SEO Blog

So you’ve been slowly working your way up to the top of Google for a keyword. But you’ve become stuck on page two or aren’t getting the traffic you want. What do you do?

Well, it comes down to research. You have to find out what your competition is and find out what the traffic levels are likely to be like if you do get to the top. High competition and low search volume are a disaster waiting to happen for any site.

Sometimes keywords just aren’t quite right. Maybe there are a good few terms that adequately describe what your page offers, which do you choose? Instinctively you could go for the most commonly used, but that might also be the one that is targeted most by your competitors. It could take you weeks or even months to make a dent on the first page rankings, all of which is largely time wasted.

All targeted traffic is good traffic. If you have to go after a long tail term just to get yourself noticed initially, do so. Your long phrase, as long as it contains your primary keyword, will help to get you a highly focused search audience whilst also boosting the page’s strength for the shorter keyword.

But the real problem comes when your site changes emphasis. Your phrase du jour might be one thing now, but could be entirely different in months to come. It is important that you keep on top of this.

Whilst you don’t want to ruin a page that is ranking well and attracting decent travel levels, you have to keep your eyes open to new opportunities. If one thing hasn’t worked, you’ve given it time to strengthen and develop properly, then try something new. To do this you need to keep researching potential keywords.

Some pages are exempt from this process of course, most notably product pages, but you should never feel like you are unable to change direction at any stage. Whilst some of your pages might be set in stone, you should look beyond these and find the pages that aren’t performing for you. Don’t just write these off as unpopular, look into any potential problems that may be holding it back from performing – not least the targeted keywords.

Whilst it may means a little extra work, changing those link tags and updating your content, the end results can more than justify your efforts. Ultimately any website is looking for conversions. Conversions come from traffic, therefore the more visitors you can get and the better the terms that you’re being found are, the better your ROI.

So keep an eye on your site’s performance. If some pages aren’t getting the exposure they deserve, change their focus. An updated keyword can make all the difference, certainly when it comes to long-term benefits. Check those competition and traffic levels and find something that better suits your page’s main focus whilst attracting more people through your virtual doors.