In the battle for the SERPs we can often focus on the efforts it takes to get there. On-page optimisation, exciting and deep content and, of course, backlinks. However, once these have been worked on and are moving in the right direction, we can often overlook how important the CTR from the SERP listing to a website can be. Of course, when writing and creating meta titles and descriptions it's relevant and important to consider CTR rate but how often does one return to the task and look to improve it?. As a luxury digital marketing agency, we offer a range of services that help to drive traffic and conversions to our clients and in the battle for the SERPs we pay particular attention to CTR.
What Is Organic CTR?
Organic CTR (Click-Through-RAte) refers to the ratio or percentage of people who search who then click your website listing in the search engine results page. The CTR is calculated by dividing the total number of searches (impressions) for that term by clicks.
Why Does Organic CTR Matter?
Improving your organic CTR is important because however high your website ranks in the SERPs, if your CTR is low then you will not attract the visitors you need to convert at a relevant level. For example, you could get your website as high up in Google and if you don’t get the clicks then the hard work and effort is a waste without visitors. Organic CTR also shows relevance to Google so it helps to maximise both clicks to your website as well as consolidate the relevance of your website and its ranking.
1. Find Your Lowest Organic CTR Content To Start with Easy Wins.
Getting results is the key to success, as we all know, and measuring where you are starting from is the baseline for any successful luxury digital marketing agency. Google Search Console is the place to start where you can access your traffic and the technical performance of your website. Simply log in and:
- Navigate to Performance.
- Select Queries
- Tick Average CTR
We like to sort the queries by Impressions then start notating which queries have a lower CTR than the site average. By sorting by the lowest CTRs, we can see which queries are pushing the site average down and analyse what needs to be implemented to improve them.
2. Fix Any Keyword Cannibalisation
One of the most common issues that can cause a reduction in CTRs is what is known as keyword cannibalisation. This is when, instead of a specific keyword or portfolio of keywords being assigned to a page, they are spread out over a number of pages thus reducing their concentration and efficacy. By looking through the content of your site in Google Search Console (using the queries tab + page/URL) we can identify what pages are being picked up for specific keywords and queries. By identifying any conflict we can work to resolve the issue and properly focus the keywords or phrases to their relevant content. Some quick fixes can include:
3. Make Your Title Tags Enticing
If you want to stand out in the SERPs it is important that your title tags do so first. Being on brand and on message is, of course, important but making them attractive to the searcher and enticing them to click is equally important. Quick fixes can include:
Avoid Heavy Title Tags
These are not only boring and don’t foster as many clicks, but even search engine bots are starting to figure out that the title wasn’t really written for readers.
Use Brackets in Your Titles
A study by HubSpot found that brackets in headlines increased clicks by 40%.
Numbering Is Your Friend
Research by Conductor found that numbers boost CTR by 36%.
Use Your Content Library
Content is king and maximising your content library will give your CTRs the boost they need.
Test. Test and Test Some More.
You can test these in your PPC ads, Facebook posts, and other social ads to see how they perform.
4. Use Descriptive URLs
In the SERPs page all companies are vying for that all important real estate and the clicks from potential clients. Make sure that you build URLs that are SEO friendly (using keywords) and ones that help a searcher to know what your page is about. Find out more about our luxury SEO agency.
5. Optimise Your Meta Description
Along with Meta Title, a Meta Description is one of the most important features of any SERP listing. Using relevant keywords, emotional phrases and clear enticing description can help improve your CTR. Think about what makes your brand unique, are the products handmade? Are you established? Do you offer free shipping? All these important assets can be leveraged.
6. Employ Structured Markup
Schema mark-up not only helps robots to understand what a page is about but also provides a benefit to the searcher giving them key information quickly. Common schema types include:
- Organisation.
- Person.
- Local Business.
- Product & Offer.
- Breadcrumbs.
- Article.
- Video.
- Event.
- FAQ.
7.Paid Ads Can Be Your Friend
If you find a keyword that has a low CTR but you rank well for it then a paid ad can help you with your CTR. Not only will taking up more real estate increase the likelihood they visit you, but you are able to quickly test different headlines and descriptions to find what works best. This can then be applied to your organic listing.
8. Get Emotional
One of the key factors in luxury goods is the emotional response that they elicit both in their clients and those looking to obtain their goods. By using emotive phrases and words, we can create that important connection that elicits a powerful response from the searcher thus encouraging them to click through.
9. Use Positive or Negative Sentiment
The use of either positive or negative sentiment has proven to driver higher CTR, however many titles still have neutral sentiment.
10. Apply Title Case
Using Title case “This Is Title Case” is often attributed with higher CTRs because it makes the heading stand out thus making it more visible to the searcher.
At the Luxury Marketing Agency we work with premium brands and services to create memorable digital campaigns that convert. Contact our boutique digital marketing agency via hello@theluxurymarketingagency.com to find out how we can help you maximise your digital reach.
