Why Ranking Isn’t Enough
For Websites That Don’t Convert
When business owners think about Search Engine Optimization, it’s usually because they want to make more money from their websites. In most cases, SEO achieves this goal by raising keyword rankings, thereby increasing website visits. More visits to the website should lead to more sales and leads.
But what if the website isn’t compelling enough to convince visitors to buy the product or service? The fact is that traditional SEO isn’t enough for websites that don’t convert.
What Is a Conversion?
In the world of SEO and search engine marketing, a conversion refers to the moment when a website visitor completes a desired action on a site. This action could be making a purchase, signing up for a newsletter, or filling out a contact form.
Although online marketers track everything from overall site visits to the average amount of time spent on a particular page, ultimately conversions are the one true goal of any SEO or SEM campaign.
Tell Tale Signs of Site That Won’t Convert
There can be many reasons that a site or page won’t convert visitors into paying customers. Oftentimes a site doesn’t convert simply because it hasn’t been maintained or updated. The business owner may have paid to set up a simple site consisting of a handful of pages— then never touched it again. Much to the dismay of many site owners, setting up a website isn’t enough to turn you into a successful online entrepreneur!
But there are more sure signs of a website that won’t convert. These include:
1. A Website Without Enough Images
Human beings are visually oriented. If you do business in a physical location, it makes sense to have images of your location on your website. A physical location without pictures can come across as undesirable or untrustworthy. Visitors may wonder why you don’t have photographs of your location’s interior.
But even if you don’t do business in a physical location, images are still important to converting customers. High quality images and website design send the unconscious message that your business is professional and reliable.
2. “Thin” Content
Most SEOs will recommend content ranging from 800-1200 words per page. This is a loose approximation. There is no upper limit to how long a page can be, and in reality there is no ideal length for a web page.
But every content creator should be wary of thin content, or content that doesn’t go into enough detail. An offending case of thin content may not even comprise an entire page, but may be a service or product description that only runs a sentence or two long.
The problem with thin content isn’t confined to negative ranking factors and SEO red flags (although you get those from thin content, too). Thin content can also be a barrier to conversions. The fact is that users require details and an in-depth understanding of what makes your product or service special. If you don’t provide enough details, your website might struggle with conversions.
3. Generic Content
I’m a big believer in informative content, but just because your website explains something doesn’t mean that it has to be bland and derivative.
Overly generic content will stop visits from becoming conversions. In a perfect world, your website text should convey:
1. Why you’re different
2. Why you’re better
In order to convince a visitor that you’re worth choosing over your competitors, you need the opposite of generic content. Contact us to get started with content creation.
3. Unfocused Products or Subject Matter
I’ve seen it time and time again. Someone builds a new website and wants to market a service like “business loans.” The problem? They just started from scratch and their competitors have spent decades and millions of dollars optimizing for the same subject matter.
“Business loans” is an extreme example, but the same concept applies to any struggling website. Even if your budget runs into the millions, you need to know how your product is different. Once you know how you’re different, then you can spend your time selling your uniqueness. If you’re just starting out, your uniqueness might come from your service location (perhaps you’re one of a handful of providers in a town like Henderson). Or your uniqueness might stem from personalized attention that competitors can’t match.
A lack of focus can also affect how you grow your website. Many websites have blogs. It can be tempting to write a blog like a diary, focusing on whatever topic appeals to you that week. There’s nothing wrong with that, but the same amount of energy spent creating content clusters could be transformative for your business.
4. No Call to Action
Some website creators believe that if they have a few pages intended to sell their wares, then they should have dozens or more supporting pages that, well… aren’t intended to sell! Whether those pages are blog posts, author bios, or strictly informational, the fact remains that in a conversion optimized website they should all contain at least one Call to Action.
Many online business owners imagine that customers enter their website via the homepage, then click to other pages if they’re interested. While this is sometimes the case, in reality users can and will enter via any page on a website, and once they’ve arrived they’re just as likely to leave without clicking a link or visiting a second URL. This can lead to cases where the most popular pages on a website make no mention of the fact that there’s a product for sale!
It sounds simple, but it’s easy to forget that if a page doesn’t have a call to action, then it can never convert a customer! Don’t rely on a second click. Make the end goal accessible via every page.
How We Can Help
When you start a Full Service plan with Accuracy SEO, we’ll almost always include Content Creation. Usually this involves creating new targeted landing pages to draw in fresh customers. But if we sense or discover that you have a low conversion rate, then we’ll start with Content Optimization.
Whether that involves rewriting pages entirely or gently suggesting changes, we won’t let you miss opportunities for more conversions. Online marketing doesn’t begin and end with eyes on the site. We understand that your real goal is to become a more profitable business.
Get Started for Free
Ready to find out your unique priorities? Click the link for a Free SEO Analysis or get in touch by Choosing Services and sending us a message. Our services scale according to budget, industry, and competition levels, so even if your business is small we can help you grow!
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