Why are Search Engine Rankings so Important?
Before you start to consider implementing a full-blown strategy, you might well question why it is so important to get your website ranked on a search engine in the first place. Yes everybody talks about getting to number one on Google, but why exactly should you bother?
Well, for starters, Google is the most visited website on the planet. In fact, to contextualise that a little, Yahoo is now the third most visited (behind Facebook) even though Google command 90% of the worldwide search market. This means that Google are leagues ahead of the competition, but Bing (5th) and Yahoo (3rd)provide worthy support; between the three of them there are some significant traffic levels being generated.
When we’re online we almost find ourselves pre-programmed to search for information on our search engine of choice. It can be used to track down train times, product prices and the latest news stories; essentially it is a all-encompassing hub of worldwide information. So if you want your website to get seen, there’s no better place.
Unlike offline marketing channels, there’s no time frame or charge for achieving the best visibility. Optimising your website may take time, but you will ultimately be rewarded with a website that delivers targeted traffic both day and night. The Internet doesn’t sleep and neither do the search engines, making them your best bet when it comes to achieving online success.
So now we’ve established why the search engines themselves are popular, why is it that rankings are considered so important? Well, it’s all well and good being on page 8 of Google for your primary key phrases, but who’s going to find you there? As a rule, most people don’t go beyond the first page, some don’t even progress beyond the fold (i.e. they don’t scroll down to see results). This makes a first page ranking all the more important, and a top four position ideal.
The dream ticket is to have your website appear at the very top of the SERPs as this will guarantee the very best exposure for your site amongst those who are searching for your services. Just like a full-page advert in a major broadsheet newspaper, nothing online can compare with the amount of eyes that will view your listing at the top of the search engine.
Getting to this position of course is no easy task. Website owners throughout the world understand the value of gaining that much lauded ranking and as such, will be doing everything in their power to achieve number one positions for their top keywords. It’s a competitive market and very few terms are uncontested, so don’t expect an easy ride to the summit. Whilst it might seem a little foolish to endlessly chase visibility, it is a proven road to success, and so it is well worth the effort .
