Have you ever wondered what makes certain businesses show up at the top of Google results?
Does it really matter where your company stands on the list (even among those on the first page)?
We at Sixth City would like to explain why SEO (search engine optimization) and its related services can be the easiest way to grow your business.
Whether you’re:
- Based primarily online or offline
- B2B or B2C
- A manufacturer of high-tech aerospace equipment
- Or your end goal is preparing the next round of rocket scientists…
…making sure your company can be discovered helps your potential clients find the needle in the haystack. We’ve helped all of the above achieve notable growth through SEO and complementary services. Read on to find out how.
Does it Really Matter Where You Stand in Google Results?
You may already be aware that being on the first page of search engine results is important to your business. After all, if someone Googles “Best Undergraduate Nursing Program in Ohio,” chances are they’ll only review a selection from the first page of results.
An online advertising network called Chitika found in a study that the first page of search results drives about 91.5% of all online traffic.
In other words, you want your business on the first page of results for terms related to your business, because it has a 91.5% chance of being selected versus a 4.8% chance on the second page.
Hanging out beyond the third page crowd (1.1%) means you have worse chances of getting picked than the Browns have of winning the Super Bowl this year. Good luck.
Increasing First-Page Rank
Think of a phrase a customer might speak or type into a Google search to find your company. For example, on National Doughnut Day, I investigated my options very meticulously, using the phrase “Best Donuts in Cleveland.” It only comes once a year, folks.
If your company comes up on the first page, you’re golden, right? Wrong. Turns out, we tend to play favorites. Maybe we’re just too lazy to scroll down. Maybe you put the success of your National Donut Day into the hands, or shall we say, crawling legs, of the search engine “spider” and selected the very first result. Note: A “spider” crawls the web (get it?) for relevant search results.
What I got was Peace, Love, and Little Donuts, and then sure enough, a few too many items from their tantalizing menu. Happy National Donut Day to me.
Why is this relevant? I fell into the bucket of the 32.5% of users who will select the first result, as you can see from the doughnut chart on the left (not a coincidence). How many customers, even if you are on the first page, are you missing out on due to a few rankings?
Note: There are other factors that can increase or decrease the likelihood of a link being selected, like rich snippets.
How Can You Outrank the Competition?
So now you probably want to know how to improve your presence online. We used a local business example. Peace, Love and Little Donuts is not our client, but one client who has greatly improved their bottom line tremendously using our methods is Marc Konys.
We worked with them on their SEO, among other things, and they’ve seen great success so far. We’re talking exponential growth in business and involvement around the content on which we worked our (white hat) magic.
Here’s a snapshot of what some quality search engine optimization can do:
How We Helped Bruening Glass Works Grow from Local Cleveland Repair Shop to Global Go-To Glass Repair Expert
Marc Konys was one of our first clients in 2008. Here’s a brief overview of what Sixth City did for his company, Bruening Glass Works:
- Site Audit: To find areas with room for improvement
- Site Redesign: To increase conversion rate
- Market Research: Discovered how customers sought services
- Search Engine Optimization: For international “glass repair” queries
- Content Marketing: Added a blog about projects and videos
Here are the results:
- 1,528% increase in traffic per month
- 8-16 leads per day outside of the Cleveland area
- Ranked #1 for Crystal Repair, his top-targeted term
- Ranked #1 for Waterford Crystal Repair via WaterFordCrystalRepair.com
- Now internationally known and recommended for glass repair
What You Need to Know about SEO
As a business owner or marketing director today, an online component is now a critical part of your marketing plan.
An Ad Age article recently cited Adobe’s research saying 66% of marketers believe their companies will not succeed without a digital marketing approach. Where does your agency or CMO stand on this?
SEO ensures your content, your website and your brand is in front of the eyes of potential clients and customers when they seek out what you have to offer.
Its effects are directly measurable, thanks to Google Analytics, and the insights provided can translate into growth avenues for your company. To find out how Sixth City Marketing can help improve the profitability of your own online presence using SEO, be sure to contact us today.
