More Traffic From Lower Rankings?
-
I have access to analytics for two different sites that rank for the same keyword. Strangely, the site that ranks on page 3 gets three times as much traffic as the site that ranks on page 1 (rankings according to multiple SEO tools as well as my own browser).
How is this possible?
-
I have access to analytics for two different sites that rank for the same keyword. Strangely, the site that ranks on page 3 gets three times as much traffic as the site that ranks on page 1
Obviously then have other sources of traffic than the keyword you are looking at.
Never assume that there is a single source of traffic. Dive deeper into the analytics. You will probably learn something.
Also, it is possible that the rankings that you are looking at have been composed by google "for your eyes only".
-
As Doug mentions I would look at local search in the first instance. If relevant check out the keyword traffic by country of origin in analytics. Rankings can change quite a lot depending on country, might be that the site on page 3 where you are looking is page one in other places. Also depending on the country/audience your first site might have a much higher percentage of 'not provided' which could be hiding the real number of visits for that keyword.
-
Click through in the SERPS can be affected by a number of things, but a site ranking on page 3 getting more traffic for that keyword than a page 1 site? Wow!
If you're sure the ranking are a true reflection of what everyone else is seeing for that particular keyword... (without knowing the keyword/sites then it's impossible to be specific)
What's the difference in the way the two sites are presented in the SERPS? Do they have equally compelling titles/snippets that invite searchers to take action? What about reputation/trust? Is one of the sites a known name? Does the URL or title look spammy? Is one page heavily shared so appears on people's personalised searches? What about author mark-up?
How well does the search snippet answer the "am I going to find what I'm looking for?" question?
What about searching from mobile / local search? Is one of the sites getting a lift because people searching for the keyword in relation to their known or implied location?
How complicated/niche/specific is the keyword and what is the intent? If the keyword is very specific or in a very niche market then people may be willing to dive deeper through the search results to find the answer they're looking for.
What does google webmaster tools tell you about the average position for the search term for the two sites?
Edit: Meant to ask - what traffic volume are we talking about and what's the difference between the numbers for each site?
-
Hi,
Is the bigger traffic organic from google results based on that keyword? Or do you mean traffic overall?
Got a burning SEO question?
Subscribe to Moz Pro to gain full access to Q&A, answer questions, and ask your own.
Browse Questions
Explore more categories
-
Moz Tools
Chat with the community about the Moz tools.
-
SEO Tactics
Discuss the SEO process with fellow marketers
-
Community
Discuss industry events, jobs, and news!
-
Digital Marketing
Chat about tactics outside of SEO
-
Research & Trends
Dive into research and trends in the search industry.
-
Support
Connect on product support and feature requests.
Related Questions
-
Time For New Website To Rank?
We've been working on a site for the past couple months and going to be launching in a couple weeks. How long does it take for Google to establish a "stabilized" ranking for the site and various pages? The main homepage will have its targeted keywords and each product page will have its own targeted keywords. We have about 100 total pages for the site. I know rankings may fluctuate initially but trying to get an idea of when the rankings are stabilized before we start working on the ongoing SEO like earning backlinks, changing on-page optimization, etc to be able to track changes in rankings over time.
Reporting & Analytics | | vikasnwu0 -
Alternative tools for Keyword Traffic
Hi There, Wondering if anyone has any other tools they would recommend using for finding out keyword traffic on websites. Currently (and I'm sure like most), my website is connected to Google Analytics and Google Search Console. My biggest frustration becomes the "(not set)" variable that appears when I go to review the keywords section. It's always such a large number and I have no way of finding out what people might be typing in and coming across my website. Of course, I understand the privacy factor as to why Google must do this but it's certainly difficult to analyze what's working and what's not. Any tips, tricks or suggestions are greatly appreciated! Thanks, Lindsay
Reporting & Analytics | | MainstreamMktg0 -
Direct Traffic has Drastically Increased
Hi, I have noticed in Google analytics that direct traffic of one of my website is increased drastically. I didn't participate in Email Marketing or any other paid campaigns however direct traffic is continuously increasing. I checked all sources, locations, browsers, filters etc but didn't get any findings. Please help.
Reporting & Analytics | | RuchiPardal0 -
How accurate is Google analytics at measuring traffic? (Free version)
Hi Guys. When we compare our actual sales to Google analytics conversions it can be way out. Sometimes as much as 50%. Is this the same for the data on traffic? And if so, does the data tend to be out by a similar amount over time? i.e) If we compare this year and last year it give us a good indicator of differences in traffic volume? (albeit not 100% accurate?) Thanks. Isaac.
Reporting & Analytics | | isaac6630 -
Previously performing page no longer ranking
The best performing page on my website www.danielalexandra.com/personal-training/ has suddenly completely fallen off the google radar and all of my ranking results for keywords have dropped significantly as a result. My domain is only 4/5 months old but was already becoming relatively competitive and generating some interest until this? Any ideas as to why this may have happened?
Reporting & Analytics | | DAlondon0 -
A switch from Search to Direct traffic from Feb 2012
I have read about the Google algorithm updates galore in 2012. I would therefore be inclined to suspect a sudden sharp drop in Search traffic this year to be caused by such updates. However, I am seeing what appears to be a direct switch from 'Search' to 'Direct' traffic as of about February 16th this year. There are no specific brand-building exercises or general advertising campaigns happening around this time for the site in question. It seems very UN-explainable? I wondered if there are any thoughts from the various lurking gurus? I have attached GA screenshot.. DjTu1.png
Reporting & Analytics | | MikiP0 -
Why is Benetton ranking with tracking parameters?
For this search: https://www.google.com/search?q=benetton&pws=0 I see the following URL ranking #1 http://www.benetton.com/?utm_source=centrum.sk&utm_medium=listing Why is this happening? I could likely figure it out but I'm busy so I was hoping someone could dig around and let me know 🙂 Anyone? Incidentally, Benetton is in the middle of a massive campaign at the moment so it's strange timing for them to have this showing up and screwing with their GA tracking... EDIT: I should clarify, Benetton is not a client - I don't know anyone who works for or with them. I'm just curious why this is showing up. cmNWx.png
Reporting & Analytics | | TomCritchlow1 -
Why doesnt Seomoz give daily ranking updates
Although a little obsessive I can't be the only one checking rankings on a daily basis. Indeed if such a practice was not widespread then software such as linktracker wouldnt exist. It's a shame that Seomoz has the functionality to check rank, however chooses to only do so once per week. Therefore we pay for tools such as link tracker in addition to Seomoz. Here starts a petition for daily updates!!! 😉
Reporting & Analytics | | seanmccauley0