There is no doubt that getting your website to No.1 on Google is a great benefit for your business. On average the top website will receive over 30% of the traffic while No.2 will receive just over 15%. If you do get to the top of Google though, that doesn't mean you get to sit and relax. There are always ways to improve and sometimes even Google gets it wrong.
With a vast amount of potential keywords to choose from, there is a very real chance that your top ranking keyword just isn't getting any searches. Maybe your target audience recognises the product under another name, or maybe a competitor has influenced the industry with their brand (when searching for a razor many people will Google, 'Gillette' instead of 'men's razor'). In cases like this, it doesn't matter that you're the top of Google, you still aren't going to be getting as many visits as alternate digital marketing methods could achieve.
Google is really good at being user-friendly, and that's great if you're using it as a search engine but if you want to use Google to market your business, this can lead to misinformation. A way Google likes to enhance your experience is by giving you personalised search results. It's no secret that Google tracks the websites you visit, but what a lot of people don't know, is that Google then uses this information to make your search results more helpful to you. In terms of marketing a business, this means your website will be much higher up the rankings when you search (because you visit your website a lot) than it will be for the standard Google user.
If you're sat happily at the top of Google that doesn't mean you've hit your peak in terms of attracting clients. There are lots of ways to get your business and products in the public eye, including social media, email marketing, content marketing and pay per click. All these methods are just as, if not more, effective as being top ranked on Google, and many will help you in a way Google never could.
Social media is becoming increasingly popular and has billions of users across the various platforms. In terms of spreading your business to as many people as you can, social media is king. Gathering a large following of past and potential clients will allow you to make a conscious effort to get people interested in your product or services, as opposed to sitting around, waiting for them to come to you.
Email marketing is one of the best types of campaigns in terms of ROI (Return of Investment). You can gather a hefty list of emails by requesting them in return for a newsletter or information. There are lots of ways to go about the creation of an email for this form of marketing but making them visually attractive, giving them a personalised feel, or making sure the title has a sense of urgency have all proven to be effective.
Images, videos, audio and blogs are amazing at grabbing people's attention. Everyone wants to be entertained and to learn something new and interesting. Content marketing is great because potential clients will actively seek it out, and then if they enjoy it, will share it with people they think would also enjoy it. A good piece of content will likely result in the biggest reward for the amount of time you need to put in. You only have to create a single piece of good content, to be able to reach hundreds if not thousands of people. This is a vastly different approach than the constant creation of new links that is required to keep your website at the top of Google.
A sure-fire way to know your website is at the top of Google is to pay to have it there. Essentially you pay for your visits instead of earning them organically. Your website is placed at the top of Google for specific keywords and you only pay when someone clicks the link to your website. Usually, the fee is small and as such, this method works especially well for those selling high-cost products. The click costs you £2, the purchase is for a £250 product, and you’ve made a good profit with minimal effort. A lot of effort and research goes into creating a good pay per click campaign so the process often becomes too confusing for many people. When you can, it is best to hire a professional to organise your campaigns for you.
Despite how it may sound, I'm not telling you to ignore your Google ranking and focus on alternate methods. Your Google ranking is very important to your businesses success. The message I'm hoping to share is that your Google ranking is just one of many important aspects of digital marketing, and you should pay equal mind to all of these campaign options. Each one can benefit you in a different way, so bringing them all together will rocket your business past the competition.
If you want advice on the kind of campaigns you should be running, or need help with your digital marketing in any regard, contact the JDR Group today.