Every SEO-type person knows that it’s best to be above the fold on the first page of search results. A new study in which Yahoo, iProspect, and JupiterResearch were all involved drives this point home, however, and then offers a few less-common tips on how to gain a good position.
First, the not-so-encouraging news. In 2002, 48 percent of a survey’s respondents would only, at most, look at a single page of results before clicking on something. This year, that number’s grown to 68 percent. The percentage of people who either try a new query or another search engine after finding nothing good on a single page has risen from 28 to 49 percent.
User Patience Stats
On to Robert J. Murray’s suggestions, then. Murray, the president of iProspect, writes on the Yahoo Search Marketing Blog, “First, by using and optimizing all of the assets in your digital library, such as images, videos, audio files and press releases, you can gain a competitive advantage. Seek out these assets within other areas of your company, and if they are appropriate to use, place them on your website and support them with other relevant content.”
Then, “Take these same assets and find resource sites (e.g., YouTube) and social media sites (e.g., Facebook) to post and tag them, so that you can expose your brand to visitors of those sites who may otherwise have never visited your corporate website.”
Remember that paid search strategies are always an option, too, when remaining visible is such a necessity. People aren’t likely to become more laid back as time goes by.
