SEO: Optimize for Clicks, as Well as Rankings

photodune 2745038 optimization xsAs Devenia has grown as an SEO company, we’ve expanded our ability to provide value to our clients.  Our core expertise lies in helping websites rank highly for their targeted keywords, and to that end we have been very successful.  In addition, we’ve also been helping our customers optimize their conversions.

Our experience has been that previous SEO companies some of our clients have worked with have helped them optimize well for rankings, but not for clicks.  What are we talking about?  Let us show you some examples to help you learn more.

Strategies for Click Optimization

  • It all begins with your title.  Every SEO professional will tell you to have a keyword-rich title – and that’s good advice.  In addition to getting that keyword-rich title, however, the title should be attractive for searchers.  An example of a good SEO title that doesn’t compel people to click is, “Suede Sofas Available at Company X.”  As a searcher, I wouldn’t be too excited to click on this title.  However, change that title to “Free Shipping on Suede Sofas at Company X,” and now I’m ready to click.  You have to tell me what’s in it for me in the title.
  • Action-oriented META description.  Most SEOs don’t even talk about META descriptions.  Why?  Google officially announced a while back that META descriptions provide no SEO value whatsoever.  But they do provide serious click value.  What should you do?  The META description should include the keyword because the keyword is bolded when users search for it, making it easier to for them to find in the SERPs just after they have searched.  Then, the META description needs to be action-oriented.  Going back to the suede sofas example, you would say something like, “Browse our ultra-fine, comprehensive selection of suede sofas.  Each sofa is hand made and is guaranteed to last 20 years, or your money back.”  That description tells searchers what’s in it for them, giving them extra incentive to click.
  • Creating attractive content on the landing page.  After you’ve gotten people to click through, the final step in click optimization is to have attractive landing page content.  Many SEOs fall into the trap of simply regurgitating the keyword in the content a few times in order to rank well.  It is important to get the keyword in the content, but it’s also important to make the content interesting.  Most e-commerce sites, the type of site that would be selling suede sofas, have little to no content.  But, each e-commerce page should have content on it, both for SEO and click optimization.  For our suede sofas example, you would describe the attractive benefits each offers to prospective buyers.  So, you would talk about the fine craftsmanship, what makes these sofas so comfortable, why guests will like these sofas, and you might also answer common objections people might have about buying them.

All This Fine-Tuning Adds up to More Clicks

The net result of optimizing these parts of content is more clicks.  The saying goes, “SEO gets them there, but content keeps them there.”    Together, SEO and click optimization generate what you want:  increased revenues.

Last Updated on March 16, 2015 by Dan Stelter

Leave a Comment

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.