April 28th, 2010 by Nick

A good SEO company is central to the success of any online business. You can increase your profits enormously, for relatively little outlay. However, for those new to internet trading the way in which search engine optimisation works can be baffling, to say the least. So, what will a search engine optimization company do when it comes to improving your site?

The first thing they will look at, is how your pages are indexed. Search engine optimisation is about how your pages are ranked for given searches – in other words where the search engine places your site in response to targeted keywords. Many people place a lot of emphasis on their site content, using marketing text and blog entries rich in the keywords their target customers might use. However, this isn’t enough; the search engines have to be able to find those words and, once found, decipher them easily.

If a site has keyword content in the right density, yet does poorly in search engine rankings, a search engine optimization company will look at the site’s architecture. They will check the page links are navigable and that the site has a well established hierarchy i.e. a chain of links which includes categories and sub-categories leading customers and search engines to the page links. It’s also essential the site has readability – it’s no good including keywords if they’re hidden in intelligible text.

Many new website owners perceive company success only in terms of how high they get up the search engine rankings. Yet while a high placement is important, sales success cannot be measured in terms of ranking position alone. Discerning clients – i.e. those most likely to stop at your site and make a purchase – are also those most likely to skip the first few sites on a search and pick from further down. Experience has taught them that sites placed in the top 2 or 3 positions are paid ads. In other words, those sites ranked highest may not necessarily be the best sites to visit.

Good SEO technique means knowing that different rankings get different bounce rates. The bounce rate of visitors is the percentage of those who click on a search link, but then “bounce” away to another site rather than stay and make a purchase. High rankings don’t guarantee increased sales – they just point an arrow to the way in. Just because a site is placed higher than yours in the rankings, doesn’t mean yours won’t attract more successful sales. SEO means making your site attractive, as well as visible, to purchasers.

If your search engine optimisation company is successful, you’ll start to see an improvement in the rankings and, eventually, a position on page 1 of the searches. This will mean the number of visitors to your site will increase.

However, this isn’t the key to success – the conversion rate is. This is the percentage of people who visited your site and then took positive action, e.g. by making an enquiry or purchase. When it comes to search engine optimisation, your SEO conversion rate is far more important than where you’re placed in the rankings.

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