Ranking at the Top of Google – Traffic Expectations

One of the reasons why SEO has got so much attention from small business owners and other webmasters lately is because an increasing amount of people are now aware just how beneficial ranking high on search engines helps.

Most Search Engine Users Don’t Look Past the First Page

It’s no secret that websites which show up on the first page of search results can expect to receive far more organic search results compared to those on later pages. This is explained by the fact that the majority of people who look something up on a search engine like Google or Bing will find what they’re looking for on the first page and thus rarely bother to dig deeper.

In fact, a recent report published by Search Engine Watch shows that websites on the first page of search results will receive 91.5% of Google traffic for a certain keyword. For websites on the second page, this number drops down to 4.8%. The third page gets just 1.1% of search traffic.

The Top Three Spots Get the Most Traffic

New research done shows exactly why deploying a SEO strategy that gets you to the top of search results is crucial if you want a large boost in organic traffic. They found out that the first three positions get 79.63% of all search traffic. Ranking number one gets 56.36% of traffic, ranking number two will get you 13.5%, while ranking number three gets 9.8%.  These results can definitely fluctuate based on the vertical you are in.

How Many Visitors You Can Get by Being at the Top

The specific number of visitors your website will receive by ranking in one of the top three positions will depend on which keywords you’re ranking for. Every keyword will have a different amount of search volume. Some of them get searched only a few dozen times per months, while the most popular ones receive millions of queries. To get a better idea of how much traffic you can expect to get for different keywords, you can use Google’s free Keyword Planner tool, or a third-party keyword research service. Professional SEO companies like 445 Media can also help you discover the best keywords to rank for and can create a strategy that will get you to the top of search engine results.

Another thing to keep in mind when it comes to search engine traffic is that quality is more important than sheer quantity. If you’re using your website to sell products or services, it will be far more profitable for you to rank high for a few keywords with less traffic, but which are used by consumers ready to buy what you’re offering, not getting a lot of traffic from visitors who are just looking for information.