There’s one particular chart in the world of Small Business marketing in which the ranking position of your own Small Business really matters;
The Mighty Search Engine Results!
But exactly how much difference does it make to your Business if it’s sitting proudly at the top of those Google Search Results?
When a potential customer types the most relevant keywords into that innocent little search box, does it really matter if your business is at the top or bottom of the page of results?
Does anybody even care if your business is in first position, second position, tenth position, or 500th position?
The true facts and figures might just surprise you…
I was having a quick chat with a miserably defeated entrepreneur the other day down at Smokey Joe’s Small Business Bar.
Wonky Alan seemed to have given up hope on ever achieving a respectable ranking position for his unique business in the Google search results.
“It’s impossible!” he declared. “I’ve been trying for years just to get onto the first page of results, but it’s never gonna happen. The whole thing just seems like a big corporate con to me. Only the giant companies can win that sort of game.”
It’s certainly true enough to say that gaining a prime spot on the Search Results page is no quick and easy task.
There are times when a user might input a search query into Google which would suggest that this particular person is positively crying out to be connected with your own products and services.
But the mighty Search Engines are unlikely to push your business to the top of those search results unless you’ve already got all the groundwork in place.
Having said that, Wonky Alan’s failure to reach the top of the Search Engine Charts is a particularly baffling case.
There surely can’t be that many other businesses in Perth that specialise in delivering professional skiing lessons for dogs.
So, why is it that when I type Perth Dogs Skiing Lessons into Google, his business doesn’t even make it onto the first five pages of results?
He must be going drastically wrong somewhere along the line…
But why should Wonky Alan be so concerned anyway?
Just how much benefit is gained from winning the top spots on those pages and pages of Search Engine results?
Isn’t it all a bit over-rated?
The quick answer to that last question is…no!
The huge advantages of climbing to the top of the Search Engine charts simply can’t be emphasised strongly enough.
But for a slightly more detailed and exact answer, it’s worth having a little look at a recent report from online advertising network Chitika Insights.
The fascinating study entitled The Value of Google Positioning examines tens of millions of online ad impressions in which the user was referred to a website from a Google Search.
The analysis also includes the exact positions of each of those websites within the page of search results originally delivered to the user.
The results?
Well, the report concludes that a website in the very first position on a page of Google results receives a whopping 32.5% of the total search traffic.
This compares with a pull of 18% for the website in second position – and we then see a gradual drop as we plunge further down the ranking positions.
For example, if your website is in 7th position on that first page of search results, you’re only likely to be pulling in an average of just 3.5% of the total search traffic!
Interestingly, this very significant drop in traffic numbers isn’t just confined to the first page of results. Every subsequent page in those Google search results sees a similar drop in pulling power as we venture further down those crucial ranking positions.
But it definitely pays to secure a spot on that first page if at all possible.
In fact, the report suggests that the very first page of results pulls in a staggering 91.5% of the total generated website traffic from a search query, leaving just a paltry 4.8% for the second page, and just over 1% for the third page!
Anything after the third page is barely worth mentioning at all…
In many ways, I’m a little surprised by the extremity of some of these statistics.
I’m actually one of those people who can quite happily browse through pages and pages of search results, hunting out hidden gems and treasures in the quieter corners of Cyberspace.
But it would appear that I’m very much in the minority, and your average customer will rarely take the effort to venture any further than the first page…or even scroll too far down that pivotal first page!
So, it’s clearly of incredible importance to secure the prime position in the Search Engine rankings that your business deserves.
Whenever a user types those carefully considered keywords into a search box, it’s vital that the right connection is made for everyone’s ultimate benefit!
But has your business managed to climb pretty close to the top of the charts?
Or are you still struggling to get a look-in throughout any of the first 20 pages?
The good news is that the search engines are increasingly rewarding the right business websites with higher ranking positions, whilst getting tougher with blatant spammy techniques.
Quality, Popularity, and Relevance are now three of the crucial factors that could send your own business rocketing up the charts!
For a little more detailed information and guidance, you might be interested in having a peek at an earlier article from the Blog which examines the complex ranking algorithms at work in the wild world of Google, and highlights some of the Dangerous Mistakes to Avoid When Feeding the Animals in the Small Business Zoo!
Alternatively, if you’re a complete newcomer to the arena of Search Engine Optimisation, you might prefer to start off with my 4-part SEO Tutorial which takes a look at the basic techniques you’ll need to understand and master.
Don’t worry; it’s all much easier than it sounds.
Well, mostly…
In the meantime, I’m off to check the current ranking position of Martin Print which does seem to fluctuate from time to time.
Let me see. I’ll type in Best Printer Design Marketing Australia. See what that brings up.
Hmm.
Hang on; what’s this in top position?
Wonky Alan’s Skiing Lessons for Dogs?
Nooooooo…..
Send to Kindle