Do keyword rankings really drive revenue for businesses? Is it something that companies benefit from? These are some questions that have been asked recently, so I decided to poke at it with a stick. It was much like poking a hive with a stick…lots of stuff came out!
In all of the reading and conversations with marketing managers, it seems like a split bag. It is great to have a high ranking in the results based on a search, but only if your product or service is really related to those keywords and it’s ultimately driving revenue. Just because someone is searching for a new bike doesn’t mean a Huffy prospect is interested in results on a motorcycle. Context is key for search word ranking, as is relevance to the product or service you are trying to drive the marketplace towards.
As search engines become more savvy and sophisticated, they have greater ability to determine the intent of what you are actually searching. Booster seat has been one search term I have had difficulty with lately. This term can mean either a meal time chair or a car related safety seat. One is certainly not interchangeable with the other. Thankfully after I searched once, my search engine remembered what I was ultimately looking for and returned excellent results. How much control do businesses have over that type of search engine help?
What happens if you are in the top three positions on Google search (known as the sweet spot), but you are not able to quantify any additional ROI? What’s your next move to improve market position? Rankings only matter when they are delivering measurable performance and additional revenues. It is strongly suggested that tracking all of your keywords is not worth the time or cost involved. Try tracking only non-branded keywords that are closely related to your products or services that have increased revenues in the last few months. This exercise needs to be monitored and revised as revenues or related keywords move up or down.
The conclusion is, keyword ranking is not everything, but keeping an eye on it is advisable, and couple it with further social media marketing tools to enhance your position and presence online. Happy hunting!