
Website Optimization: When 1st place is not an SEO indicator
“I searched for my business by its name and it came out in 1st place. So a very good website optimization has been done.”
We do not want to upset or disappoint you, but unfortunately, this is not the case.
If you do a search by typing in your business name or domain name, Google is more likely to show you in 1st place. However, this is not at all an indication that your website is optimized.
Basic terms
In order to better understand how search results appear, we will start by explaining 3 key terms and their concepts:
• Company name
Of course, this is the only name you have given to your business.
• Domain Name
The name you type in the URL bar to visit your website. A domain name can be the name of your business or a combination of words that describes your products or services.
• Keyword
One or more words and phrases that either describe your products or services or are very relevant. These are the phrases that users use when conducting a search.
How do visitors search for your business?
Case 1: Business name = Domain name
Even if your business is a furniture store, it has the name “Alto” and a domain name alto.com. Some of the words that describe your business are “furniture”, “sofas”, “dining rooms” etc.
Case 2: Business name ≠ Domain name
In the 2nd case, we have the same company that trades furniture that has the name “Alto” but the domain name is furniture-usa.com Some of the words that describe your business are the same in both cases: “furniture”, “sofas”, “dining rooms” etc.
What do these 2 cases have in common and how do they differ?
In both cases, the name of the company and the words that describe the products of the company are the same. The difference between the two cases is that in the first the domain name is the name of the company (alto.com) while in the second case the domain name contains a word related to it (furniture-usa.com). But this does not mean that in the second case we have an optimized website. It is very likely that the website with the name alto.com has a much better website optimization than the website furniture-usa.com and therefore a much higher ranking in the search results.
Another common denominator of both cases is the way users search for its products on the internet. We divide users into 2 categories: those who know the existence of the company and look for it by its name and those who look for its products. Let’s look at what happens when searching in each category:
A. Users looking for the specific business
These users search for the company “Alto” by entering only its name or a combination of words, such as “alto furniture”. In this case, it is very likely that the search engine will display Alto as the first organic result. What it means;
Unfortunately, this does not mean anything other than the fact that some users are aware of the existence of the business and that Google has not excluded the site from its results. It is a natural consequence for Google to display the website alto.com, since it is exactly what the user searched for.
When the company appears in the 1st place with a search term its name or domain name, it is addressed only to those who already know it and is not a sign of website optimization.
B. Users looking for business products
Users in this category will search for “Alto” products using various keywords, such as “corner sofas”. There are plenty of keywords related to the business products. In order to determine the keywords, the website technicians need to conduct extensive keyword research.
Suppose users of the 2nd category use the keyword “corner sofas” as a search term. In this case, in what position is the website of the company “Alto” ranked? Most likely not on page 1. If no website optimization or website SEO has been done, the website may not even appear in the first 3 pages of the search.
Do you want your business to appear when people search using various keywords?
If we could write the word “YES” as befits this answer, it would be a huge sign with large, bright letters. Website optimization (or website SEO) is of utmost importance for any website. In summary, the benefits that a company derives from a good website optimization are:
• Expansion of clientele
• Increase in visits
• Sales increase
In order for a business to survive and grow, it must adapt to technological developments and be ahead of the competition. The internet is now a major source of new customers and your business needs to adapt to new data in order to survive.
If you are interested in a free SEO evaluation of your website, do not hesitate to contact us.