I constantly hear small business owners’ talk about website rankings and page 1, page 2, page 3. It’s easy to get caught up in the hype of website semantics when you’re spending money on optimization just trying to get new customers. But, the truth is, website rankings don’t mean jack.
Why do I say that? Well, do you know of any business owner who lists “Page Ranking” as a strategic objective? I’ve seen business goals such as increase customer retention, produce more leads, drive more profit, but never “improve page ranking”. Really, at the end of the day, my clients could care less whether they are on page 1 or page 1,000,000, as long as they are realizing their end goal of increased profit.
No matter how you slice it, having a website is just another marketing channel. Accordingly, you should be assessing the standard marketing metrics relevant to driving your profit. Consider the indicators that correspond directly to success for your business such as:
- How many visitors are you converting to clients per month? This helps determine an ROI.
- What is your click-through rate? This will help you know if your site is meeting customer needs.
- Is your bounce rate increasing? This might indicate irrelevant content or poor website appeal.
There are a multitude of resources dedicated to helping small business owners better understand web metrics and the impact on their business. I suggest first assessing the basics. Is your website relevant? Is your content on point for your niche? Are you getting the behavior from your site visitors that you need? And, is your website driving more revenue to your business? If you are doubtful, or answered no to any of these questions, it might be time to assess another strategy.
As a final note: When assessing partners to improve your web strategy, if anyone ever guarantees Page 1 Google ranking for your website… RUN, and run fast! That guy is either a Google magician or a fraud. If you are a business owner with a website, you’ve probably heard it before…”For $99 a year, we’ll guarantee a #1 spot on Google”. Well, remember that saying your mom always told you about “if it sounds too good to be true”… this is the perfect case in point.
A reputable web design firm will NEVER guarantee a ranking. Not only do the search engines specifically warn against ranking guarantees, but rankings are naturally unsteady. There are a number of variables that can impact how your site ranks including local area of the search.
Overall, while a higher ranking is always preferred, it should never be the basis for grading your website’s performance. Look at the true key indicators of performance and your return on investment. The numbers never lie.
At JAB WebConsulting, we usually avoid the word “guarantee”. Realistically, we guarantee that our clients will be pleased with their performance; we guarantee that if clients apply our suggestions, traffic will increase; and, we guarantee that our work won’t be penalized by search engines. Our strategies will drive more revenue for your business which is why we’re all in the game anyway.
If you have a small business and want to hear more about our strategies, contact us today. Also, let us know if you have a success story for your business website. We’d love to hear what you think!