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5th in the SERPs but no visits, very puzzling

by sebas
14 replies
  • SEO
    • |
Hey there,

So I got this domain that, with great joy, jumped from the top of the 2nd page to the 5th result recently.

I was very exited at first, but I found out I don't get any visits coming from people searching for this keyword. Also, it is a popular keyword, I have sites that are targeting keywords that have way less monthly searches and are at the same 5th place and they get reasonable visits.

It's not the name of a product either, so people aren't looking for a brand or anything. I also tried to go to my site with Tor, Scroogle and my proxies and it's 5th everywhere.

I also thought my analytics software (I use Woopra) could be broken, but I also use the statpress plugin for Wordpress and I have the same results.

I even received a couple of visits from weird rearrangement of my keywords that are not searched with any volume at all and it's not like my site is first SERP or anything either for those keywords.

They other option is the description. I honestly think it's good, but who knows, so I changed it and I'll see if it makes a difference when G updates it.

Finally, neither of the first results before me are any authority like Wikipedia or WebMD of anything, they're basically just niche sites like mine.

I just don't get it, it's like something's broken somewhere. It would be great to have some visits because my site is very well done and it's the kind of product that converts like crazy.

Thanks for any help on this one!
#5th #puzzling #serps #visits
  • Profile picture of the author PhilipSEO
    This, my friend, is a very typical story. I'll bet that you are looking the search volume in some keyword tool, such as the Google AdWords keyword tool. Unfortunately, like many other Google tools it is unreliable -- even if your match type is set correctly to "exact" and not "broad" (please check that just in case). It is very common to get wildly inaccurate data from these tools.

    It's sad, but unless you are on p. 1 already you simply cannot reliably know the search volume of a term. Now that you are on p. 1 you can check the monthly number of monthly "impressions" in Google's Webmaster Tools, and that is your true search volume. Sorry to disappoint.
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    • Profile picture of the author sebas
      Originally Posted by PhilipSEO View Post

      This, my friend, is a very typical story. I'll bet that you are looking the search volume in some keyword tool, such as the Google AdWords keyword tool. Unfortunately, like many other Google tools it is unreliable -- even if your match type is set correctly to "exact" and not "broad" (please check that just in case). It is very common to get wildly inaccurate data from these tools.

      It's sad, but unless you are on p. 1 already you simply cannot reliably know the search volume of a term. Now that you are on p. 1 you can check the monthly number of monthly "impressions" in Google's Webmaster Tools, and that is your true search volume. Sorry to disappoint.
      Thanks for the tip. I was able to discover that I made a huge tactical mistake with my keyword. I was trying to rank for an exact domain match, but didn't consider that there could be a world of difference between phrase match and exact match.

      I now have to readjust my material
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      • Profile picture of the author PhilipSEO
        Originally Posted by sebas View Post

        Thanks for the tip.
        You are very welcome, but that's what the Thanks button is for!

        By the way, yes "exact match" data is better, but don't get your hopes up: it is very often badly inflated too (as in, by orders of magnitude sometimes). So don't trust it completely either.
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  • Profile picture of the author guptara
    hey sebas..

    First you need to check if your site is truely at no. 5.

    By this what I mean is that google personalizes the serach results. So, if you are using your machine or your email id to search on google, google checks your behavious and shows the results consisting of pages that it feels you are or may be interested in.

    So, if you have clicked your site a lot of times, then google may have felt that you are interested in that site and that is why it may be figuring as #5.

    Here is what I suggest, use some independent machine, may be of your friend or you can even ask me and verify if the site is really at #5.

    Thanks.
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  • Profile picture of the author Adam Roy
    Broad match--Keywords used in any order, along with any other number of words.

    Phrase match--Keywords in EXACT order along with any other number of words

    Exact match--Keywords EXACTLY as you've entered them, in the same order, and without any other words.

    So make sure you use exact match when looking for search volume.

    As someone said above, keyword search volume tools are not always accurate, but they're all we have so if it makes you feel better I look for keywords whose local and global search volumes are close to the same.

    IE one of them doesn't say "not enough data"

    I go for exact matches that have at least 1500 searches per month.
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    • Profile picture of the author sebas
      Originally Posted by friend View Post

      Broad match--Keywords used in any order, along with any other number of words.

      Phrase match--Keywords in EXACT order along with any other number of words

      Exact match--Keywords EXACTLY as you've entered them, in the same order, and without any other words.

      So make sure you use exact match when looking for search volume.

      As someone said above, keyword search volume tools are not always accurate, but they're all we have so if it makes you feel better I look for keywords whose local and global search volumes are close to the same.

      IE one of them doesn't say "not enough data"

      I go for exact matches that have at least 1500 searches per month.
      So you wouldn't consider a 6 000, 9 000 or 12 000 exact search per month since the competition could be much lower? I guess most people starting out start with less aggressive keywords and than crank it up. Is that the case with you? I guess in the end it's easier to rank 3 hard websites than 6 easy ones.
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      • Profile picture of the author Adam Roy
        I would certainly go for keywords with that level of search volume.

        The more the merrier

        Don't let the number of searches frighten you, let it excite you.

        Don't hesitate to check out the competition for every single keyword you think may be profitable.

        Keyword and competition research should in a sense the be most crucial part of the process. Assuming you understand how to implement on page SEO, and build backlinks, once you understand keyword and competition research everything else is a sinch

        If you can evaluate your competition in a way that you KNOW you can grab a spot high on page 1...you're on the road to serious income.

        take your time with that process...Just because terms with a lower search volume TYPICALLY have lesser competition, does not mean that terms with high search volume are always competitive.
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  • Profile picture of the author ericshef
    I have 3 new sites less then 2 weeks old and I got them all in the first page but I'm not getting that much traffic at all I don't get it
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    • Profile picture of the author sebas
      Originally Posted by ericshef View Post

      I have 3 new sites less then 2 weeks old and I got them all in the first page but I'm not getting that much traffic at all I don't get it
      For what kind of keywords are they?
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      • Profile picture of the author Piscola
        So in what tool can we trust for get more accurate search volumens?
        thanks
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        • Profile picture of the author sebas
          Originally Posted by Piscola View Post

          So in what tool can we trust for get more accurate search volumens?
          thanks
          I think ultimately no one tool is 100% reliable. We have to take a certain amount of risk. An other indication is if the AdWords competition is high and ig the local monthly searches are high too. Of course, using our common sense also is a good idea.
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  • Profile picture of the author Fernando Veloso
    One cool and fast way to check a realistic number of searches, is to create a Adwords campaign with a CPC value high enough to be top 10, but low enough to miss top spots and check daily impressions.

    Do this for some days and you'll get a number.

    Don't forget some keywords have major fluctuations along the year.
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  • Profile picture of the author RedEvo
    Just make sure you are not seeing guys.

    d
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  • Profile picture of the author Marketing Ignite
    the google keyword tool is great if selecting exact match..just remember that its not exact numbers as the stats comes from their affiliate seasrch partners as well. hope that helps...run an adwords campaign and see the ones that work for you before you draw conclusions..that is the best evidence...
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