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Posted on: Jan 02, 2017
In the Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) industry, there is short theory and best practices. According to the experts, new experiments and strategies are what take this industry forward. As experts in SEO we always try new things to improve results. Read more about some of the SEO experiments our London SEO company performed in 2016 and what we have learned from them.
Both Google RankBrain as well as machine learning is changing every aspect of SEO. Google is already using RankBrain for conducting any search that has a great impact on queries. An important question, is “how does RankBrain or other machine learning influence rankings?” Well, a set of, nearly 1, 000 keywords from Google’s Search Console were used. Statistics show that the average CTR was 22 percent for the top position in the month of April.That increased to 24 percent by July and then 27 percent in September. Thus, the data clearly indicates that the top ranked results had the highest CTR by September. Search engines will reward pages with high user engagement and top SERP positions.
What exactly is the relationship between organic search CTR and organic search rankings? Employers working with Google have confirmed that they do not use click-through rate when ranking websites. In other words, they mean that they do not use it in the form of a “direct” signal. So, can it be said that clicks have an indirect impact on the search results? SEO experiments have the answer to this question. The objective is to find out if there is any connection between organic CTR and organic search position. Webpages that beat average organic CTR for a specific position were possible for ranking in the top four positions. A webpage that beats expected CTR for a particular position by 20 percent will likely be seen in one position.
Do you know the best way to improve CTR to get rewarded for a high click-through rate? If visitors cannot find anything, they will look at your headline in the search engine result pages (SERPs). Even though your content is simply awesome, you will not get clicks with a boring headline. The most relevant keyword should be placed within the first 60 characters. After updating the headline, the CTR increased to 1.19% and ranked in fifth position. You can actually increase your CTR just by changing the title. Be smart and create attention-grabbing headlines that people will click through on.
It is extremely important to write attractive headlines that will make people click through. However, the goal is not only to create clickable content but also to generate more user engagement. Google will know if people do not click on your headline and go back to the search engine result pages. Professionals providing SEO services in London suggest that spending time on a website is better for dwell time rather than bounce rate. Google uses dwell time for the validation of click-through rates. These metrics will help Google to determine if users are able to conduct a successful search. Do bounce rates, conversion rates and time on site have any influence on organic search rankings? Yes, the higher the engagement rates, CTRs and conversion rate, the more leads and sales. Improving conversion rates and engagement metrics will lead to better organic search rankings.
Google’s Featured Snippets appear in the form of images, texts, charts and lists. But how does Google’s algorithm select Featured Snippets? Firstly, you need to find out if organic search ranking factors impacts when your site gets snipped. Google is featuring snippets from content that ranks on the second page. On-page copy is important but word count is not that necessary. Two interesting things have been found from Search Console data and Google Analytics:
So it seems engagement rates have an important role in selecting Featured Snippets.
Social shares appear to be a kind of ranking signal though Google has shot this down. It is not only visible social share that matters - high social engagement is equally important. Testing to find the connection between organic search rankings and social shares shows that Facebook posts with high engagement rates of more than 6 percent also had organic search CTR that beat expectations. If you have Facebook engagement 4x higher than average, you will have organic search CTR which is 4x higher than average. The same thing that makes people share their content on social media is also what makes people to click on them in the SERPs. This is also true in the case of headlines with high CTRs.High social engagement rates are linked to high CTR, and vice versa. This is the exact relationship between organic search and social shares. It is all about how engaging the content is.
In a nutshell, SEO is rewarding webpages and sites depending on how visitors engage with your quality content. Write headlines that will grab the attention of visitors and make them click. Give rewards for the click by publishing content that will make them share more and want to be on your site.
