70 replies to this topic

[kevs]

I have search term I come up #1, #2 for long time. Very competetive term,keyword.
Then every blue moon I drop 5 pages down.
then few weeks later go back to where I was.
What is this all about? thanks!

[Jill]

Yep, that is normal. It's most likely a different database that causes you to be missing.

[kevs]

thanks Jill.
How long does this last?
Does it bug you too?
What's weird is I come up #1 for an abbreviation of my city but not the city anymore not abbreviated.

Databases -- you think other nearby me see me at #1, but around my neighboorhood I'm page 6 for awhile?

[qwerty]

Google has a bunch of data centers scattered all over the place, and they communicate with each other, but they're not always in synch. So that can cause you to get different results at different times.

Other people in your area may be receiving data from the same DC, or from a different one, but it doesn't really matter, because everyone's getting personalized results these days. Even if you know which data center you're querying and which one your neighbor is querying, it still doesn't mean you're going to get the same exact results on the same exact search.

[Jill]

How long does this last?
Does it bug you too?

It lasts forever and has happened forever.

It doesn't bug me because I don't check rankings so I never see it.

[kevs]

Thanks Bob!
Well I do need/want to see what going on.
Jill, what mean it last forever?
It corrects itself no?
Don't check for rankings?
Your are the SEO Queen, how do you know what's going on then?

[Jill]

Your are the SEO Queen, how do you know what's going on then?

Your analytics.

Have you lost traffic for the keyword phrase in question?

[Toureen]

This happens after Google dose its update it will cool down over time

[kevs]

Thanks Toureen,
is there a known update going on?

Sounds like a outtage for a power company or cable company or something like that--

in a nutshell
The term is Profession New York
(let say my profession)

I dropped from #2 after a couple years bouncing around that position.


But I'm still #2 for Profession NY!
----
Jill, never used analytics, is it that much better than just checking random searches. It seem to complex -- you have to enter code etc -- always been scared away from it.

[qwerty]

When you sign up for Google Analytics they give you the code you need for the tracking and tell you exactly where to put it. All you have to do is copy it and paste it into your source code.

The alternative is to download your server logs and use an application like ClickTracks (which although I know I'm all alone on this, I still prefer).

[Jill]

Jill, never used analytics, is it that much better than just checking random searches. It seem to complex -- you have to enter code etc -- always been scared away from it.

If you don't use analytics--one that will measure conversions as well as which keywords are bringing you traffic--you'll never really know how well your SEO work is doing.

[kevs]

Guys, I'm a photographer, I get a small handful (2-5) sign ups a month out of Google.
This stuff sounds more like for stores that are getting hundreds or thousands of small sales, right?

Seems like lot of work/overkill for my situation no?

PS, hate to be a moron, but in quick nutshell, how does it work?

I get a sense over the years what the best keywords are and which ones I'm doing well with.

[qwerty]

How does an analytics program work?

It tracks everything users do on your site: how they got there, what pages they visit, how long they stay, etc. So you can find out which keywords are bringing people to the site, what page they land on, whether they convert (that is, whether they buy something, fill out a contact form, or even access a contact page that contains your phone number or email address). Once you've got that information, you can gain ideas about why certain pages aren't performing well, whether traffic you're getting from a given search is actually valuable, and if not, whether you need to change something to make that traffic valuable or just give up on it.

For example, since you're a photographer, let's say the analytics package tells you that 500 people in the past month landed on your home page from a search for [trick photography] and 98% of those people immediately left the site after landing. That's what we call your "bounce rate". So apparently, you're ranking well for that search and lots of people are clicking through, but they're not staying, and they're obviously not becoming your customers. Why is that? Is it because your site has nothing to do with trick photography, so you actually get no value for that keyword, or is it because when they landed on your home page they didn't immediately see the information they expected they'd find based on your ranking for the search and the snippet Google displayed about your page? If it's the first situation, then maybe you need to figure out why you're ranking for this irrelevant term and change your page so that you won't rank well for it. If it's the second situation, then maybe you need to optimize a different page for the keyword and link to it from your home page, or you need to take the text on the home page that's helping you to rank so well for the phrase and move it up so that it's clearly visible to a user the moment they land on the page.

[Jill]

Seems like lot of work/overkill for my situation no?

It's free and easy to install. You can look at what it shows you or not, but you might as well start collecting the data as soon as possible!

[kevs]

Bob,
thanks for the lucid explanation. Best I've seen so far!
Again though, it's a lot of work for someone in the visual arts like me no?
Clearly someone selling 50 blue widgets a day -- a Walmart --
but a people photographer -- where everything is so subjective to begin with.
What do you think?
And a bunch of text, above the fold isn't my style, again I'm selling imagery.
Monster time drainer, worth it for someone like me?