Many marketers get discouraged by SERP (Search Engine Ranking Pages) results if they are not on the top 30 results on Google. This is poor judgment if you are seriously committed to success; One must crawl before Google let’s you walk.
Yes, it takes time. How many times have you all heard that? But many times experts fail to tell you that a page 7 result on Google may mean a lot to a website, which was not visible at all 30 days earlier. Impatience is the enemy of a successful SEO campaign. We are not talking about years; there should be some visible results after 4-6 months. So what’s considered a visible result? I have outlined some here:
- Increased Visibility: Analytics is a must, and we recommend Google Analytics or Omniture. When you log onto your analytics account and compare your Organic Traffic to 1-3 months earlier, you should see an increase. You should also see an increase in the number of terms users searched to find you on major search engines.
- Increased Ranks: They do not have to be all top 3 results on Google, however; terms ranking on top 10 pages of Google that were not there before, is a sign of improved ranks. You must track these changes in ranks monthly and analyze the pattern. A list of priority keywords you’d like to rank for, unique content, and a good linking strategy would boost your results. If you already have a plan implemented, you should see those top 10 page rankings increase in time to top 3 page rankings, and finally the first page on Google.
- Increased Conversions: Never underestimate how you handle the traffic you receive from search engines. Pay attention to the site stats and how users interact with your site. Also, a website that offers users an easy way to navigate the site and find what they’re looking for, will ultimately get better rankings on Google.
- Brand Name Recognition: How many websites mention your name? This is a measure I really like to see to determine how popular a specific company or a brand is. For example, type “coke” into Google search and you will see 4.6 million results. Now type “Optimum7” and you will get 13K results. This is what I mean. Type your company name, and see how many websites mention your name. The more results, the more visibility. So, how do you increase this number? By writing unique, relevant content and syndicating it through online resources. (Natural link building)
One suggestion I have is to always rely on analytics and never to take anybody’s word for results. Your bottom line is what really matters. Keep in mind that a page 1 result on Yahoo brings less traffic than a page 4 result on Google 98% of the time. So, do not let anyone fool you with results which are not justified by analytics or numbers.
Pay attention to how often your site or a specific page on your site is cached. This way, if it’s frequently visited and cached by crawlers, you can test certain keywords and see which ones rank better in time. This is an advanced technique and you should do it only if you know what you are doing. However, it’s very effective and not many marketers use it due to the amount of time involved.
And finally, always keep observing. Do not get stuck with big keywords and pay attention to the “long tail keywords” which might bring you more traffic and revenue than you ever imagined. Data is the key here and you should get as much as you can. The more you analyze, optimize, and analyze again, the better results you will achieve.
