Number 1 On Google? Is It Really That Important?

I’ve been thinking this weekend about search engine positioning and more specifically, is it really that important to be hitting No.1? When it comes to Google and SEO it seems everyone wants to be top dog but there is a whole lot more to consider here, let me give you an example.

I was window shopping online a couple of days ago for new cars and was searching BMW’s (kind of dreaming a little ), anyway I typed in the keyword “3 series bmw“, and got a list of results including:

www.bmw.com
www.bmw.co.uk
www.buyyourcar.co.uk
www.autoweb.co.uk
www.motors.co.uk
www.autotrader.co.uk

This was the list and it was in the exact order. As you would expect BMW com and UK sit right at the top, showing Google’s brand emphasis, however I wanted to look around before going straight to the home of BMW. So I scan down the other results, the only one I have ever heard of is autotrader, a huge company, great reputation and an attractive easy to use website.

So that’s where my click went result 6! The rest did not get my click because I didn’t know who they were.

You see actioning SEO work only completes part of your online promotion, if you want to maximise clicks and profit you need to be a little more creative.

Social Networking

It can sometimes be difficult to justify the time we spend on social networking but it is quite simply the best way, not only to get your name or business out there but also to tell people what you do well and then direct them to where you do it well.

Social networking builds brand awareness and that familiarity with your product could be the difference between a click and a miss.

Meta Descriptions

Yes yes we all know they have been devalued by Google but you should still be trying to use it effectively. Those of you who are familiar with adwords will know that when you write your ad copy you should ask the customer a question, implement a call to action and use your keywords. Why should your Meta description be any different?

Again an attractive meta description could be the difference between a click and a miss, so sell your product or service, leave the searcher wanting to know more.

Business Listings

Is been listed going to increase your rank? No, however it is another way for someone to stumble across your site. It gives you a little credibility and again increases awareness around your brand.

The same goes for Google maps, it’s a way of increasing your credibility and proving your site holds some value.

These are just a few suggestions but what I am generally trying to say is that, if you have a business online you need to build it in many ways other than simply pushing it up the rankings on Google.

Remember 50% of searchers DO NOT click on the first result, there are many reasons for this and 1 big one is that other sites are either more appealing or more popular.

When it comes to SEO and increasing rank I like to aim above the fold as this is where the majority of traffic goes, however getting to number 1 is only going to be effective if your building a solid brand.

You may be asking yourself is brand building SEO??

Well that depends on which camp your in, increase rank? or increase organic traffic?

If your all about rank then no it’s not SEO but simply another form of social media, if you see the bigger picture of traffic generation then SEO and Social Media are connected and even one in the same.

Let’s leave that debate for another day

Thanks for reading.

Tim