When was the last time you went to Google page 15 for information?

For most people, the answer is never.

Google has worked hard over two decades to make its search results relevant and helpful. For the most part, the first page of results on any subject you care to name offers useful, informative resources. But there are only so many pertinent pages for any given topic.

Even though there may be hundreds of millions of results, most of them aren’t great.

With that in mind, the vast majority of clicks for any given search goes to the websites that make it all the way to the top of the first page. Yes, they may open several of them in new tabs. But it’s only a matter of time before users get distracted – or get pulled deep into one of those results.

After that, they rarely end up backtracking to see what else they missed.

So, the higher your website appears in searches related to your business, the better.

We’ll show you exactly how it’s done in Central Florida and beyond.

But first, let’s dispel some myths.

Is It Difficult to Get on the First Page of Google?

Although it can take time, it’s not as tough to get on Google page one as it might appear.

Think about all those millions and millions of results you get when you input a keyword – a word or phrase used as a search term – that describes something your business does. While it might seem like you’re in competition against all those different websites, most of them have no effect on your online success.

That’s because most of those websites fall into one of these categories:

• Abandoned: They are no longer updated and will never rise in search ranks in any meaningful way
• Irrelevant: Although they appear somewhere in results, they aren’t actually on topic for the search

Of all the billions of websites out there, most of them have already been abandoned. If your business serves a local clientele, then the number of websites actually competing against your own may be less than two dozen. What about these real competitors? How much do you need to worry about them?

Yes, competition is relevant. But even the majority of your direct competitors may not affect your results much.

Most of them, in turn, fall into these two categories:

• Focused Elsewhere: Within your field, but don’t do exactly what you do or serve exactly who you serve
• Not Doing Search: They don’t do anything to gain visibility in search, so they are basically standing still

A well-designed website might get some initial attention from Google just for existing, but in the long run, it will need a consistent strategy to raise its visibility in search. Without this, other sites will bypass it in rank and it will slowly churn to page two, page three, and beyond – getting barely any visits at all.

That’s digital oblivion. And it’s the reason so many Central Florida businesses get no value from their website.

For your website to do anything useful for you, it needs to attract visitors. And even though you can get website traffic quickly using online advertising, it isn’t usually the cornerstone of a strategy outside e-commerce. The biggest, most cost-effective source of online traffic over months or years is organic visits from search users.

The second question so many business owners ask is whether they have to be #1 in search.

The answer, luckily, is no.

Is It Really Necessary to Be #1 on Google to See Results?

You don’t need to be in position #1 to see a jump in organic search traffic: If result #1 doesn’t do the trick, users will go on to #2 and #3. However, that doesn’t mean they will continue on down the list indefinitely. As soon as they find a website that answers their question or solves their problem, most will move on.

If they are comparing businesses to make a purchase, they might be more diligent.

Those are your future customers in the Awareness and Consideration phases of their buyer journey:

• Awareness: They have just become aware of a problem and they need to know more about it
• Consideration: They have defined the problem and they need to find potential solutions for it

For Awareness customers, the higher you are on the first page, the better. They are looking for basic insights on an issue they may know nothing about. If your business is the one to capture that initial traffic, then you may be the brand that helps them establish a framework they use to make their buying decision.

That means you take them from Awareness to Consideration without interruption.

Consideration customers who haven’t met you yet have a better chance of finding you if you are somewhere on the first page of results. That said, your website needs to be set up to win trust immediately so you can start a relationship with these visitors before they wander off to a competitor they might know slightly better.

You don’t need to be #1 in either case. In fact, Google has made #1 less and less valuable.

By introducing Knowledge Panes from Wikipedia, quotations that respond directly to question-based searches, and a variety of other features, Google has siphoned substantial amounts of traffic away from the once-coveted #1 spot in many searches. User behavior, as described above, is much more important.

All in all, you simply need to be on page one to compete.

Getting and Staying on the First Page of Google Results for Searches that Matter to Your Business

Search engine optimization is the key to ensuring your website is found on search and produces value.

Search engine optimization (also known as SEO) is a series of best practices including all the following:

• User Experience: How well-designed your website is and how easily people use it for their goals
• Content: Whether your website is helpful, informative, relevant, and keeps the promises it makes
• Promotion: The extent to which authoritative websites in your niche recognize your expertise

These three factors improve your search visibility in a virtuous cycle. User experience makes your website faster, more responsive, and easier to use. Content defines the search terms your website actively competes for. And promotion draws new traffic through your content, directly impacting your Google rank.

As more people come to your website and have a terrific experience, it will climb in your target searches.

Search engine optimization goes hand in hand with a winning marketing strategy. Unless you’re Amazon, you don’t have the resources to compete for every search that might be relevant to your business. Instead, your digital marketing agency will research and uncover the search keywords most likely to help you get customers.

Then, your team orchestrates the content and promotion strategy to stake out those keywords as your territory. The targeted approach to SEO is essential to realizing ROI no matter what size your marketing campaign may be.

By hitting page one for a small number of well-selected search keywords, you can supercharge your business.

