It’s a good question. After all, over 95% of search traffic comes via page one of a Google search result. And for most NZ websites, 50-70% of their new website traffic and subsequent business, comes from someone doing a Google search. If your website isn’t showing up on page one for multiple search terms, your website and online strategy simply isn’t working and needs fixing – Urgently. Every day is costing you sales and income.
First though, aside from doing regular manual checks for multiple terms, how can we determine how often we show up on page one of Google?
Search Grader is Here
We’ve spoken before of the neat tools provided by Hubspot in the US. Last week they added a new one called search grader. This simple new tool appears to examine your site for your key terms, products or services, then looks at how often you appear on page one. For most NZ websites it’s not good news.
The typical results tells me that whatever time and money most businesses have put into their website so far has been ineffective and largely a wasted effort. Worse than that, the planning and additional effort needed to fix things may be considerable – Often well beyond the skills of their existing provider.
Most local small business websites I put in had a search grading score of zero, or no data – Which means the ability for these sites to show up on page one and go beyond a thousand visitors per month is small. A good NZ small business website should be getting over 2,000 website visits per month, with 5,000 or more being the ideal in many sectors.
Left are the monthly traffic figures from a local, well-established website and business that has a superb online profile, plus make good use of Google AdWords. They regularly appear at the top of page one on Google.
The second is more typical of NZ business website in a similar sized market, running a poorly built and maintained site, that seldom appears on page one. Lucky to get to page two. Most of those clicks that did come via organic search (221) already knew them, since according to Google analytics, they put the company name into the Google search box.
Note too both companies above are using Google AdWords which is good and should level the playing field. But one AdWords account was far better setup, optimised and had a decent budget, resulting in almost ten times the clicks. (1,478 vs 165). Adwords only works well when it’s done right, which is why half of Adwords users love it, getting loads of leads, the others tell us it’s hopeless.
Beyond the clicks
But it’s not just getting more traffic and click-throughs. There’s millions of websites worldwide that get loads of traffic, but few sales or business results.
The design and offer shown must be good and on-site data collection systems in place – Which is rare for most websites. The trick to sales and conversions is having ample ways for the visitor to ENGAGE and for you to capture their details and respond via various channels. Having the standard brochure-style 5-page website around products, services, about us and a contact page isn’t nearly enough today. Here’s yet another Hubspot tool that will help give you ideas on what’s needed…
Get your 2012 Website ‘to do’ list
Hubspot again have provided some new tools to help, a new one called marketing grader. It provides a quick analysis and checklist of what’s going wrong with your site and details a great ‘to do’ list.
Yes, But I Get My New Business From Referrals
This is a common cry. “It’s doesn’t matter that i don’t come up high in Google, most of my new business comes from personal client referrals” This can be valid, since referrals have always been and will remain a strong driver of new business.
However, to ignore the thousands of people actively using Google each month to search for your companies products or services is foolish. It’s like not being in the Yellow Pages twenty years ago, when Yellow was the primary tool used. Now it’s Google and showing up on page one is the only objective. Coming in second (on page two) doesn’t count…
We know what’s wrong – Now let’s fix it
All this shows there’s ample tools available to tell us what’s going wrong with websites and our online strategies. Why you’re not being found online. Why your website sucks. The trick is whether you’ll then do anything about it. We can help you in this process.
We’ll start by helping you better understanding the Hubspot and Google tools. Analyse what’s wrong and then work out plan to fix it. Give us a call or email [email protected]
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p.s. Many request us to help their existing web designer to fix things to get more traffic since even after using the Hubspot plus other related Google Analytics and AdWords toolsets, they’re at a loss on what to actually do. Where to start. Their skill is in design, not coding, copywriting or SEO.
In some cases training or partnering with them in the rebuild is an excellent option – Especially when those currently involved accept that things need to change and are willing to learn. We work closely with several designers who see the benefits. But many other times this doesn’t happen and everyone one gets horribly defensive – Defending the status quo, even though it isn’t working.
In these cases, to move forward, you’ll have to dismiss your existing website designer and/or host company and start again. Similarly any money you’re presently wasting on Yellow Pages online. Look at them like any paid employee who isn’t pulling their weight. It’s results that count today, not talk…