For brands and businesses that have the main aim of driving more organic and quality traffic to their sites, Google is definitely the way to go. It scours the world wide web, deciding which pages are the most relevant and offer the most value for its users for pretty much any type of subject matter. It is not just a matter of trusting the results that Google provides, most users depend on them to find the answers to their questions.
With such dominance and influence, reaching the first page of Google Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) may seem impossible, but, it is this influence and market dominance that makes it possible for even the smallest businesses and brands to compete with the giants in search results, without spending an arm and a leg on advertising and bidding.
In this blog article Ben Givon will cover multiple options and tips that can help your brand reach the first pages of Google SERPs, making use of a pair of free strategies which include listing and website optimization. Ben Givon will initially cover why the first page of Google SERPs are so important and then we will explore the various strategies that exist, these include:
- Putting keywords on particular areas of your business website
- Generating content that is tailored for people, not Google’s algorithms
- Highlighting location
- Keeping your Google listing up to date
- And much more
Without question the first page of Google is a worthwhile and perhaps necessary target for any company, however, let us first cover the advantages it offers, as this can help with prioritizing your business goals and objectives.
Why is the first page on Google SERPs so crucial?
The results on Google’s search results pages are becoming more and more accurate; with elements such as local results, Knowledge Panels, expandable related questions and answers, and much more. With such a plethora of ways to stand out against your competitors, striving towards reaching the first pages of Google’s results pages is worth the time and effort, particularly when you understand that both click-through rates and traffic decline dramatically as you scroll through the search results.
Reaching the first page on SERPs leads to more click-throughs
It is a widely accepted fact that the first page on search engine results pages attracts the most traffic, however, you may not have known that there are some major differences in click-through rates for the last and first results. According to research by Smart Insights:
‘The first key learning from the data is hardly surprising and I would imagine from your own browsing experience you will expect this. Over 36% of clicks occur on natural search result 1. Another 40+% is then split over the rest of the first page.’
‘A key finding from the research is the difference between head & tail term click-through rates, again something quite obvious but it’s always been difficult to put a number on it. The data states that for tail terms with less than 100 searches per month the click-through rate of position 1 actually drops to about 25% though considerably more people click on a result on the first page compared to keywords with over 1,000 searches per month. Clearly, when searching for long-tail terms people have a more precise idea of the website they want to visit and therefore take the time to find it on the SERP’s.’
Get exposure straight away
The number one results for Google Searches now also cover the position zero answer boxes, more commonly referred to as featured snippets.
Securing a top position on Google’s Search Engine Results pages can result in appearing in a featured snippet, giving your brand immediate exposure and boosting your credibility.
Top spot traffic share
According to another study by Search Engine Watch the number one results on Google SERPs gathers 33 percent of search traffic. There is a direct correlation between reaching the top spots on Google and getting better brand awareness and search traffic.
