other things?”

Some keywords are too generic, and could really mean anything. Some are so obscure that it’s hard to image anyone actually searching for that term.

The best choices are specifically related to your business, to the problems that you solve, and are in natural language that your prospective customers are likely to type into that little rectangular search box!

Step 2 – Why would someone click your link?

A SERP (Search Engine Results Page) listing consists of 3 main elements. Here’s an example:

  1. The top blue line is the page Title. Have a look next time you search for something. Does the Title make you want to click it?
  2. The green line is the page address, or URL.
  3. The black text is from the Meta Description element, if you have one. If you don’t, Google just fetches this excerpt automatically from the text on your page. Is it fluff or is it useful?
You have a little control over the URL, but you can certainly put some effort into the page Title and Meta Description. It’s one thing to rank well, it’s another to make your listing worth clicking compared to the 10 others on the page!

Step 3 – What’s on the page that your visitor lands on?

Take a close look at each page in conjunction with the search terms you’ve listed.

Does it actually answer your visitor’s question? Or are they just going to bounce?

Again, put yourself in your visitor’s shoes. If you have just entered that term into Google, then clicked your link on the results page, would you be happy with the information presented on your website?

At this point we have the opportunity to convert your visitor into a customer (or potential customer) – or drive them away with unhelpful content and slow loading pages.

What should I look for?

  1. Re-evaluate what keywords you’re actually targeting. Are they specific and natural, or generic and/or obscure?
  2. Look at your own listings in Google. Ask yourself if they are click-worthy.
  3. Check your website statistics reports for conversions by keyword. Any low conversion rates on keywords that you’d consider to be good ones? Time to check the copy on your pages and make sure it’s useful, and not just fluff!
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