After talking so much about general SEO stuff and strategies you can employ, I’m pretty sure I’ve bored some more experienced business owners. That’s why today we’ll be talking about SEO for Business Growth.
While all SEO should be geared towards growth, we all sometimes hit a plateau, and so do our websites. Now on websites specifically, there can be many reasons you might be seeing a decline or stagnation. And the best way to get out of it (provided you know you didn’t mess anything up) is to start testing… SEO testing to be specific.
Now let’s get started.
Why You Need SEO Testing for Business Growth
SEO is not a one-size-fits-all approach. While there are general tips that can be applied, you still need some critical thinking there. And hand in hand with critical thinking is SEO Testing.
SEO Testing allows us to go beyond the initial strategy, the initial hypothesis, and push results further. So, even if you’ve done everything right and you’re not seeing the results you want, it’s time to get into testing.
Today we’ll cover the most simple form of SEO Testing, but don’t mistake simple for ineffective. These things can push you from position 7 on your money keyword to position 3 within a couple weeks and even if that doesn’t tickle your fancy, here’s some data you should know about.
CTR Data Changes Based on Keyword Positions:
Click-through rate (CTR) can change significantly based on your position in the search engine results pages (SERPs) on the first page. Here’s a general breakdown of how CTR tends to vary depending on the position:
Position 1: The top result on the first page typically garners the highest CTR, often in the range of 25% to 35%, depending on the query and search intent. This means that about 1 in 4 or 1 in 3 searchers will click on the first result.
Position 2: The second position usually sees a notable drop, with CTRs ranging from 10% to 15%.
Position 3: The third result has a CTR of around 7% to 10%.
Positions 4–6: These positions generally experience further declines, with CTRs typically ranging from 4% to 6%.
Positions 7–10: The lower positions on the first page see much lower CTRs, often in the 2% to 4% range.
However, several factors can influence these averages:
Search intent: If the user is looking for something specific (e.g., branded search), they may scroll down the page and click on a result farther down.
Rich snippets: If the search result includes a featured snippet, local pack, or other SERP features, it can affect the CTRs for organic listings.
Compelling meta titles and descriptions: Even lower-ranking results can achieve higher-than-expected CTR if their meta information stands out.
Now you can put some things into perspective and we can get into some details.
What to Test For Business Growth?
Considering we’re shooting for business growth here, I’ll give you some info on the benefits/impact of testing specific elements here. Keep in mind that this won’t just affect CTR, this should affect your overall appearance online as well as keyword positions on specific pages, we’re getting a bit “sneaky” here and thinking about user intent, customer psychology/profiles as well as making Google happy. Now let’s get into it:
On-Page SEO Testing Ideas
These elements focus on optimizing content and metadata directly on the page:
Meta Title
Test Elements: Length, keywords & keyword positioning, emotional triggers, power words, numbers.
Benefits: Improves relevance and attracts clicks.
Meta Description
Test Elements: Length, keywords, call-to-action phrases.
Benefits: Increases user engagement and drives clicks.
Keyword Density and Placement
Test Elements: Frequency and natural use of keywords in content, headers, and throughout the body.
Benefits: Enhances relevance and visibility for targeted search terms.
Headings (H1, H2, H3)
Test Elements: Keywords in headers, logical hierarchy, addressing user intent.
Benefits: Improves content structure and relevance, impacting both rankings and CTR.
Content Formatting
Test Elements: Use of bullet points, numbered lists, bold text, short paragraphs.
Benefits: Improves readability and scanability, enhancing user experience and driving clicks.
Call-to-Action in SERPs
Test Elements: Actionable language in meta descriptions or title tags.
Benefits: Guides users into clicking by creating a clear sense of action.
Content Freshness (Publication Dates)
Test Elements: Display or hide publication dates in SERP snippets.
Benefits: Attracts clicks for users seeking recent or up-to-date content.
Internal Linking (Anchor Text)
Test Elements: Use of keyword-rich anchor text linking to important pages.
Benefits: Encourages deeper engagement and improves relevance for specific keywords.
Image Alt Tags
Test Elements: Descriptive, keyword-rich alt tags for images.
