Let’s dive past the alphabet soup created by having an online presence, and look at today’s search engine optimization (SEO) and how to use it to your advantage to get a larger return on investment (ROI).
You may remember seeing agency ads a few years ago promising #1 placement on Google. The truth is, legitimate companies can not guarantee #1 ranking. They can help optimize your website to hit key points and become more visible to your target audience. Things have drastically changed in the world of SEO, but one element that still holds true is this: a legitimate SEO company can help you reach your targeted demographic.
What about being number one on Google? Well, Google no longer gives a generic response to queries. A great new format called “Search Plus Your World” was rolled out in 2012, and after a series of tweaks and changes that have made it what it is today, it conveniently offers results that are geared to you. The data used to predict your preferences includes information on your location, search history, and social media circles, to name a few. This means that one company may rank highly for you while it wouldn’t even appear on the radar for another user with a completely different set of interests. Now you can see why ranking #1 on Google no longer has meaning because it’s no longer tangible and firm.
So what metrics really matter to your ROI, and what should you be looking for as a company owner? Well, while you don’t rank at a specific location for every user, you can determine the average by taking the top ranking for a wide variety of users. This gives you one simple number to compare against. It’s certainly not the last word as far as ranking goes, but for those who like the simplicity of one number, “Average Rankings” is it.
Another single number you can use to look at your web performance is the visitor growth report from Google Analytics. Obviously, upward trending visitor growth is a good sign while downward trending means something is going wrong and further attention is needed.
The real bread and butter of online performance is the same as it’s always been: conversions. Even though rank was used as a form of measure in the past, it really wasn’t the goal. Imagine a company that ranked #1, but never actually got anyone to buy their product, subscribe to their blog, or interact within their communities.
Today, the focus is on gaining conversions and earning customers and engaged visitors who return to our sites time and time again. Regardless of rank, a successful website causes conversions and creates conversations.
How have you gained conversions? What methods have been most successful for earning customers and engaging visitors on your sites? We’d love to hear from you in the comments below!
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