It’s easy to adopt an obsessive, celebrity-crush-level focus on getting your website to one of those coveted top spots in Google’s search engine rankings. But with all signs point to Google dialing way back on mobile organic in favor of pushing paid ads front and center, we were recently reminded how important it is to focus your marketing on way more than just improving organic search results.
Not that SERP ranking isn’t important. A much-quoted statistic says that sites on the first page of search results end up with 92 percent of click-throughs; 33 percent of traffic goes right to the #1 spot. And then another 18 percent goes to the #2 spot, so it makes sense that competition is high.
Keep in mind, though, that these numbers are talking about organic search only. What if Google decides ads should take up all of the top several spots? What if paid ads take over the entire first page? Will folks care enough to scroll past those suckers and look for the true organic #1 and organic #2 instead?
Diversify, Dammit!
Remember when Facebook changed its newsfeed algorithms yet again, screwing over tons of businesses that relied heavily on their FB audience for revenue? Or when Twitter’s popularity and usefulness pretty much stalled out and never really recovered? Or how about when Google itself decided that their Google Business Cards functionality should trump organic search for local businesses?
Good times. You can see why we’re not in favor of putting all your marketing eggs into any one basket.
Marketing for More than SERP Ranking
We’ve talked before about the importance of 360 marketing—that is, marketing across a whole bunch of channels at once. Don’t just build a slick website; stay active on social media. Don’t just stay active on social media; post regular blogs, too. And above all, don’t forget how critical your in-person interactions are with real live clients and customers. The optimist in us says sharing the love is how you keep your business going, while the practical side would like to remind everyone that referrals are a great source of recurring revenue.
When you adopt 360 marketing, you won’t find yourself left high and dry by your favorite platform’s next brutal update. Even if one of those suckers goes south, you’ve still got umpteen other sources bringing traffic to your site and your business.
Don’t focus your laser-beam gaze solely on organic search or social media or whatever latest and greatest marketing trend is bound to come along next year. Instead, keep trucking along with a well-rounded search marketing strategy, and remind yourself that slow and steady—and diversified—wins the race.
