Everyone wants to know “how to be first on Google,” and most people believe that ranking at the top of Google will bring the long-desired and dreamed-of revenue and traffic. However, a minority of people are aware that being first on Google is not the most important thing in the world of online marketing. It is important, yes — but not the most important.
In the last decade of our century, digital marketing has advanced at the speed of light. More and more people are moving their business (and often their private) lives into the core of the digital sphere. Online sales have never been more developed, and Google searches have never been more numerous. In the general digital discourse of a multitude of (mis)information and half-information, a dominant opinion has emerged: that one of the most relevant things for a successful online business is to be first on Google.
Believe it or not (and we understand that it’s hard to believe right now), that’s not exactly the case. How many times have you heard the overused — but incorrect — phrase: “If you’re not first on Google, it’s like you don’t exist”?
We want to clarify one thing right from the start. Being first on Google is not the same as being on the first page of Google — and you’ll see why that’s the case as you continue reading.
Certainly, if your website ranks first on Google, that brings undeniable advantages: better brand awareness, greater authenticity, lower marketing costs, a higher CTR (click-through rate), and so on. Some research suggests that 91.5% of people searching for something on Google don’t even go to the second page.
But even if you do appear on the first page of Google — even if you’re first on Google — that still does not guarantee that you will achieve the desired results (conversions).
Considering that SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is the most important strategy for good positioning on Google, it’s both desirable and necessary to understand what SEO is. This is especially true for clients entering the world of digital marketing for the first time, those who are building a website, or those looking to break through in the online sphere.
As we mentioned at the beginning of this text, but would like to emphasize again because it’s very important: even if you’re on the first page of Google, that doesn’t mean all your SEO hopes and dreams will come true. Here’s why:
Whatever is searched on Google, the first page shows only 10 results. We say “only” because some searches may yield millions of results. If you’re ranked 10th on Google’s first page, the chances of getting a large number of clicks and traffic to your website aren’t that high. Statistics show that most people don’t bother to click below the first five results on the first page.
GOOGLE POSITION – CTR (CLICK THROUGH RATE)
- Position 1 – 34.2%
- Position 2 – 17.1%
- Position 3 – 11.4%
- Position 4 – 8.1%
- Position 5 – 7.4%
- Position 6 – 5.1%
- Position 7 – 4.1%
- Position 8 – 3.3%
- Position 9 – 2.9%
- Position 10 – 2.6%
So, the top five positions on Google receive about 80% of the total organic traffic. And we see that positions nine and ten individually receive less than 3% CTR.
Therefore, we can see that just being on Google’s first page doesn’t necessarily bring a lot of benefits. With an appropriate and precisely developed SEO strategy — as well as other aspects of organic and SEO content marketing — your website can certainly rank among the top five search results on Google’s first page. Ideally, you would be among the top three, but that takes time, consistency, patience, and a large amount of energy and effort invested in SEO. Remember: SEO is not a 100-meter sprint — it’s a marathon. Actually, it can even be an ultra-marathon, and a lot depends on the keyword you’re aiming to rank for.
Being on Google’s First Page Doesn’t Mean You’ll Stay There Forever
SEO is a fantastic tool and a unique marketing strategy if you know how to use it. But SEO is not a “once I rank well on Google with SEO, the job is done” situation. Quite the opposite.
Why is that?
As we mentioned, Google’s algorithm constantly changes. If one SEO rule applies today, that doesn’t mean it will apply tomorrow. Only those who follow the trends and adjust their SEO strategy accordingly can beat the SEO competition and become first on Google.
Speaking of competition, it can be ruthless — especially in the SEO world. Maybe your website is currently ranking on Google’s first page for a specific keyword. Maybe you’re seeing results and decent conversion from that. But that’s no reason to stop working on strengthening your position, because just at the moment you reach the top, your competition is working day and night to surpass you. So, if your website ranks on Google’s first page for a certain keyword, that means your previous SEO efforts paid off. But it also means that you need to work even harder to stay there if you want consistent and steadily improving results.
These two factors are generally the biggest reasons why you may see a drop in your rankings. You must ensure that the team handling your SEO strategy is fully informed about all the latest Google ranking updates. In other words, your website must keep up with the algorithm and “feed” it with what Google (and your audience) wants to see. Your competitors likely have you in their crosshairs. And even if you don’t notice it, they’re actively working to “steal” your position on Google. With that in mind, if you want to be first on Google, you must ensure your website content is the most up-to-date, useful, and valuable for your target audience.
Once you pause or stop your SEO efforts, trust us — it won’t take long for your Google position to (sharply) decline. Consistency and persistence in SEO are key!
Not All Keywords Have the Same Search Volume
It often happens (and we know this from experience) that marketing agencies report to clients showing how their website is ranking well for certain keywords. If you want to be first on Google, this makes sense, right?
But here’s the problem:
There are certain keywords for which it’s very easy to rank a website — especially if they’re long-tail keywords and the industry or niche is so specific that there’s practically no competition. However, in many cases, those keywords you’re ranking for on the first page of Google have low or almost zero search volume!
What does that mean? It means you might be first on Google for a particular keyword, but if only you and a few other people in the world (no exaggeration) are searching Google for that keyword, then being first on Google doesn’t really make sense. The search volume is minimal or nonexistent, which means your sales will stagnate, and you’ll end up at a loss.
Being First on Google Doesn’t Mean You’ll Have Conversions
Being first on Google or on Google’s first page, as we’ve already mentioned, brings numerous advantages for your website and, consequently, your business. However, in connection with this, we want to tie it back to the previous part of the text.
If your website is ranked at the top of Google for keywords that few or no one searches for, then you won’t get the desired conversions! Or to put it even more precisely and “bleakly” — you’ll have more costs than benefits from being in first place.
The point of an SEO strategy is to rank your website as high as possible on Google for a particular keyword. But the goal behind that ranking is a higher number of conversions — turning your website visitors into potential and/or real buyers of your products/services!
Only when your website ranks in the top Google positions for a competitive keyword and when you notice growth in sales (conversions) can it truly be said that it pays off to be first on Google.
So, if you want to be first on Google with a high-quality SEO strategy and actually benefit from it in every sense, you need to be ready to invest more money than you might have initially planned. Once you take that step, you’ll be ready to see every penny — and much more — come back to you.
Source: Portal SEO Serbia
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