And it is never necessary to compete with giant nationwide brands or fight for the most competitive keywords. Instead of going after “roofing contractor,” for example, your search engine optimization might focus on “roofing contractor in DeLand, FL” – which is not only more relevant but much easier for you.

The same ideas apply to any kind of business with any service geography.

Your Role as a Business Owner in Getting to Google Page One

Dozens of techniques go into good SEO, some highly technical. There are more than a hundred “ranking factors” Google uses to determine which websites rank wherein the results for any given search. But it isn’t necessary for business owners to sweat the details – that’s what your digital marketing agency is for.

You don’t need to think twice about “user experience” unless it interests you. During the full search engine optimization audit your agency will start you off with, adjustments may be made to every page on your website and to your underlying technology to make it all more Google-friendly. Leave that stuff to the pros.

But when it comes to content and promotion, a creative partnership is the most powerful approach. After all, only you can decide what you want your brand to stand for. To represent you online, your agency should capture your authentic voice in all your digital marketing. That goes beyond SEO to blogging, video, and more.

The best digital marketing agencies in Florida do it all under one roof, ensuring high standards. You shouldn’t have to hire a brand consultant, a videographer, a social media coordinator, and all the rest separately. Instead, your agency should help you with any or all of these options that you want.

This is the content piece in any SEO campaign.

Content means anything helpful and informative that drives your visitors toward their goals – and ultimately, to becoming your customers. For the Awareness visitor, it could be a blog post that describes the common pest control issue they’re having. For those in Consideration, it could be a video series about choosing a new roof.

Whatever the case, SEO is incomplete without content. It shouldn’t be thought of as something extra.

As the business owner, you are always in the loop. Your ideas, goals, and vision are the North Star. It’s up to your agency to translate them in a way that works. You can be as involved in the process as you want or you can take a hands-off approach. With regular updates from your team, you can jump in whenever you wish.

For example, many business owners find it fun and exciting to get on camera in video storytelling.

Telling your brand story in your own words can be a wonderful way to make a real human connection with your would-be clients. Video is the next best thing to being there. And by aligning your video marketing with your SEO, you are more likely to appear near or even above Google result #1 as a YouTube featured video result.

Central Florida digital marketing done right means everything comes together to reinforce your SEO.

How Long Does It Take to Get My Business On Google’s First Page?

The days of getting onto Google page 1 by accident are over. There are simply too many websites out there.

And you can’t buy your way to the top. While Google Ads can put your message near the leading search results, it is temporary. When you stop paying, you lose that visibility. On the other hand, search engine optimization can become a durable, strategic advantage your competitors will have a hard time duplicating.

Ads can accelerate certain parts of your strategy, but SEO is still king for your long-term goals.

Search engine optimization is a marathon, not a sprint. Because Google varies in how frequently it updates its rankings for any given website, it usually takes around 90 days to gain traction with your SEO strategy. From there, you should see consistent upward momentum as long as SEO is being done on your behalf.

Taking a little more time to get there actually benefits you. It means your marketing team can crank out more amazing blogs, videos, and social media posts. All of this helps define the ecosystem of dozens of search keywords your website can appear for. That extends your reach in an exponential way.

Although you might be targeting two dozen keywords for page one, your SEO strategy will inevitably create more visibility in related keywords. That’s because search trends are always changing. People are looking for new things in new ways. Once Google recognizes the quality of your website, it will show you more often.

So, it might take a quarter to get onto page one. In some cases, it might take longer. But SEO isn’t like a light switch that turns “on” or “off” with page one. It is always generating more benefits for your business. And once you do get onto the first page, it is easier to stay there. You are building a robust, trusted online presence.

At first, SEO is a humble seed. But it can grow into a mighty oak.

The key is to nurture it right and give it the time it needs to thrive.

Getting to the First Page of Google Doesn’t Happen by Chance – Get the Help You Deserve

Too many Central Florida businesses are lulled into a false sense of security with their website.

They have an “If you build it, they will come” mindset – but it simply doesn’t work that way.

Every year, thousands of businesses open their doors for the first time. Many invest top dollar in a website, but they only go as far as a snappy design. They are surprised to find no one ever visits their website, even though they know they “have to have one.” And in the end, it turns into pure overhead.

This has driven plenty of Central Florida companies away from online marketing for good.

But the truth is, they could have succeeded – they simply didn’t have the expertise they needed. New York Ave is the Central Florida digital marketing agency that puts sustainable success within reach with done-for-you SEO.

At New York Ave, we’ve helped hundreds of Central Florida small businesses go from online invisibility to top-ranked results in their field. Once an SEO strategy gains steam, it is not unusual to go from zero website visits to thousands every month. A significant portion of those will become customers who’ll love what you can offer.

And it doesn’t have to be difficult, time-consuming, or confusing. Our team helps you make informed choices about digital marketing. We are always monitoring your progress and results. And unlike so many others out there, we welcome you to visit us and sit across the table for a friendly chat over coffee.

Online or off, marketing is about trust. Why should your digital marketing agency relationship be any different?

Contact us today to find out more or get started.