PLEASE help me understand what's happening!

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I have an authority site that's been running for about 4 years.

For the purpose of this question, let's say that my primary keyword is "widget"

On Google, I rank at at #10 on the first page for the search term "widget"

The search term "widget" yields 24.5M results in google- so I always assumed I was doing well just to be on the first page- albeit only just!

Now, here's my confusion....

Google Keywords tool tells me that there is 1.5M (million!)monthly global searches for the keyword "widget".

Yet, Google Analytics tells me I receive approx 150 hits a month from organic traffic searching for "widget".

Now, I appreciate that at #10' I'm not going to get anywhere near the amount of traffic that the top slot gets- but at 1.5M searches- shouldnt I be getting a LOT more than 150 a month??????


Just to reiterate, my search term is NOT "widget"- I don't want to publicise my site on here- its the principle I am asking about.

MANY THANKS
regards,
Ian
#search engine optimization #happening #understand
  • Being at the number 10 position is not going to get you much traffic regardless of how many searches there are per month. Something like 99% of those searchers are going to click on the top 2 or 3 results, and the further down you go from there the fewer, and fewer clicks your going to get. Having said that, I would still think you might get more than 150 per month on a term that gets 1.5 million searches, but maybe not. Also, how are you checking where your website is in the rankings? It is possible that if you are just searching for your keyword in Google that you are getting personalized results that would boost your site for when you search.
    • [ 1 ] Thanks
  • It doesn't matter if your keyword gets searched for by the whole entire population of the world. Being ranked #10 for any keyword will give you substantially less traffic then being ranked #1-#3.

    People usually search the top 3 spots on Google.

    I had a weight loss site that was sitting in at #8 that was only getting 5-7 visitors max. When I finally got it to rank #1 BAM it's traffic went through the roof.

    Your goal has to get up to the top 3 spots.
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    • Thanks for the replies guys- very much appreciated.

      I do understand that I'm not going to be getting "as much" traffic as the top slots- my question was really "as a percentage of 1.5M searches..l does 150 seem resanble / expected / odd, etc?"

      I think i could certainly climb to slot 4 or maybe 3. I think 1 and 2 may be out of bounds- they're occupied by the Big Boys.

      Also:

      How can I ensure I am checking my ranking correctly in Google??- ie NOT Personalised??? I am NOT logged int to Google when I do the keyword search and I ensure I am on Google.COM and NOT Google.co.uk.

      Many thanks,
      Ian
  • Please research 'Exact Match' and 'Phrase Match.' The total global volume of searches included broad match. The exact match numbers are much smaller.

    Plus, number 1 gets most of the traffic.
  • Why you Don’t Get Any Sales! Internet Marketing Math Explained
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    • Many thanks for the link.

      EXACTLY my point. Looking at the diagram on the linked page- the pie chart shows position number 10 getting approx 3% of the traffic.

      If I'm getting 150 out of 1.5M, that is 0.01%

      So I should be getting approx 200 to 300 times more traffic!!!!!

      0.01% can't be right for ranking #10th on the first page, can it?????

      And to the other poster.... It HAS to be an exact match search as its a single keyword- ie it's not a phrase.

      Traffic Travis has confirmed I am ranking at #10 for US Google. So it can't be a "personalisation" issue????

      Im not bitter about the issue- but I do need to understand the logic / likely reasons why I am getting these results- so I can adjust accordingly.

      Many thanks to everyone who has helped so far.

      Regards,
      Ian
      • [1] reply
  • Perhaps your title and description are not compelling enough for people to click on them and they pass right on by. Try thinking of your title/description as an advertisement. That might increase your visits.

    Maybe there is another site (or sites) above you that are getting a disproportionate amount of traffic because they seem more interesting to click on.

    Is there pictures or product listings above you? I've always found that those suck up traffic like a vacuum so it could be that most of the searchers are not even getting to the bottom of the page.

    The other thing is that these tools are really not 100% accurate so maybe it is just wrong about the amount of searches the keyword gets.

    Lee
    • [1] reply
    • MANY thanks Lee,

      I think you are probably right. I think I just need to keep working hard at it and try to steadily move up the top ten.

      Of course this is only ONE keyword I am discussing- I am getting lots of traffics from many other keywords. Maybe I shouldn't be worrying too much about this single keyword. As I have a site that helps people- with tutorials- I should expect more traffic from more complex search phrases- or people describing a problem they are having with the software in question?

      Cheers,
      Ian
  • I've found a great way to hook people into my sites not ranked in the first 5 spots on the font page is to use an unfinished hook in my description tag. Let's say my site is on how to lose weight fast, I would use the first part of the description outlining the persons problem and then catch with an unfinished hook.

    Something like:

    We'll show you how to lose weight fast and keep it off. In fact, very few people know that the quickest way to lose weight and keep it off is to simply.....

    I know it doesn't look like much, but to someone who is looking for information on that subject it addresses their problem and forces them to click through to your site to resolve it. By nature people hate being left hanging and will normally follow through to find the answer.

    I've noticed an increase in traffic just by keeping it short, simple and unfinished.
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    • [1] reply
    • Your description in the google results of why they should click on your #10 ranking url may also be at issue.

      Additionally it sometimes yields more traffic at position #11/12 than on page 1 below the fold. Every niche is different.

      Perhaps try and get a solid inner page or another inner page also on top of page 2 :-)

      I understand you dont want to "out" your site - and I agree with that 100%, but also know it really makes it hard to give you meaningful assistance as we're all stabbing at it completely in the dark.
  • Do you check your competitors at top 3 spot, how much backlinks do they have. Did you try do backlink with your keyword?
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