Organisations today can win at the marketing game through a plethora of vehicles. With so many options available, it is vital to prioritise what will truly benefit your organisation and help meet the business growth objectives.
In my experience of working with many B2B organisations over the last twenty years, ranking on Page 1 of Google for your core business keywords provides tremendous benefits.
B2B buyers are digitally savvy. They use Google to search for various products and services in their daily lives as consumers. This habit has transferred to their professional setting too. They now leverage Google in a professional capacity when researching for business intent. Though a well-designed website and social media presence are expected for today’s B2B organisations, alone, they are not enough. A Page 1 Google ranking is essential to compete on an equal footing with your well-established competitors.
Here are some of my reasons why organisations must put in the time, effort, and resources towards getting on Page 1 of Google.
Increased conversions
A Page 1 Google ranking can help increase conversion rates in various ways. First and foremost, being on Page 1 makes your link visible to more eyeballs. This leads to more visitors clicking your link and, consequently, visiting the linked page. The main objective of search engine optimisation (SEO) initiatives and effort is to drive high-quality traffic to the website. Being on Page 1 is the ultimate aim of SEO efforts. Many of the characteristics of a high-ranking website also attract clients. The strategies you employ to reach Page 1 will make your website more appealing and beneficial to buyers.
When your site ranks on Page 1, more people click it. The site is on Page 1 because the site’s content is relevant to the keywords and the searcher’s intent. With increased clicks and more time spent on the site, Google sees the site as an authority for those keywords that showed up on the site on Page 1. This makes the site a relevant resource versus those keywords, thus increasing the site’s authority and consequently the conversions.
Visibility
A Page 1 Google ranking delivers targeted and high-quality traffic, which has a higher plausibility of acting on the call to action associated with the search. This also increases the chances of converting the queries to business. It also enhances your brand awareness by exposing your brand name to searchers with the right intent.
Being on Page 1 boosts your chances of getting more visibility and high-quality traffic, ultimately leading to increased sales. Although this may seem obvious, many business leaders overlook its significance. The two most significant benefits of enhanced Google visibility include targeted website traffic and brand recognition.
More than 90% of any business website’s Google traffic comes from Page 1. Only about 2% of people make it through the second page. This illustrates how much of a disadvantage it is for your company to not be on the first page of Google. After all, for buyers to reach your website via Google, they must first see a link to it.
More than 30% of all click-through traffic goes to the first search result. Consequently, your position on Page 1 is equally crucial in this regard. However, a website ranked #5 on Page 1 obtains much more clicks than a website ranked first on Page 2. So, even if your company is already on Page 1, there are still plenty of ways to boost your organic web traffic by improving your ranking. However, getting there should be your first focus if your company isn’t already on Page 1.
Brand awareness
Google’s first page increases the possibility of buyers clicking on your website. A high Google position exposes your brand name even if a user does not visit your website. Buyers are likely to remember your company’s name if they come across it again in the future.
The simple exposure effect is a psychological phenomenon in which your respect for a brand increases the more you see it. A plethora of psychological studies supports the mere exposure phenomena. So how does this impact your organisation?
Even if someone does not visit your website, the brand name becomes known to them, and they are more likely to support your brand because they have seen it before. For example, if a colleague says they’re considering using your service, they are more inclined to support your organisation because they saw your brand name in Google search results.
In short, having your business on Page 1 boosts the number of visitors to your website and increases the recognition of your brand.
Credibility
A Page 1 Google ranking enables your business to appear authoritative. Visitors immediately know that Google deems your website highly relevant to their search query and that your product or service offering is credible.
On Google, there are two types of search results: paid and organic. I will give you a very brief intro to these.
Paid search results: As the term implies, paid search results are those you have paid for to gain a prominent position in Google’s search results. The benefit is that it is a simple approach to ensure more buyers see a link to your site. However, because it is an advertisement, you lose trust compared to organic search results.
Organic search results: Google chooses organic search results to appear on Page 1 because it deems they include the most relevant and up-to-date content. Organisations that rely solely on paid Google ads fall behind their competition regarding visibility and reputation. Meanwhile, businesses that generate a lot of organic traffic gain a great deal of trust from their buyers.
