| ************************ POLE POSITION NEWS
July 1, 2003 - #024 How to Turn Top Rankings Into Traffic ************************ by Stoney G deGeyter [stoney@PolePositionWeb.com] Pole Position Web: www.Pole-Position-Web.com Professional Internet Marketing and Search Engine Optimization Copyright (c) 2003 Pole Position Web
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ In This Issue
+ Review Last Issue +
How to Turn Top Rankings Into Traffic + Wrap Up +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
*** REVIEW LAST ISSUE ***
OK, I cheated. I was developing some new
content for Pole Position Web and I thought "Hey, this would be good
information for the Pole Position News". Well, its all very valuable
information whether you find it on the site or in a newsletter so maybe I'm
not cheating... I just might be providing a valuable service to everybody who
otherwise wouldn't find the new content. Well, that's the story I'll stick
to!
The last issue (May 1, its been that long!) included a guest article about
how to get more sales from your website. It was a larger than normal newsletter
but contained very valuable information for anybody who is concerned not
just with getting hits to their site, but selling their product or service
once the visitor is ON the site.
You can view last issue in full by
clicking here. ***
HOW TO TURN TOP RANKINGS INTO TRAFFIC ***
Many people want to know how to turn top
search engine rankings into traffic. After all, if you rank it they will
come, right? Well, not necessarily. Not all top rankings are created equal!
Because of
the numerous factors involved there is no accurate way to predict how many
clicks any one
particular top ranking can actually achieve. But there are ways to be sure
that your top rankings will receive the most amount of traffic possible.
Choose Relevant Keywords
Keyword relevancy is especially important. If what your site offers is does not
pertain to the search performed,
even the highest ranked keywords will produce very little traffic. Often time's
keywords are improperly chosen because
they relate to the general industry rather than the specific nature of the
product or service offered. For example, if you sell
wedding gowns you might want to target the keyword "weddings". This may seem
like a natural choice, however
there is very little chance that the searcher is specifically seeking what
you
offer. It is just as likely that
they might be looking for wedding cakes, wedding tuxedos, wedding
photographer, wedding decorations, wedding
ideas, wedding vows... you get the picture.
Create Accurate Titles and Descriptions
Titles and descriptions serve one main purpose: Entice the searcher to
click into your site. A top ranking
alone is not enough to do this. Lets say you have a top ranking for the term
"cloth diaper" but your title in
the search engine results says "We sell baby stuff.", lets also assume that
the ranking just below yours
states "Cloth diapers sold here". Even though you rank higher, the more
accurate title and description will
be more compelling to the searcher.
Analyze Competing Websites
There is not much that you can do about the number of websites competing for
the top positions, however your knowledge about these competing sites will
give you an indication of how many hits you might be able to expect to get
from your top ranked keyword.
Any keyword search can produce results that rank from a few, to thousands, to hundreds
of thousands of results. Both
the number and accuracy of those results will affect the click-thru rate of
any listing. If you rank #5 out
of 5 results, the chances of getting clicked are extremely great. If you rank
#5 out of 500,000 results there
is still a good chance of getting clicked but much less than in the first
example. Consequently if all
500,000 of those results are
extremely accurate to the searcher's wishes the chances of your site getting
clicked falls even further, not
because of a lack of your own relevancy, but because of the greater relevancy
from competing sites and the number of
options to choose from. Also
keep in mind that with most search engines today you are not just competing
with the "editorial" results but
also with pay-per-click or sponsored listings as well. -----------------------------------------
"Drive
Targeted Traffic To Your Site." One of the best ways to convert
those visitors into sales is to first drive targeted traffic to your site.
Pole Position Web's optimization strategies include professional keyword
analysis to help you determine which keywords will not only produce traffic
but also produce TARGETED TRAFFIC. View our optimization strategies at
http://www.pole-position-web.com/promotion-placement.htm
-----------------------------------------
Focus on Branding
Any well branded name is likely to receive a larger portion of clicks than
an non-branded name when both are
found on the same search results page. If you sell shoes and rank on the same page as
Foot Locker or Nike, those well
known names will siphon a larger share of clicks from the rest of the sites
listed on the results page
regardless of their ranking. Of course not many businesses will get the same
branding as Nike, Pepsi, or The Home Depot, however you can build branding
for your own name by creating an eye-catching logo or business name. By doing
so you create an impression on the searcher each time they see your business
name or logo that remains with them and eventually they'll return to on
their own.
Focus on Search Engines That Matter
Not all search engines are created equal. Currently Google maintains the
largest share of search hours and
audience reach than any other search engine. For that reason a top listing in
Google will generate more clicks than DogPile. The flip side of this is that many people will perform the same
search on multiple search engines.
Even if a searcher finds what he is looking for with the first search engine
they will often try
other engines just to get differing results.
Organize Potential Snippets
Many search engines no longer use the description provided in your code but
will take snippets of text straight from your page. These snippets are usually several words before and
after the keyword searched. It is
important therefore be sure the text around your keywords are compelling. There
is nothing less compelling than
seeing a snippet that looks something like this: "Home Page | About Us Page
| Keyword Page | Contact Us Page
| Boring Page".
Improve Position of Ranking
Of course the position of your ranking also plays a role in how many clicks
any site receives through the
search engines. A #1 ranking receives more clicks than a #5 ranking,
which receives more than clicks than a #10
ranking, which receives more clicks than a #20 ranking, which receives more
clicks than a
#30 ranking. Don't be fooled
however, sites ranked at #107 still receive the occasional click-thru,
usually by a very determined server
who refuses to give up. *** WRAP UP ***
At Pole Position Web we focus our optimization
strategies to overcome many of those obstacles. Of course not everything can
be solved by an optimization campaign and some consideration should be given
to hiring a marketing expert to help improve not only click-thru rates but
conversions as well. Pole Position Web has partnered with such a marketing
expert so you can
contact us for your entire internet marketing needs.
Many of you already know that we have moved our offices to Reno, Nevada. We
absolutely love being here and don't look back for a minute to second-guess
the move. My family is all settled in and both the front and back yard
landscaping projects are completed. I've been blessed enough to have a wife
that allowed me to buy a dirt bike. There is literally hundreds of miles of
riding trails just outside our neighborhood so I'm out there a couple of
times a week hitting the dirt. Consequently, if anybody knows where to find
inexpensive health insurance for small business owners my wife would be
interested in knowing about it!
Oh, one more thing. My birthday is right around this time of year. I think
it is important to mention that I have never been known to return a gift
purchased from the DVD department!
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