Stuck at Google page 15

[Carolyn1124]

Hi

This is my first UKBF foray

We're a small holiday company. I find myself learning some interesting new skills.

We've got a Wordpress website which once it was setup for us I'm able to administrate.

Having done some background SEO reading I'm managed to get us from page #nowhere (!) to page #15. But that's where we've stalled/stuck.

Here's what I've done so far:
Wordpress website
SEO plugin
Added page titles, descriptions and tags
Alt tags on my images
Blogging, as part of the main site (ok, I don't do this well! :redface
Facebook page and Twitter account
Posting on forums for quality backlinks
Signed up for free directories and a few paid ones

Can someone point me in the right direction of what else I ought to be doing? It's doing my head in now.

Best regards
Carolyn

 

[redrosephotos]

I'm no expert and there's plenty better on here who I'm sure will assist, however it sounds like you're doing everything right.

Note it takes time for positive changes to take a effect, where as a negative one can see you plummet very quickly.

It may be worth looking at your competition and seeing what they're doing with regards to content, layout, backlinks etc.

Regards

Brent

 

[Alan]

Page 15 for what key words? Have you done your keyword research and picked your target keywords?

How are you checking your position?

How long did it take to get from nowhere to 15?

Have you set up google webmaster tools? If so what is it telling you about search queries?

As you are new here, you can't post your URL but PM me and I'll take a quick look and give you some more feedback.

 

[Carolyn1124]

Thanks folks. I've PM'ed my URL to Roibot. Thanks.

Keywords. So I've had one in my mind "camping pods" since I started. That's the one I bench mark my progress against. I'm checking my position my simply googling camping pods and looking down the pages until I find myself. But we don't rank highly at all, from what I can find, for those other keywords.

It's probably taken 6-8 weeks to get to page 15. We were moving up about a page per day until it stalled.

I setup a short Adwords campaign and that has helped me target about 5 different keywords too.

I'm using Google Analytics/Webmaster, but maybe I'm not seeing what's there or I'm missing something. Analytics in particular doesn't seem to relate to what I'm seeing on actual Google.

thanks

 

[WhiteRoseSEO]

We had a client who had been stuck on page 20+ for a particular keyword. The problem was that they were using a doorway page - essentially a large picture saying "Welcome to xxxxxxx, click here to enter".

Search engines see pictures as huge blank spaces, so there was nothing for them to see to rank accordingly.

Having not seen your site, I can't give too specific answers, but make sure that you are using interesting and useful text, which is both user and search engine-friendly. Don't have masses of images and avoid using a doorway 'welcome page'.

If you want to send me your URL, I'll take a more in-depth look

 

[Alan]

You are not doing as badly as you think.

As you are a fixed location business you need to think about locational searches you are position 3 on Page 1 for "camping pods lincolnshire"

Problem is every one else is searching for camping pods in Lake District (1900 a month) (most popular) and next Yorkshire. Obviously Camping pops are popular in the wetter counties. What is surprising is Wales comes third. Perhaps you need more rain.

There are a handful of searches for camping pods Skegness (46 a month) and that is close enough to you to be relevant.

Either you need to forget about focussing on Camping Pods, and go for something else (like campsite in lincolnshire, 1600 searches a month). Or focus on locational aspects (like you are near Yorkshire ).

So this is where you keyword research come in.

You need to use Google Keywords tool to help you (in your Adwords account, under tools) decide what a handful of keywords you can target where the competition is medium (or low) and the searches are high, and are relevant to the type of searches that will convert for you.

Have you set up a Google Places http://www.google.com/places/(Google + ) page yet?

 

[Alan]

We had a client who had been stuck on page 20+ for a particular keyword. The problem was that they were using a doorway page - essentially a large picture saying "Welcome to xxxxxxx, click here to enter".

Search engines see pictures as huge blank spaces, so there was nothing for them to see to rank accordingly.

Having not seen your site, I can't give too specific answers, but make sure that you are using interesting and useful text, which is both user and search engine-friendly. Don't have masses of images and avoid using a doorway 'welcome page'.

If you want to send me your URL, I'll take a more in-depth look

I can post the URL <URL removed>

It does have a doorway page, which is an obvious improvement.

But keyword strategy comes first, in my book.

 

[Carolyn1124]

Guys, that's really helpful thank you :redface:

Ok. So it's partly a relief to know I'm on the right track. Maybe I just need to refocus my efforts in terms of changing my keywords.

I can't remember where I was looking, but I did spent quite a lot of time looking at keyword seaching and the number thereof.

I didn't focus too much on "camping pods lincolnshire" simply because not many people were searching for it. But trust me, we've had the rain!

The keywords that came out as needing focus from the AdWords campaign were also campsites, CL [caravan club stuff], camping sites and caravan holidays.

I don't want to take the p1ss with free SEO advice. I'll redouble my efforts on the same line that I've been working. Thanks again!

 

[Carolyn1124]

Oh, and yep, I've had us listed as a Google Place

 

[Alan]

Make sure you fill in everything, pictures, videos, descriptions, as many categories as you can (you can make them up, you only need one formal category) and remember your keyword strategy in your Google Places listing too.

