If your analytics are through the roof and you’re at capacity with no desire to grow further, you can stop reading here.
Search used to be an important consideration. Search engines, monetisation of the internet, and smart devices have increasingly made it the most vital component of your online presence. There are many reasons for this, but one major user experience convention illustrates the depth of the change: the convergence of the address bar and the search bar.
Across the sites we have managed, the trends are clear and consistent with global figures: users are more likely to search for an organisation by name or by product than to type in a domain name. Search is the single biggest source of traffic to an average website, by a large margin. A 2016 study by Wolfgang Digital found an average of 43% of site visits come from search, compared to 17% direct visits—and the ratio of search to direct has been trending upwards.
Search should be your number one lead generator, because it is how the average user now finds products, services, and communities, and because devices are increasingly designed to enforce this trend. Phone, tablet, and computer assistants, browsers, and operating system themselves, not to mention smart home hubs, all rely on and prioritise search technology.
Investing in search is about making sure you use data and knowledge of your industry and clients to represent yourselves accurately online, and doing so in a way that appropriately maximises your search visibility. In short, more prospective clients will see you if you invest in search—and if you do it well, these will be increasingly motivated viewers.
Learn more about what’s involved in improving your search presence, see our services and charges, or contact us for an obligation-free discussion of your needs.