You’ve spent time building your website and carefully crafting your content… but it’s still stuck on the second page of Google. It’s frustrating, right? But don’t worry—just because your page isn’t ranking as high as you’d like doesn’t mean it has to stay there.
Search engine positioning is the solution you’re looking for. It’s the strategy of fine-tuning specific pages on your site to push them higher up the search engine results. Think of it as a more targeted version of SEO, designed to get faster results by focusing on high-priority pages.
In this guide, we’ll explore what search engine positioning is, why it matters, and actionable steps you can take to get your pages ranking where they deserve to be, backed up by case studies to show how these strategies work in real-world scenarios.
What Is Search Engine Positioning?
Search engine positioning involves optimising specific pages on your website to improve their ranking in search engine results. Unlike general SEO, which focuses on the overall optimisation of your site, search engine positioning is more targeted. For instance, you might have a product page ranking at position 11, just shy of the top 10 results. By making a few tweaks, you can push that page onto the first page of search results.
This process allows you to see results more quickly than standard SEO efforts, which may take months to bear fruit. With search engine positioning, you’re fine-tuning individual pages to secure quick wins in the rankings.
Why Does It Matter?
Search engine positioning directly affects your website’s click-through rate (CTR). The higher your page ranks in search results, the more clicks it will get, leading to more opportunities for conversions.
A study found that the top three search results on Google account for 18.21% of all clicks, and this percentage drops rapidly for results further down the page. Improving your ranking, even by a few spots, can significantly increase your organic traffic.
In addition to boosting traffic, search engine positioning offers other benefits:
- Visibility: Higher rankings mean your brand is seen by more potential customers.
- Authority: Pages that consistently rank at the top are perceived as more trustworthy by users.
- Featured snippets: Ranking higher increases your chances of appearing in Google’s featured snippets, a highly coveted spot in search results.
Case Study: HubSpot’s Blog Optimisation Strategy
HubSpot, a leader in digital marketing, noticed that some of their most popular blog posts were slipping from the first page of Google results. To combat this, they implemented search engine positioning by refreshing and optimising those specific posts. The result? They regained top spots in the rankings, which led to a 106% increase in organic traffic for those pages in just three months.
Search Engine Positioning vs. SEO
Although search engine positioning and SEO are similar, there are key differences:
- SEO is a long-term strategy focused on optimising your entire website for better rankings.
- Search engine positioning is short-term and concentrates on improving the rankings of a few specific pages that are close to reaching the top positions.
In other words, while SEO is the marathon, search engine positioning is the sprint. By targeting high-potential pages, you can see results faster and give your overall site a boost.
Tips to Improve Your Search Engine Positioning
At Connect 3 Ltd, we help small businesses grow by improving their search engine positioning. Below are six strategies, complete with case studies, that have proven successful for many of our clients.
1. Single Out Target Pages
The first step in improving your search engine positioning is to identify which pages are best suited for optimisation. Focus on pages that are ranking on the second page of search results (positions 11-20) or those on the first page but that need a push to rank higher.
Case Study: Backlinko’s Skyscraper Technique
Backlinko founder Brian Dean used a highly targeted approach when optimising his content. After identifying blog posts that were ranking on the second page of Google, Dean applied what he calls the “Skyscraper Technique.” He improved the quality of the posts by adding more in-depth information, better visuals, and stronger internal linking. The result? A 110% increase in organic traffic and multiple posts moving to the top spot on Google.
How to Do It:
- Use Google Search Console to identify which pages are close to ranking higher. Focus on pages where small improvements could lead to better results.
2. Refresh Your Content
Google loves fresh content, so updating your existing pages can give them a ranking boost. It’s also great for improving user experience by offering more up-to-date and relevant information.
Case Study: FreshBooks’ Content Refresh Strategy
FreshBooks, a cloud accounting software company, implemented a content refresh strategy to revitalise their older blog posts. By updating statistics, adding new case studies, and enhancing readability with images and infographics, they saw a 95% increase in search traffic for those pages. The refreshed content also brought in more backlinks, further boosting their rankings.
How to Do It:
- Update old content with fresh data, fix broken links, and add visuals like images and videos.
- Use Google’s Helpful Content Update guidelines to ensure your content is valuable and relevant.
3. Optimise Internal Links
Internal linking is crucial for search engine positioning because it helps search engines understand the structure of your site. It also encourages users to stay longer by directing them to other relevant pages.
Case Study: The New York Times’ Internal Linking Strategy
The New York Times implemented a meticulous internal linking strategy to boost the rankings of their evergreen content. By linking high-performing articles to those that needed a boost, they saw a 30% improvement in overall site traffic and significant gains in rankings for targeted pages.
How to Do It:
- Add internal links to other high-performing pages on your site.
- Use descriptive, keyword-rich anchor text for each link.
- Avoid overloading a single page with too many links.
4. Improve Organic CTR
Click-through rate (CTR) is a major ranking factor, so it’s essential to optimise your page titles and meta descriptions to encourage more clicks from search results.
Case Study: Mailchimp’s Meta Optimisation Strategy
Mailchimp discovered that their click-through rates were lower than expected, despite ranking well for certain keywords. By refining their meta descriptions to make them more engaging and including clear calls-to-action, they increased their CTR by 32%, leading to an overall increase in site traffic.
How to Do It:
- Keep your meta titles and descriptions short and engaging.
- Use relevant keywords naturally in your meta data.
- Include a call-to-action that invites users to click through.
5. Enhance Your Backlink Strategy
Backlinks from authoritative sites are one of the strongest signals for improving search engine positioning. They show search engines that other reputable sources trust your content, giving your pages a significant ranking boost.
Case Study: Shopify’s Backlink Outreach Campaign
Shopify wanted to improve the ranking of their guides, so they launched a targeted backlink outreach campaign. By reaching out to influencers and industry leaders and offering valuable content, Shopify gained high-quality backlinks from top sites. As a result, their guides climbed to the top of search results, driving a 125% increase in organic traffic.
How to Do It:
- Create content that other sites want to link to, such as in-depth guides or research-based posts.
- Use outreach strategies to build relationships with bloggers or influencers who may link to your content.
6. Measure Your Efforts
Tracking your performance is essential. Tools like Google Search Console, Ahrefs (https://www.ahrefs.com), and SEMrush (https://www.semrush.com) allow you to monitor your rankings and assess whether your changes are making a difference.
Case Study: Moz’s Continuous Optimisation
Moz regularly uses Google Analytics and Ahrefs to monitor the performance of their pages. After noticing that a few important blog posts were slipping in rankings, they adjusted their keyword strategy and improved the content, which brought their posts back into the top three positions on Google.
How to Do It:
- Monitor changes in your page rankings after implementing optimisations.
- Adjust your strategy based on what’s working for your competitors.
Conclusion
Search engine positioning is a powerful strategy that can help small businesses improve their rankings quickly. By focusing on key pages, refreshing content, building backlinks, and monitoring performance, you can climb the search engine results and see significant growth in traffic and conversions.
As shown in these case studies, companies of all sizes have seen measurable improvements using search engine positioning techniques. For small businesses, this approach offers an efficient way to improve visibility and compete in search results without a massive overhaul.
Let’s make sure your small business is seen by the right people—at the right time.
If you’d like help implementing these strategies, Connect 3 Ltd specialises in creating tailored growth solutions for small businesses. Let’s chat about how we can elevate your website’s search engine