Whenever working with new clients, I am occasionally asked why it is so important to be found on page one of Google. Actually, the answer to that is pretty straightforward, because the purpose of Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) is to increase traffic to your site.
Statistics show that web searchers are most likely to click on the first few entries on page one first and rarely do they ever go too far beyond page two, at all.
This is especially pertinent to the world’s most popular search engine – Google. The logic behind this practice is that people tend to trust (and click on) the top results in Google. This results in more visitors for the pages that are fortunate enough to reach page one for a given keyword, term, or phrase.
Aside from the obvious benefit of increased traffic, here are three more advantages that come with being found on page one in Google:
1. Enhanced Brand Recognition
As more pages on your site reach the first page in Google, web surfers will begin to become familiar with your site name and brand. This in turn helps you create a more authoritative and diverse web presence.
2. Increasing Content Authority
When one of your pages ranks on the first page in Google, that page is more likely to be seen as trustworthy and authoritative by its readers. Therefore, not only will the page receive more visitors, but each visitor will be more receptive to the page’s content as well.
3. Higher Site Value
If you ever decide to sell your website in the future, or have it appraised, having many pages that rank on the first page in Google for popular keywords will undoubtedly increase the perceived value of the site, not only in the eyes of an appraiser but also from the perspective of a prospective buyer.
Finally, it is important to note that showing up on the first page of Google for your targeted keywords should be a goal to strive towards. Since 95% of initial clicks will come from the first page, that leaves only 5% of all clicks to be spread out amongst successive pages.
Few people are diligent enough to continue searching through more than the first page which means that unless you rank highly enough to be within the coveted top few listings, chances are your site will remain obscure.
Are you trying to build brand and grow a lucrative business?
My advice is to first rank highly with Google and the rest will follow.
David Lomas
M3 Media Publishing