Search Engine Optimisation, or SEO as it is commonly known, is an ever-changing area of marketing. In its simplest form, SEO involves working on a website to get it as high as possible within the search engine rankings. The algorithms that power how the search engines find and list web results are almost being updated and tweaked daily. 10 years ago, if you had just one thing correct on your website, the keywords that site behind the website, you could almost guarantee 1st page positions! This is no longer the case.
So why are 1st page positions important?
When searching for a product/service/information using Google, if the first page of the results do not show the user wanted or expected, more often than not, a different search term or phrase will be used. It is estimated that the 1st position on Google for any particular search will receive between 35-45% of all clicks, with the 2nd result claiming 20% of the clicks. Therefore, results that are on page 2 or 3 are going to get less than 10% of all clicks between them.
SEO for general search terms
If you want to target visitors from across the country, or even across the globe, your target search terms will be quite broad. When taking on a job like this, we first carry out keyword & market research to define the most popular search terms, which will of course drive the most traffic. With these, we then analyse who is already ranking for these terms, look at their strategies, and work out a campaign to get your site onto the first pages of the results.
Local Optimisation
The services that you offer may only be available to people in your area. Therefore, you might want to be top of the results for search terms that involve your service + the area, for example, ‘oven cleaning Liverpool’. Local optimisation (local SEO) will involve adding you to Google Places, a service itself which has undergone massive changes in the last 12 months, optimising your listing, but also submitting your business to local directories which will help your site rank better for local searches.
We have been working with Mayfly Internet Marketing for over 3 years now, and the personal service they provide is second to none. As a result of their excellent SEO services, we’ve been able watched our rankings improve month by month and the traffic to our site increase dramatically. We highly recommend them!
Summary
The area of SEO is evolving very quickly. Making changes to your site and building links might not be enough anymore. Factors that we need to look into include the use of Social Media marketing such as having a YouTube, Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn presence, adding your products to other platforms such as Amazon or Google Shopping, or listing your services on review sites and optimising your local search marketing.