What the First Page of Google Means for your BusinessA Whole Lot More Than You May Have Thought!by
David Amerland
(December 1, 2012)
“I want my website on the first page of Google,” has been a constant request for SEOs ever since there was a search engine optimization industry to talk about. On the face of it that’s a natural enough request. Whether it is driven by ignorance of the effort it takes to get there or sheer competitiveness, the end-result is the same: webmasters end up competing for one of only ten places on Google’s first page.
Less than twenty four months ago the pressure was not as much. In the halcyon days of SEO a website ranking anywhere along the first 30 places on Google could count on getting traffic. Yes, the difference between a first page position and a third page position was sufficiently large for everyone to want to get to the first page on Google anyway but if they didn’t, or if it took a little longer than expected, the world was not going to end.
Back then we had stats that showed that end-users inputting a search query in Google’s search box were prepared, to some extent, to go as far as page three of the search page results before they gave up and re-started the search. This no longer happens.
The first two listings on the first page of Google get 50% of the clicks. That’s right! Of those looking for an answer to a search query, half are only prepared to click on either the first or second listing. By the time you get to the second page of Google, the very first position on that page gets just 1% of the clicks and as far as a third page listing is concerned, well . . . if that’s what you’re aiming for, you may as well throw your money away.
Getting to Google’s First Page Can Cost Big
With so much at stake on a first page position on Google there is a lot of pressure to get there or see your online business die. Usually, it is this thought that prompts big companies to open their wallets and start spending on SEO "Back then we had stats that showed that end-users inputting a search query in Google’s search box were prepared, to some extent, to go as far as page three of the search page results before they gave up and re-started the search. This no longer happens."
SEO, in order to work, can no longer be applied like a patch to a problem that needs ‘fixing’. Search engine optimization, today, requires dotting more ‘i’s and crossing more ‘t’s than ever before. To achieve this it has to become part of your company’s DNA, part of the daily activities you do, and just to answer a question I frequently have to field when I talk to senior management, there is no balancing act required between doing SEO work and marketing. SEO is marketing. Without search engine visibility your marketing is dead on the water.
But before you start thinking about how you need to spend big––comes the need to understand exactly what you have to do. Just as you would not try to launch a new product or service blind, so does engaging in SEO require the same deliberate, step-by-step approach.
When it comes to buying in SEO it’s best if you already know what you need help with exactly and how you intend to fit that into your company’s workflow.
Because getting to Google’s first page is now so critical to a business’ success Getting to No 1 on Google in Simple Steps is the kind of book that provides a way to pre-plan for how to use an SEO consultant so as not to waste your time and money, a resource that’s there to help you organize for getting to Number One on Google no matter what your SEO need is right from the beginning of organizing your company. Most websites can be pushed to Google’s first page naturally IF they know how to prepare for it as they are building their organization. The ones at the top are not there because they have failed to take SEO into account in their marketing!
The book addresses this preparation in easy steps. Obviously I would love to be able to say that somehow I have found the magic secret to SEO success and now all you have to do is follow my formula and presto! You need never worry about not being on Google’s first page ever again. But SEO does not work like that and most companies learn that lesson the hard way.
Use an SEO Book to Guide Part of Your Marketing Process
Getting to No 1 on Google in Simple Steps will help your website rank higher. In many cases the steps outlined in the book is all that’s required––in which case you have done it! You will be on Google’s first page, you will have more traffic and exposure and more business. In some cases you will see an improvement in your search ranking but that will not be enough. In a few cases there will be little or no improvement despite following all of the SEO advice.
In those cases either your SEO issues are deeper than the book’s content is designed to fix or there are unique issues that your website is facing that stop it from ranking. This is where you will be justified in getting your wallet out. Reputable SEO companies earn their money helping sites that face such issues and recover from them. Either way, by having been through the steps in the book, you will know exactly what you are now paying for when bringing in outside help and you’ll also be able to better understand what your consultants tell you.
Search is changing fast. It is fragmenting, mutating and becoming more and more invisible as far as the mechanics that govern it are concerned. Getting to grips with the basics that help your website rise to the top and rank on the first page should now be an important part of your marketing.
Author Bio:David Amerland
A Chemical Engineer by training David turned his ability to translate complex technical data into journalism, joining The European in 1991. He moved into business journalism, reporting for The Observer, Statesman & Society and Money & Investments in 1993 and became the lead writer for Office World and Your Money.
In 1995 he joined the John Lewis Partnership, the UK’s leading retailer, with the task of facilitating communications and implementing strategies which would work across a workforce 200,000 strong.
He became the PR Director of the Tae Kwon Do Association of Great Britain (TAGB) in 2002, helping to organise and publicise the 6th Open Tae Kwon Do World Championship in Miami. At the same time, between 1999 and 2005 he was the publishing consultant and adviser of Cool Publications, the UK’s premier eBook provider, where he championed the DMR-free movement.
In 2005 he became the CEO of Web Direct Studio, a web design, SEO and PR firm with a client base across three continents.
He made the leap into full-time writing and consulting in 2010 with the success of his first book on SEO.
His blog: http://helpmyseo.com attracts over 10,000 unique visitors a month. His writing on SEO, social media and journalism appear on countless websites.
He has, since, advised companies on how to develop successful internal and external communication strategies in areas as diverse as printing, food imports and education. He has been a content provider for the 2012 Frost World Marketing Seminar, has delivered keynote speeches to executives as part of the J.J. Institute Executive Development Program, and holds annual training seminars on SEO and Social Media around the world through his company, HMS Media.
These days, when not writing, David spends time traveling throughout Greece and Australia.
The book can be found at Amazon and here.
Sculpture by Pépé Grégoire:
How to contact the artist: Send email to Drs. Eva Mennes, Aesthetics Editor, The Journal for Social Era Knowledge
Drs. Eva Mennes <evamennes@aol.com>
