What Does Search Engine Ranking Get You?

What does your search engine position mean for the average business? If you are actively pursuing online traffic and sales, then it can explode your business rapidly. The number one organic position on Google gets gets a whooping 33 percent of all traffic. That means that 1 in every 3 searchers will visit your site for a particular search term. The second position can claim 18 percent of the clicks, but it drops off significantly after that.

Translating that to business, as you increase Google positioning, you are potentially trouncing your competition. But, does it come at a significant cost? Not necessarily so for sites that have begun to look at search engine optimization for the long term. Search engine rankings are fluid and subject to change, so consistent effort to hold or increase search engine position can pay dividends from the increase in traffic. Once your search engine position drops off the first page, you can expect to lose 92 percent of your search traffic.

But, the increase in traffic based on search engine position comes with a caveat. Businesses have to focus on the best keywords and phrases that convert to sales, not just garner web traffic. As consumers become more savvy online, they are more apt to search multiple sites for deals. In your niche, it might mean that some terms are used more for research and other terms are more prevalent buying keywords. Analyzing your current sales data and web traffic can provide that insight so that you are properly targeting the right kind of search.

Finally, you have to insure that you capture the right kind of traffic from your search positioning. You should always have a plan for marketing to visitors to fill their search needs. That might mean directing them to sign up for emails or a newsletter and for others, that might mean directing them to a webinar or offline marketing opportunity. Web traffic is only good when you can capture it and convert it. So, beyond search engine positioning, you will have to insure that the landing pages do their part once you have won the battle with search.