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Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
More traffic, better rankings—why you shouldn't fixate on these
 When we interview our clients at the start of a
search engine optimization
project, 'more website traffic' and 'better
rankings' are often the first things they request. A few
years ago that was about all it took to get more leads or customers
from your website.
But with the Internet being the mainstream marketing hub that it is now,
chasing down more traffic is not the most effective way to get more customers, and
great rankings can vanish in a heartbeat the moment something—often
beyond your control—changes.
Rather than chasing more traffic and better rankings, we
optimize our clients' sites to get better traffic and
more rankings.
What exactly is better traffic?
Better traffic is traffic that originates
from within your target market. These
are the Web visitors who are most likely to become your customers—because they are pre-qualified
by your keyword strategy.
By optimizing your website for a variety of
well-researched, descriptive keywords rather than just a handful
of high-demand, broad keywords, you'll increase the number of
pre-qualified,
targeted visitors to your website.
Why aim for more rankings rather than better rankings?
There's nothing wrong with optimizing your website to
gain better rankings in the search engines for your important keywords.
After all, top positions mean more clicks and more clicks are, by
default, likely to include some targeted visitors. But if your
website lives or dies by
a handful of number one positions, you're skating on thin
ice.
Your positions in the search engine results pages are not
set in stone and can vary from day-to-day; engine-to-engine; and
every time your competitors up the ante. More importantly, sites
that once ranked well could be thrown into oblivion by a
change in a search engine's algorithms.
By optimizing your site for a broad range of keywords and using them
sensibly throughout your site, you'll have more pages showing up for
more phrases—so
you won't suffer a catastrophic loss of traffic if your number one
keyword tanks for some reason.
Many factors can effect your site's traffic and rankings,
directly or indirectly, including these:
- The usefulness of your content to your target market.
- The accessibility of your content to visitors.
- The accessibility of your content to the search engines.
- The depth and breadth of your keyword choices.
- The quantity and position of text on your pages.
- The intuitive quality of your navigation.
- Off-site activities that drive traffic to your site:
traditional marketing, social media, quality inbound links, etc.
Don't jeopardize your SEO campaign by making it all about more
traffic, or getting that top ranking in Google. Instead, focus
on making your site a rewarding resource for targeted visitors, and
make judicious use of a large variety of researched keywords to
maximize your number of rankings.
Complete our brief contact form and let's talk about getting YOUR
website better traffic and more rankings >>
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I fully endorse EngineHounds for your search engine optimization
needs. Their staff are ultimate professionals who take the time to
understand your business and tailor the most cost effective services
to help you achieve your web marketing strategy.
~ Tom Stypulkoski,
Partner, Strategic Visions |
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