Over 98% of people who use Google only look at the first page of the search results, and most people only click on the first three results. 88% of people worldwide use Google, but this concept applies to every search engine. So what do you do when your small business website appears on page 12 of the search results and not on the first page? Search engine optimization or SEO is the process of increasing your position on the website and page rank organically through high quality backlinks and effective keywords. SEO is the most effective way to increase traffic to your website.
The Ideal visitors
There are more than 180 million registered websites today, which means that people rely heavily on search engines to find exactly what they are looking for. If they don’t find it on the first page, they prefer to adjust their search terms and start from scratch, rather than search on the following results pages. People who search for exactly what you offer and see your page on the first page of the results are considered ideal visitors because they are most likely to turn into customers, subscribers, etc. If your site is not in the top results, let alone on the first page, it is almost as if your site does not exist.
Location and Page Rank is important
Each website has a ranking for specific keywords or keywords. Originally, search engines worked by tracking all words on web pages. If you searched for “California Sandals,” you were presented with a list of web pages that contained these two keywords. Websites that most often contained these keywords were ranked upwards. Search engines now rate web pages by two main criteria: backlinks and keywords. Websites that are frequently referenced or reset by other websites are more likely to be considered relevant by search engines. Websites are ranked by the number and quality of backlinks from other websites. Keywords let Google see your site and know what it’s about, while backlinks determine how much Google trusts your site to be relevant. Keywords and backlinks are essential to getting your site up the search result food chain. There are two components to getting up the chain: on-site and off-site SEO. On-site SEO involves optimizing your site to include relevant keywords. Off-site SEO involves you working to create backlinks to your site that come from other sources. Links to your site can be created through the use of social media, articles, blog posts, discussion forums, etc. The more influential or legitimate the site is for links to be linked back to you, the more influence the backlink from that site will have on your search results ranking.
Growing your business through SEO and maintaining ranking
With SEO, you can focus your efforts on the very people you want to visit on your site. Since companies are able to attract ideal visitors rather than relying on large-scale ads, 72% of companies say that SEO brings them the most money compared to newspaper or television advertising. Once you’ve turned the numbers into new revenue, it becomes clear why SEO is valuable – especially for small businesses. You’re not quite done when your page reaches the front page of search engines. Ideal visitors are even more likely to become customers or subscribers if your website is well designed, clear contact information and polite staff is ready to answer any queries.
A good SEO takes time and effort
Since almost everyone relies heavily on search engines to find something online, SEO is the most effective way to increase traffic to your website. Good SEO takes time, so the earlier you start, the sooner you can climb the page rank ladder. To learn more about SEO for your website, watch the video below. At GlobalLincks, we offer unbeatable SEO services and specialists who can help you improve your page rank. Book an appointment to speak with a website specialist for free advice.