We launched a new site this week for
Broxton Industries, the
precision sheet metalwork specialists.
The site features a CMS for updating News & Jobs, some nice flash images and functionality on the Home page and is fully optimised for search engines. Take a look - we like it! And if you want to give your site a makeover, give us a call!
I was using Google today to find UK based search blogs; I get a bit fed up sometimes of the US bias in the world of SEO. While doing so, I came across something interesting:
I typed in "UK SEO blog" into Google, and clicked on one of the results. This is what I saw at the top of the blog landing page, just above the first entry:
"You searched for 'UK SEO blog'.
Here are some results for the search term on this website
- List of best Blog Directories, RSS Networks and Ping Servers
- How to make money from your Blog
- WordPress Hacked? 7 Great Self Hosted Blog Platforms as WordPress Alternatives for SEO & Business"
You can see the page for yourself if you type "UK SEO blog" into google.co.uk then go to result 8 (http://www.ukseoblog.com/).
This clever website has used the information stored in the browser referrer field to see what you typed in the search engine to arrive at their site, then offers you pages in their site that may relate to your query. By doing this ukseoblog.com is cleverly attempting to reduce the bounce rate of its site by connecting users with their search engine query upon entry to the blogger's homepage.
Most people, me included, usually don't spend more than 20 seconds on most sites when browsing the web, they just click on the Google result, scan the page, then depending on what catches their eye, they either stay or leave. Having a reference to the users search engine query at the top of the landing page is unusual, so it catches the users eye and draws them in, reducing the site's bounce rate.
And its not just a gimmick - the tool described above gives options of potentially useful content to the user, which can enhance their surfing experience.
Of course, if Google worked perfectly and directed you to the most relevant information every time you searched, there would be no need for the above tool to refer people to extra content once they arrived on a page. However, as good as Google is, it isn't perfect so the tool is often going to be useful for users.
I'm surprised that this technique is not utilised more on the web - I feel it has a lot of potential in terms of reducing bounce rates and improving user traction. Maybe now is a good time to use the technique on your sites before it becomes overused.
