When searching for a local digital advertising agency, the majority of internet users will search a term such as “internet marketing Peoria IL.” Within seconds, the browser is populated with tons of results. Of course, showing up on Page 1 at all is a win on its own. However, put yourself in the shoes of your potential customers. As you scroll down the page of authoritative search results, are you more inclined to select a company whose name only appears once or the marketing firm who shows up in the ads, the map listings and a couple more times down the page? That is the premise behind Page 1 Domination.
On a more personal note, let us tell you how this discovery came about. It started when WebDesign309 was running several campaigns to increase traffic to our Schaumburg IL office. After noticing our paid ad click-through-rate was particularly low for what we were paying, we decided to pause our ads and focus on local and organic search engine optimization. Then, something happened that none of us expected. Our SEO scores plummeted! Come to find out, many users were clicking on our Google Maps and organic listings because they had already seen our name at the top of Page 1. Those expensive and seemingly useless Google Ads were building our reputation within seconds so that by the time the searcher made their way down the page, they had already seen our name 3 or 4 times. Lesson learned. And that is why we’ve decided to pass this knowledge onto you.
The short answer? Yes, it does. In fact, Google processes over 90% of searches from users across the world (Visual Capitalist, 2018). That percentage accounts for well over 60,000 searches on Google every second (iMPACT, 2018). If you want to capitalize on opportunities for your business to grow through online marketing, Google is a must. But like the businessman sitting in the corner alone at a networking event, just showing up isn’t enough. Page 1 Domination is the goose’s golden egg in this story.
Absolutely nothing. If you want to hide a dead body without getting caught, bury it on the second page of Google. That’s because Page 1 results eat up an astounding 95% of search traffic (Hotjar, 2012-2018).
Between 20% and 25% of organic traffic converts to a lead (SEO Expert Brad, 2018). That’s an incredible conversation rate! There are many tools, search engine optimization experts use to rank higher in organic search results. These are the 4 main categories of SEO strategy:
Google changes their search algorithms several times each year, so this is an extremely difficult industry to keep up with. The process is also extremely time consuming and at times, tedious. That is why many businesses choose to outsource their SEO services to qualified marketing companies rather than hire someone in-house or manage it themselves.
Search engine marketing (SEM), the first and last appearance on Page 1 of Google, is known by many names, such as:
Truth be told, only a mere 10% of Google searchers click the ads on Page 1 (Protofuse, 2014). So, what’s the attraction to search engine marketing services? The first and usually most attractive feature is that you only pay if your ad is clicked, regardless of impressions. The second draw is that paid ads can be stopped or started at the drop of a hat. However, as our personal story highlights, we urge you to be cautious with this freedom. Thirdly, PPC takes many forms. These include:
Search marketing can be a particularly valuable strategy for business that offer services, such as lawyers, roofers, general contractors. Product oriented businesses such as car dealerships, software developers, and eCommerce websites have also seen much success from well-managed SEM campaigns.
On average, about 72% of internet users who searched locally, using geographic terms such as “near me” or “in MyCity IL,” ended up at a store within 5 miles of their location (WordStream, 2016). Of these searches, 28% result in a purchase (HubSpot, 2018). Currently, these social media platforms are consistently dubbed “most important” across most industries:
In addition to routine and effective social media promotion, we recommend claiming and verifying your local business listings, as well as keeping them up to date. By presenting the same information about your business across the web, you are creating canonical data. The most important data is your business name, address and phone number, commonly referred to as NAP information. Down to commas and capital letters, Google looks at this to determine whether your business data is accurate and up-to-date, and therefore, relevant.
By combining these services, WebDesign309 is able to boost your website in the Google Maps, the second piece of Page 1 Domination. There are only 3 spots in the initial Maps view on Page 1. Since 33% of users select the first listing in this oft-overlooked section of search results, we highly suggest making sure your business is up there.
Ah, the trick question the best marketing agencies dread. As it turns out, this question is a perfect lead into the summary of this article. For the secret that seems to have been locked away since the dawn of the internet age, Page 1 Domination is the key. While many businesses tend to pick and choose, we find our most successful and happy customers have, at one time or another, invested in all 3. Back to our story about the Jones’, each appearance on the first page played a part in the accumulated number of clicks.
If you don’t have time for all that work, as is the case with many business owners, let us take the load off. To learn more about Page 1 Domination services, contact WebDesign309 today!