Make sure that the address matches exactly too.

 

[Suzuki]

Posting on forums for quality backlinks

Forums are not quality links! They'll be seen at best as extremely low value links, and at worst outright spam that potentially harm you.

 

[OldWelshGuy]

guys,, I have had to remove the link and also delete replies, please understand that bypassing the site review system isn't allowed sorry

Please don't turn the thread into a site review, they have to be done in the paid area as it is a paid member feature.

 

[Carolyn1124]

Oops. Sorry. :redface:

 

[Alan]

@Carolyn1124 not you, you didn't ask for a website review, you asked for SEO advice, but when I published your URL some people started to turn it into a general site review.

No need for a red face from anyone, just the way it went.

 

[nitro23456]

You are not doing as badly as you think.

As you are a fixed location business you need to think about locational searches you are position 3 on Page 1 for "camping pods lincolnshire"

Problem is every one else is searching for camping pods in Lake District (1900 a month) (most popular) and next Yorkshire. Obviously Camping pops are popular in the wetter counties. What is surprising is Wales comes third. Perhaps you need more rain.

There are a handful of searches for camping pods Skegness (46 a month) and that is close enough to you to be relevant.

Either you need to forget about focussing on Camping Pods, and go for something else (like campsite in lincolnshire, 1600 searches a month). Or focus on locational aspects (like you are near Yorkshire ).

So this is where you keyword research come in.

You need to use Google Keywords tool to help you (in your Adwords account, under tools) decide what a handful of keywords you can target where the competition is medium (or low) and the searches are high, and are relevant to the type of searches that will convert for you.

Have you set up a Google Places http://www.google.com/places/(Google + ) page yet?

With all due respect, before handing out advice, you might want to learn how the keyword tool works for yourself......

campsite in lincolnshire - you said 1600 - keyword tool says 22
camping pods in lake district - you said 1900 - keyword tool says 58
camping pods skegness - you said 46 - keyword tool says 16

Personally, 'camping pods' in itself is not particularly difficult in my opinion. 6 months I'd estimate.

 

[Alan]

With all due respect, before handing out advice, you might want to learn how the keyword tool works for yourself......

campsite in lincolnshire - you said 1600 - keyword tool says 22
camping pods in lake district - you said 1900 - keyword tool says 58
camping pods skegness - you said 46 - keyword tool says 16

Personally, 'camping pods' in itself is not particularly difficult in my opinion. 6 months I'd estimate.

It is not due respect assuming something about some one you don't know, is it?

Exact or broad?

What the point of being top of Camping Pods when the business can't ship them. It is a wasted effort. Think business objetives not SERP rankings, come on this is 101.

 

[nitro23456]

exact, as should be the case on advising on search volume.

to address your post-edited point, I don't know what the business is or its website (unlike you via PM earlier), I merely said 'camping pods' in itself wouldn't be overly hard.

 

[Alan]

exact, as should be the case on advising on search volume.

Broad has a place in devising overall strategy. After all the long tail conatins 75% of searches, therefore where the business value is. Do you disagree?

As to your edited point to my edited point, yes you are at a disadvantage to me.

Whilst I'm happy to learn, please don't assume what I have to learn.

 

[nitro23456]

You remind me of my ex-wife, arguing over pedantic little things that havent actually been said. I commented not on overall strategy.

You said:

Problem is every one else is searching for camping pods in Lake District (1900 a month) (most popular)

Which is ********. (amongst other bits and pieces)

I am not interested in engaging with you on the small meaningless discussions you are having within your own head, but I will point out when you are talking rubbish for the general good of the community including potentially impressionable people such as the original poster.

 

[ITsoldUK]

Broad has a place in devising overall strategy. After all the long tail conatins 75% of searches, therefore where the business value is. Do you disagree?

As to your edited point to my edited point, yes you are at a disadvantage to me.

Whilst I'm happy to learn, please don't assume what I have to learn.

Sorry old boy, not an SEO guru so I do tend to listen to those I have come to trust over the years and one little nugget I have heard more than once was to pay no heed to broad search when doing my KWR.

One of my favourites is Jill Whalen and I quote...

After you submit your first set of brainstormed keywords through the tool, change the match preference from "broad match" to "exact match" or your data will essentially be useless.

Source is here.

Just to clarify, not dug out for this post, if you check back some time (and OWG will know this) I pay a LOT of attention to HF and this includes Jill and have done for many moons.

Regards
Daren

 

[Alan]

Absolutely correct.

I made the mistake of quoting the broad matched numbers which I shouldn't have, as I was dealing with the 'brainstorms level' (as you say) I should have just dealt with relative levels of searches not absolute , thus potentially misleading novices into thinking the search volumes were on specific keyword would be higher.


As correctly , but heavy handily and unsubtly, pointed out by Nitro23456.

 

[Carolyn1124]

Roibot, page 12!!

And I've not got round to sorting out the front page yet!