Ranking Analysis: How to Look Beyond What Is or Isn't Ranking

Website owners and managers will always be fascinated with how well they rank on search engines. However, rankings can be deceiving because they only provide a small part of the data set anyone will need to gauge online success.

Who wouldn’t like to be No. 1 on Google for an organic listing? Among the busy array of results (including paid ads and local search), a top ranking still shines. It shouts: “I climbed the mountain and beat out the other guy!”

But did you?

Here are 12 key points to consider with your ranking numbers that quickly touch on other aspects of your online marketing initiative. Keeping these factors in mind will help you make better choices about what next steps you should take to ensure that you are better positioned to improve your company’s bottom line.

1. Did you pursue the right keyword?

Achieving a No. 1 ranking is possible with barely any effort, but will it drive traffic? You might rank well for Cleveland Legal Counselors, but odds are more people are searching for Cleveland Lawyers. If that’s too competitive, try Lawyers In Cleveland. The point is for you to get your share of traffic from the many vast and different ways people may search.

2. Are you targeting the right search engine?

A top ranking on Bing can trigger big smiles. However, if your website only gets 3.5% of its traffic from Bing – for all keywords – the ranking may not deserve a lot of attention. Yes, conversions are worth considering, but you need to constantly think about what precious time you’re committing to Bing when other engines may pay off in an even bigger way.

3. What’s your track record?

You need to chart your progress. It’s not a good sign if months go by and you can’t crack the top 30 positions among the SERPs (Search Engine Results Pages). Own up to the fact that if the keyword phrase you've targeted doesn’t show an improvement, maybe it's simply too competitive. Look for headway by choosing keywords with little competition and maybe you’ll rank higher sooner. But that’s not always the case. Your long term Search Engine Optimization (SEO) practices may help you show a marked improvement, even for more competitive search terms. Only through consistent tracking and analysis will you be able to know for sure what is or isn’t working.

4. Setbacks are common.

If you manage to get a great ranking – perhaps in the top 5 spots – don’t panic if your ranking dips a bit. It could easily rebound. Nothing is absolute when it comes to how your web pages rank in organic search engine results. For example, as Google changes its rules and in-house algorithms or other competitive websites come online, your rankings may fluctuate up or down. Better to see over the long haul what your average ranking is, rather than knee jerk react to every little up or down movement of your webpages on a daily basis. Look for real trends, not one-off hiccups.

5. Substitutions aren’t inferior.

Like NBA bench players, new keyword options can excel if given the opportunity. If you can’t get a high ranking for a keyword phrase among your starting lineup, remove it after a few months. Why keep it if the keyword phrase isn’t gaining momentum – either toward a top ranking or in its ability to convert visitors who arrive at your website.

6. Don’t be misled by your computer.

With personal settings, browser history, and different data centers, it’s increasingly tough to know if your exceptional ranking is really what it seems. For your most significant keywords, you may want to have someone else tell you how the keyword phrases ranks. Or, test out the search terms with some other ranking checkers (including third-party sources) like the ones listed below.

• SEO Book Rank Checker (for Firefox): http://tools.seobook.com/firefox/rank-checker
  This tool still references your computer but has a setting to avoid your Google personal settings.
• RankChecker.net: http://rankchecker.net/Default.aspx
  Easy-to-use third party (note that it defaults to top 10)
• Mike’s Marketing Tools: http://www.mikes-marketing-tools.com/ranking-reports
  Third-party tool with multiple engines

7. Understand your landing pages.

It’s not uncommon for the home page to be the landing page for a powerful keyword phrase. However, your conversion opportunity may really be an inside page. In a fantasy world, you could tag keywords and they would magically be directed to your preferred pages. In reality, that’s the beauty of paid search. But don’t give up on your home page. If it’s working, find a way to establish “Calls to Action” within the content, the core navigation, and diverse user cues to make sure your visitors go where you lead them.

8. The crowded home page.

Another problem with the home page is the fact that many keyword phrases often rank well for it. A few keywords however may perform better if you’re able to adapt your strategy and target interior pages for some of those keywords. Your website analytics package should help you see what keywords are being used to reach the home page or any other page with a crowded keyword field.

9. Balance greed with diversity.

Online marketers get excited if they have more than one page appearing in the top 10 search results for the same keyword phrase. You should consider whether one of those pages could better support another keyword phrase that lacks the visibility it needs to generate traffic and sales or leads for your business. Don’t make a hasty decision. If a keyword phrase ranks No. 7 on one page but No. 15 on another page, don’t assume the No. 7 ranking is the best one to attack because it’s closer to the No. 1 position. You need to weigh what you’ve already done with both pages, keyword themes on the website, the amount of content on each page, conversion opportunities and more. For example, the No. 7 ranking may be the best you’ll do for that one page. For another page, the No. 15 ranking may not have taken as much effort to a achieve (meaning you could still do more with SEO to improve its ranking).

10. Visitors tell another part of the story.

Unfortunately, some businesses lack conversion data and settings. But with a website at least you can look at the visitor data in your website analytics. In the purest sense, visitor metrics will indicate whether the ranking has any merit. High rankings don't necessarily always translate into increased visitors (traffic) to your web site.

11. Be honest about your conversions.

Many websites lack opportunities to connect with visitors. Your top ranking may be wasted if your potential customer encounters a poor design (with usability messes), text overload (visitors typically prefer to scan) and information without a clear “Call to Action”. Offering your phone number in the 14th paragraph isn’t very effective.

12. Know your website strengths.

To appreciate your rankings (or lack of them), you need to know your website’s strengths and weaknesses. Take a look at the competition. Study which website ranks No. 1 or even No. 10. What do they have that your website lacks? Maybe it’s a great domain name (containing a keyword), an age advantage (older sites trump newer ones), more links (inbound and/or internal), and more content (multiple pages) to accentuate specific keyword themes, etc.

Business owners and marketers can study rankings every day, but the ranking position alone won’t help. Look at the rankings within the context of overall traffic, conversions, your SEO efforts to date, the viability of your website, and your ability to spread keywords across the entire website.

Ultimately, you may need more pages to support your preferred ranking over the long haul. While making that investment, keep an eye out for alternative keywords that your website can realistically support – both today and in the future.

Mike Murray is the Web Strategy Thought Leader for World Synergy, an interactive online marketing firm that focuses on website design, custom web applications and business infrastructure services and strategy. Mike has more than 13 years of experience with web site development and online marketing, frequently speaking at regional and national conferences, including Search Engine Strategies.
This article courtesy of SiteProNews.com

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