As the saying goes, “If you don’t measure it, you can’t improve it”. And one of the most important things to keep an eye on with your website is how well you rank in search engines (especially Google) for your targeted keywords.
We offer our clients regular reports on this, and so if you’re already receiving these reports, here’s what to make of them:
- Make sure that the keywords we are reporting on are relevant. Think to yourself, “If I was a potential customer, would I type this in to the search box in Google?”
- Assuming we’re reporting on relevant keywords, check the numbers under each search engine. 10 or less means you’re on the first page of results. 11 to 20 means page 2, 21-30 is page 3 and so on. Really, you’re looking for a first page, or top 10 result. Page 2 may be okay in some circumstances, but page 1 is where you need to be.
- Moving up and down a few places is completely normal. Google regularly tweak their algorithm, your website may have changed, competitors websites may have changed. Don’t stress about minor movements in either direction between reports.
- If you don’t have a top 10 result for a relevant keyword – take action! It may mean revising some pages in your site, or seeking out some more inbound links. Contact us if you’re not sure what to do next.
Remember – this report doesn’t say how many people are actually visiting your website. It’s about maximising your site’s potential to get those people who are search for the things you offer.
Browse related entries: google, marketing, search
Posted in Articles on February 24th, 2010
Rumors have been circulating recently that Google is considering including the speed of your website as one of the factors it uses in ranking your pages in its search results.
That’s all speculation at this point, but overnight Google announced a new tool that lets you measure your website’s speed, based on data provided by people using the advanced features in their toolbar.
Perhaps they are gearing up for such a change, perhaps not – but importantly as explained on their blog:
Studies have repeatedly shown that speeding up your site leads to increased user retention and activity, higher revenue and lower costs.
It’s worth considering this the next time you’re thinking about large images and special effects that take longer to load. Put yourself in your visitor’s shoes. “Would I really want to wait for this?”
(Image credit: Photo Monkey)
Browse related entries: ecommerce, google, strategy, usability, web
Posted in Articles, News on December 3rd, 2009
An article published by usability expert Jakob Nielsen recounts examples of how even a tiny amount of actual test data is better than guessing at what works best on the web.
We may think we know how hard or easy a site will be to use, but until we check with people who aren’t involved in the project you can never be sure.
Jakob observers:
When we actually study real users, we see how slowly they learn about technology and how little their ability to use fancy websites has improved. And, most important, we see how little users care about learning fancy Web techniques. People just want to get in, get their stuff done, and get out. They don’t want to learn.
Usability testing may cost a little more, but the payoffs can be enormous. Read the article here.
(Image courtesy of ChrisL_AK)
Browse related entries: usability, web
Posted in Articles on June 9th, 2009
