Tracking the click-through rates of search engine listings is something that should be a part of every SEO campaign. While click-through rates might not seem like the most exciting aspect of search engine optimization, they provide important insight that can be used to increase website traffic dramatically, and in turn, attract more leads and sales for your business. Here are five simple and easy ways to increase your search engine click-through rates.
1) Keep Titles Short And To The Point
Short and sweet is the key when it comes to writing page titles. A title that’s longer than is allowed by search engines will be truncated, making the listing difficult for visitors to scan quickly. Each page title on your website should also provide a clear benefit to potential visitors, so that they know exactly how your content will help them when they read it in search listings.
2) Revamp Old Descriptions
As with page titles, the descriptions associated with your search engine listings should be crafted in a way that is simple, easily scannable and enticing to visitors. Never allow a description for one of your pages to be automatically created by a search engine algorithm. When this happens, the random snippets of your content that search engines choose will rarely create an accurate representation of your content. Take some time to examine the descriptions that are currently listed for your website’s pages. Are any of them auto-generated by the search engines? Are there descriptions that could see a boost in click-throughs by being rewritten with more clear or persuasive language?
3) Test Page Titles With Paid Ads
Using Facebook ads and Google Adwords to test potential new titles for your content is a great idea. Changing the actual title of a page too frequently could result in penalties from search engines, so this is a way to try out a range of new titles without risking any loss in your search rankings. Simply pay for low-cost online ads that feature the various titles you are considering adding to your pages and evaluate the results that follow.
4) Locate Underperforming Pages
Using your website traffic analytics software, access click-through rate statistics for each page of your website and sort them from lowest to highest. This will help you identify the pages of your website that have room for improvement. Tweaking the titles and descriptions of even a few of these dormant pages can help your website rank for a wide range of new keyword phrases and bring in loads of new traffic that you had previously been missing out on.
While click-through rates are easy to overlook, especially in today’s increasingly complex world of SEO, taking a look at them from time to time can reveal incredible opportunities for growth. By following the strategies covered here, you’ll put yourself at a great advantage over your competition and ensure that your website is achieving the high rankings it deserves.
