Ian Lourie, Google Analytics Guru Extraordinaire, wrote a great article yesterday, “SEO 2009: Adapt or Die”, that succinctly sums up changes to expect from Google’s algorithm that truly reflect site value. Organic click thru rate, time on site and bounce rate, which are reflective of real site performance and usability, will presumably begin playing a larger role in the SERP’s.
Why is this so important? Up until now, it can be argued, a disproportionate part of search placement had to do with SEO tactics that were more technically driven than user driven. Understanding the ins and outs of title tags and meta descriptions, linking strategies and other “traditional” SEO technical on page issues will still be important, but those elements will be complimented by good old fashioned “performance” marketing. The sites that do a better job of truly addressing searcher intent with solution will beginning winning in the SERP’s.
The best part of this change is that, for the most part, it can’t be faked. The proof will be in the pudding. If a visitor clicks through to a site, spends time on a site, takes action on a site, the site will have more value than a site that visitors just click on from the search results and abandon.
This is great news for companies who have invested in website usability. Shari Thurow, a highly respected usability expert, has been touting this concept for years-if you have an online presence, you have two customers, the search engines and your visitors. These changes will make visitors a more important part of the search equation.
So how do you prepare for these changes? Begin focusing effort, not just on SEO, but on website usability. What are the business goals of your website? What do you want people to do once they get to your website? Do you make it easy for them to take that action? Have you created a site that provides a solution for your online client?
These questions will begin having impact, not just on your conversion, but on your search placement.
So how do you know if your site is “usable”. Here is a checklist:
*Have you defined your online business goals?
Ask the question, what do you want your visitors to do online? We have a real estate client that had a bounce rate of nearly 50% (an average bounce rate). We redesigned the site to meet the visitors goal for the site, search for property. We utilized above the fold prime positioning on the home page to address that goal. The client examined the main elements of a property search: price range and location. This change improved the bounce rate from nearly 50% to 12.91% bounce rate, meaning that, after the design change, about 87% of visitors take at least a single action on the website. Google will see this as a positive for the site as their job is providing the most relevant results for their customers.
*Are your business goals apparent on your website?
We had a client whose business goal was to get people to call the office for a quote, but the phone number was nowhere to be found on the home page. Make sure your business goals (and your relevance to your visitors) is apparent on your home page. If you want to use your site as a lead generator, make it easy for a visitor to leave at least an email address so you can begin the sales cycle. If your top seller is a red suede pump, make sure that your customers can single click from the home page to the red suede pump, choose a size and check out. In a word, respect your visitors. One of my favorite analogies for assessing and adding value to a web visitor is assessing value of a visitor to a brick and mortar clothing store on Madison Ave in New York City. What is the value of that visitor? As a proprietor, you’ve purchased/leased an expensive location, you’ve advertised and marketed your business. The minute a visitor walks in the store, staff treat them like gold because it has cost a great deal of money just to get them to walk into the store. As online businesses, we need to address our visitors with the same amount of care and respect. If a visitor comes to your website, you should serve them the information and guidance they are seeking, if you do anything else you will lose them. Up until now, that was just a great way to improve conversion on your website, now it may mean the difference between being found or not being found online by your potential customers.
*Are your customers converting from a “click” to a “customer”?
This is where the rubber meets the road. It doesn’t matter what your CEO believes, or what your lead designer believes or what your SEO Firm believes. Visitor behavior is what matters. If your visitors take the action you prepare for them and become customers and contribute to the bottom line, you’re winning. Whether your business goal is to generate a lead or close a sale, your visitor defines the success of your site, not just ranking #1 for a specific term or having the most visits. The great news is that now conversion isn’t just a usability goal it’s a search goal and, ultimately, a most important online business goal.
Share This
