Ever since consumers started using tools like Google to search online, marketers have obsessed about their SERP position. In today's digital universe, should your clients shift SEO focus? Should they get away from their fixation about appearing on the first page? Will the first-​place position guarantee more clicks? Your clients may still have the mindset that achieving the best SERP placement will help them drive website traffic and get them the business results they want.

 The problem is that marketing have been trying to game the system and algorithms Google used from the beginning. And Google has continued to adjust its models. In his lucid analysis titled State of the Enterprise SEO Industry, Mitul Gandi reminds readers that we live in a world where 50.33% of all searches are zero-​click. Ouch. You and your clients have been working hard to show up on the SERP only to have potential customers give up. That's not an acceptable outcome.

Showing up on the first page of any search is still important. But there are other factors at work in terms of how effective your client’s listing is when it comes to clicks.

The Importance of FAQ

On its site for SEO developers, Google encourages marketers to create a properly marked up FAQ page.  A good FAQ page should list commonly asked questions and answers about your client’s product or service. Note that this is not a place where users get to submit comments. In his analysis, Gandhi observes that getting consumers to notice a listing on a SERP means finding a way to stand out. When an FAQ list appears as part of the Google results, consumers who are seeking information are more likely to click.

Currently about 10% of travel and tourism sites have an FAQ page. Consumers are drawn to these questions and answers because they can learn about the busy season at a target destination, or they might explore what they can do at a popular site. So far, only about 2% of retailers and 2% of finance businesses use FAQ pages as part of their SEO strategy.

Are Images Overrated?

In our increasingly visual world, one picture may be worth a thousand words. But pictures don’t always drive clicks. Marketers are using images big time as a way to improve their SEO results. Gandhi’s analysis shows that “the average CTR from image results is 0.21%.” Interestingly, retailers have experience a poor CTR when they use images. But other industries have a higher than average CTR when using images. If your client wants to use images, track SEO results carefully to make sure they're getting the ROI they want.

Shift SEO Focus

Your clients can’t afford to drop the ball when it comes to SEO. They must continue to experiment to see what resonates with the target audiences. And to succeed, they may need to shift SEO focus. You can give them an edge by running at Digital Audit on AdMall from SalesFuel. Show them which sites their target audience search on and which keywords are most popular. Then you can sell them your digital marketing services.