High organic search engine rankings give your company authority in the eyes of both Google and your buyers. It demonstrates to visitors that your website is highly relevant to their search query and that buyers can trust your product or service.
Authority
Google’s Page 1 organic position holders become known as authorities (or subject matter experts) in their respective domains. Information featured on your website, such as solutions, case studies, testimonials and blogs, will be interpreted as ‘credible’ by new visitors even if they have never encountered your brand. Thought leadership demonstrated through blogs, interviews, and social media accounts will maintain this authority thanks to the Page 1 ranking.
Trust
When organisations rank towards the top of Google organically, people view them as subject matter experts or providers of choice, and this engenders trust. For example, when you search for a mobile application developer in Australia, one of the mobile app dev consultancies on Page 1 is DreamWalk. The sales team at DreamWalk can leverage this coveted position of being on Page 1 when they are speaking with prospective clients.
A better website
You will need a well-designed website to meet all of Google’s ranking criteria. Each page should be SEO optimised, and the overall site speed should be within an optimal speed range. You also need to optimise each page for the visitor’s experience, with all relevant information in an easy-to-digest format. A natural outcome of a well-designed site is a better conversion rate. A win all around.
Reduced costs
As I stated before, you can rank towards the top of Google Page 1 leveraging paid search (those top four spots I mentioned) or organic (free) rankings. Even though the organic rankings are below positionally compared to the paid rankings, they do not cost a per-click amount, so over a longer duration of measurement, if you rank towards the top of Page 1 organic rankings, it ends up costing you significantly lesser comparatively.
Sales enablement
Traffic generated via your Page 1 Google ranking has the advantage of visitors with the right intent. These visitors have searched for terms related to the solution you offer. With a strategic marketing approach, you can capture the email addresses of these visitors through lead magnets/assets such as downloadable eBooks or white papers that speak to your prospect’s needs. Marketing can now nurture these leads enabling the prospect’s knowledge and interest levels to solidify before hearing directly from a salesperson. This presale nurture allows for faster closes.
Talent acquisition
A professional seeking career opportunities will likely turn to Google first. For example, a DevOps engineer on the hunt for their next top employer will Google a search phrase such as “Best DevOps company Australia” … as a result of Google’s results, chances are the candidate will look at Avocado Consulting, Idea11 and Itoc. A steady stream of top talent can save your organisation substantial recruitment fees, not to mention the usual headaches associated with talent acquisition.
24x7x365 reach
Your buyers’ lifestyles and schedules are diverse. One of the best things about ranking on page one is that you can communicate with your target audience at any time of day. Your business is still on Page 1 when you end work and go home to relax, drawing traffic and establishing your company’s reputation.
Other paid marketing tactics and campaigns, such as those for television, radio, and online paid commercials, must be scheduled precisely to achieve optimum reach. They tend to target buyers during conventional business hours. As a result, many potential buyers will never notice your advertisement.
Your high-ranking website is accessible at all hours of the day, unlike a time-specific campaign that misses out on a portion of its prospective buyers.
Long-term results
In the short run, you may be able to improve your traffic volume by purchasing advertising space on Google (or via traditional advertising such as trade magazines). However, these campaigns are temporary and expensive. Be it digital advertising or print advertising, you will either need to pay for it continually to see returns. SEO, on the other hand, is a long-term and cost-effective strategy. When your organisation ranks on Page 1 for a relevant search phrase, your position is more permanent than advertising. However, you will need to conduct SEO efforts to preserve or improve your position.
If you provide a high-quality product or service and have a high Google ranking, your organisation has a strong chance of continuing to grow.
In conclusion
A Page 1 Google ranking for B2B organisations has various benefits. I believe it is an essential investment for organisations wanting to establish a leading position in their market long term. Business leaders with a sound understanding of the benefits can stay the course throughout the earlier journey of SEO when results are not yet tangible. A strategic approach to SEO is essential in gaining results that will prove beneficial.
How is your organisation ranking on Google for your core business keywords? What strategies are you using to improve your Google rankings? Has your marketing team optimised your website design to rank well with Google? Is your marketing team producing high-quality website content consistently to assist your SEO play?
Resonate can help your business rank on Page 1 of Google for your keywords of choice. Please get in touch via the contact form to discuss it further.