6 Tips on Grabbing Attention After You Manage to Rank in Search Results Ranking on the first page of SERP is certainly an achievement by itself, but it doesn’t really guarantee that you will get as much attention from the searcher as you would like to. How do you tell someone that your listing is better than the rest? Here are a few pointers.
1. The Meta – Head Combo
That would be the meta description and the headline. Think of the headline as the … well, the headline, and the meta as the tagline. The meta elaborates on what the headline states. You obviously targeted certain key phrases or words, and your headline and meta must reflect that in some manner. We mean, you need not have the exact match keywords, but if your article is about how giraffes and leopards have different kinds of spots, it had better have a title and a description that tells the searcher exactly that. In other words, be very clear about what you are selling, and sell it well. Hire a professional copywriter or attend a course to educate yourself – these two aspects are really that important to get visitors.
2. You are Your URL
The URL cannot show page id or a generic name. It must show, like the headline, that it contains information regarding the giraffe and leopard and about their spots. If you are using either Blogger or WordPress, there is ample scope for customizing URL structure, so use the options. You might ask why this is so important if the headline and the meta are doing all the work, and the answer would be, those are for humans and this is for search engines (primarily). You may not rank in the first place without a proper URL. Also, it may be a put off for some if the URL does not reflect what the title and the meta description say: you must make certain that the entire listing is consistent with what you are offering.
3. You’re the Man!
Why hide in obscurity when Google Authorship can have your mugshot plastered across the Internet alongside your listings? Know all about this and implement it, especially if no one else in your niche is using it. Would it be better to not implement it if everyone else is? We’re not sure, probably not, since this gives valuable information about authors and helps to build a sort of author-brand. Reputation is something you don’t trifle with.
4. Localize Yourself
Where applicable, do use Google local to get yourself listed as well as connect your website with your listing. When you are connected thus, and perhaps, have a few endorsements from your customers, you are more likely to have a map shown below your listing on SERP. If that doesn’t make you stand out we don’t know what would!
5. The Big Plus
You do have a Google + profile for your business, right? The endorsements that you receive here have been known to outshine even Facebook likes. If you do things right, people will endorse your content on Google + and this is something Google values while ranking you: personal recommendations. So there you go: keep working on that Google + profile and making friends and showing them what you got. And don’t forget to include the Plus with the other social sharing options we are assuming you must be having on your site.
6. Count the Stars
Google reviews are a great way to add some glory to your listing. Beware, however, that people can leave bad reviews as well, and unless you have adequate resources and a definite strategy to handle negative reviews, be very careful about staking your claim to more clicks on this one.
Some Bits and Pieces
Remember that there is a definite character limit on search listings display. It is safe to stay within 65 for titles and 150 for the meta description. Else, you could get your carefully prepared words truncated.
Remember also that it is possible to include a call to action in the meta. This is not the same as using it to better describe what you are offering. Often, telling people who are thirsty that you store drinking water can make them undecided as to whether they can ask for any or if you have it in mind to sell that water at all, – unbelievable, but true! People have to be told, so tell them where possible. ‘We store drinking water – come get some! We’re open 24 hours on weekdays’. That’s it. Little thing, but it matters because the CTA is frequently the final step to ensure that the result is actually clicked after it stands out.
