Great Tips to Boost Search Engine CTR (Click-Through Rate)

Although there are so many online marketing channels out there that are innovating and really ideal for various niches, we simply cannot deny the fact that search engine traffic stands out as being the most valuable. While so many things need to be done for good SEO work, keep in mind that click through rate is something that most people forget about. It is important since you want people to click on the results, not just see them and ignore them. Remember that 77% of searchers will select organic over paid listings but only if something attracts them.

Always Optimize the Title Tag

The most important thing that you have to optimize is the title tag. It practically defines the entire web page. We are talking about the text that will appear as the blue link in the result pages. The title of a page will have a huge influence in the decision to click the result or not. This can so easily make or break the entire organic CTR. Crafting title tags with extreme attention is something that is necessary.

Unfortunately, in most situations, we see the site owners only using an automatic plugin that creates the title. These can be really useful. But you should take the extra step of optimizing how they rewrite the titles for maximum efficiency. Be sure that it is the title that stands out and not the name of the website. Because it happens with automatic settings in many SEO plugins.

The Meta Description

The meta description will help the viewer to understand exactly what the page is about. It will not impact the organic search engine rankings directly but will influence the click through rate. Overlooking the meta description is quite simple. There are so many SEO plugins out there that will generate them automatically. Taking the time to write a good meta description can drastically increase CTR for practically any page out there.

A great thing you can do is to consider the description as being free advertising. It is a great chance to send in an extra message, one that will be seen by people looking for what you offer at the moment. Google will not always display this and can use other sources. But if you do add the tag, you can control this part of your listings.

The problem is that in some situations people try to overdo it. For example, let’s check this page of glorianilson.com which promotes homes for sale in the Rumson, NJ area. Now for a page like this, in most cases, people are going to overdo the description with the main reason being that they think about search engine optimization. That is not what you should do. It is crucial to writing descriptions that are appealing for users, not for search engines.

URL

The optimization specialist can modify the URL in order to influence the SERP display and affect the CTR. We are faced with an algorithm that now improves generated site hierarchies displayed in SERP. Rich snippet markup means that you can adjust URL snippets in order to offer something clear and that would show more about what the page is about. Keep in mind that folder structure, query match, word choice and the breadcrumb navigation snippet will all have an influence on CTR.

Rich Snippets

The rich snippets are not going to disappear anytime soon. They are essential for results and will boost CTR as they appear. The only problem is that it will take some time until Google will generate these for your pages. The good news is you can add HTML markups in order for the search engine to identify different page elements that would be substantial. The rich snippets algorithm is now more complex than ever with great displays appearing thanks to it. As an extra tip, do consider authorship as an important extra thing to help you get snippets faster.

Conclusions

Boosting the search engine CTR should be something that you always think about. While many build websites with the search engines in mind, people that create sites with the users in mind generally have more success. It is critical that you focus on the facts mentioned above to increase website traffic.

This article is written by Veselina Dzhingarova. She has long experience in internet marketing and SEO. She is passionate about blogging to share her expertise. Veselina is a regular contributor at many online publishers. She is the co-founder of Blogforweb.com and others. You can get in touch with her on LinkedIn & Google+.

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