SEO is all about getting first place in Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs) right?

Well, obviously that’s important, but it isn’t the whole story. You have to get people from the SERPs to your website before you even stand a chance of turning these visitors into customers.

Let’s take a different look at SEO and SERPs. Fancy a trip to Paris? Excellent…

Imagine you’re strolling along the Left Bank with two friends. Picture the barges cruising the Seine; feel the warm sun on your skin, the refreshing river breeze; listen to bustle of cafes…

You’re seeking out a patisserie, eager to sample a local Tarte au Chocolat and other tempting treats.

Opening your guidebook you turn to the index looking for ‘Patisserie, Tart’. You’re in luck! There’s a whole street crammed with competing patisseries nearby.

Your Search Results

  • The first 6 shops are plastered in garish neon signs saying ‘patisserie’; they cover the entire shop front, windows and all so you can’t see inside.
  • You can’t see into the 7th one either because the shutters are closed. The sign simply says ‘Fifi’s’; but lots of little signs on nearby lampposts point to it with the words ‘French tarts’.
  • The 8th has a blackboard outside that lists every type of cake, biscuit and pastry imaginable. It looks spacious, clean and efficient if not a little soulless.
  • The 9th is how you imagined a traditional French patisserie to look; complete with the baker out front in his white apron lovingly tending the most delicious of displays. It’s popular with locals who stand around chatting with the owner.
  • The 10th is popular with other tourists. It’s tacky looking and has signs in the window saying ‘French Patisserie, Free samples’, ‘All welcome’ and ‘English spoken here’.

From Searching to Visiting

You all walk past the first 6. They’re unappealing, seem desperate and give the impression you’re likely to be ripped off.

Suddenly one of your friends shouts “Wow! Millefeuille, just what I wanted!” pointing to the 8th shop’s blackboard and rushing in.

Chuckling, the two of you left try to peer into the window of the 7th shop without luck.

“Do you think it’s a patisserie?” your friend asks.

“Not sure, but there are lots of little signs pointing here saying tarts”

Your friend, who’s less confident than you, looks back along the street at the nasty neon signs, looks at the shutters again and then toward the 10th shop.

“Look that place does free samples and they speak English”

She heads toward it, leaving you pondering.

Well mysterious shop. You’re in a street of patisseries and those signs do say tarts…

You step inside.

And quickly step back, face as red as the bulb that illuminated the very different kind of traditional Parisian temptations that were on offer.

Recovering a little you take a quick look at the blackboard of the 8th shop. It has everything you could need but the 9th shop describes perfectly what you really want and has a vibrant atmosphere. So you head there with plenty of Euros at the ready.

The SEO lessons of our story

I hope you enjoyed your trip to Paris! Now what happened and how does that relate to SEO?

We had 3 people searching with the same criteria.

They found 10 sites that matched the criteria.

The first 6, despite screaming that they were relevant, weren’t at all appealing — they didn’t give the right impression or a good reason to go inside.

The 7th, although seemingly relevant and a bit mysterious, was definitely not what was expected or wanted and was quickly backed out of.

The 8th was very functional and told the visitor exactly what to expect. A visitor quickly and easily saw exactly what he/she wanted and went in.

The 10th had the right triggers that targeted a visitor’s personality (in this case insecurities) and a powerful want (to feel secure) which was more crucial than the actual products or image.

The 9th created the right image and went beyond meeting a visitor’s need, it appealed to the visitor’s wants, it created a desire. It was also popular with people in the know (i.e. Parisians in a French patisserie) who hung around chatting to help create a great atmosphere.

So, 3 people whose search was the same ended-up visiting different sites. They didn’t go for the first one they came across, they went for the one that appealed most to their particular wants.

Anyone not spotting the parallels with how your site is represented in SERPs?

What kind of shop front do you have on SERPs? How do you attract the right visitors to click through?

Bad SERP entries lose you visitors but well written ones can draw visitors away from better positioned sites.