Benefits: Improves image search visibility and indirectly boosts CTR by adding context to the page.
Off-Page SEO Testing Ideas
Backlink Quality
Test Elements: Analyze link authority, diversity, and anchor text distribution.
Benefits: High-quality backlinks improve rankings, leading to higher CTR.
Anchor Text Optimization
Test Elements: Test different anchor text types (branded, exact match, generic).
Benefits: Optimized anchor text helps with keyword relevance and boosts CTR through improved rankings.
Linking Domain Relevance
Test Elements: Test backlinks from industry-relevant vs. unrelated domains.
Benefits: Relevant backlinks improve topical authority and increase CTR for related queries.
Social Signals (Engagement from Social Media)
Test Elements: Track social shares, likes, and comments and their impact on rankings.
Benefits: Increased social engagement boosts visibility and indirectly increases CTR by driving traffic.
Test Elements: Testing titles, meta descriptions, and structured data for mobile usability.
Benefits: Ensures mobile users have a positive experience, driving higher CTRs from mobile devices.
Now this is a pretty extensive list and some things are easier to test than others. If you’re a beginner, I’d suggest focusing on on-page elements as they’re the easiest to track, change, or revert back if the change doesn’t have the desired effect. It is the lowest on the risk scale but not necessarily the lowest on impact. You can see significant results there.
When it comes to off-page, that one’s also relatively low on the risk and pretty high on impact, but it’s definitely more time-consuming and more difficult to track precisely.
Technical elements require the highest degree of technical prowess and can be moderately risky. So take your pick and go wild XD
Here’s some additional help.
Prioritize Your SEO Testing Efforts
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How to Track SEO Testing Results Effectively
Tracking is probably one of the most challenging sides of SEO yet it’s so indescribably essential to business growth. As you may already know, if you don’t track what you’re doing, you’re just spraying and praying, no pun.
And that might’ve been ok…like 15 years ago. Now, not so much. Here’s how you can think about and set up tracking for your SEO efforts.
Set Baselines Before Testing:
Before making any changes, record baseline metrics like current CTR, rankings, and bounce rate for the page or element you’re testing. Or record the original if it’s copy changes.
Define Clear KPIs:
Decide what metrics will determine success for each test. For example, if you’re testing meta descriptions, CTR would be a key metric. If you’re testing page load time, bounce rate,time on page, engaged sessions are critical.
Monitor Results Over Time:
SEO changes don’t show results overnight. Track performance over several weeks to see trends and the lasting impact of your tests.
Document and Repeat:
Document the results of each test and what you learned. Use this data to refine future tests and strategies, continuously optimizing based on real performance data.
Now that we got that out of the way, here are some tools that can help you out
Tools for Tracking SEO Testing Results
The following list of tools is not just exclusively for SEO Testing, most of these can help you with multiple marketing elements from competitive research, keywords, audience research, etc.
Their price points vary and depend on your website and business needs. I didn’t consider that here, the point was to give you an idea and you can go off into the sunset and do your own research afterwards.
Oh and a bit of a notice here, for tracking changes, just a simple Google sheet will do.
Google Search Console
Best For: Monitoring organic traffic, CTR, and keyword rankings.
Why It’s Useful: Google Search Console gives you a direct insight into how Google sees your website. It’s essential for tracking rankings, CTR, and any technical issues that might affect performance.
Google Analytics
Best For: Tracking user behavior, bounce rate, time on page, and conversions.
Why It’s Useful: Google Analytics provides deep insights into user behavior, allowing you to track the overall success of SEO efforts, especially in terms of user experience and conversions.
Ahrefs/SEMrush
Best For: Keyword tracking, site audits, and competitive analysis, etc.
Why It’s Useful: Both offer a comprehensive suite of tools to track both on-page and off-page SEO improvements, including keyword rankings and technical health.
Best For: Tracking user behavior with heatmaps and session recordings.
Why It’s Useful: Hotjar helps track user behavior and engagement, providing visual insights into how SEO changes impact user interaction and experience.
Best For: Heatmaps, A/B testing, and user behavior tracking.
Why It’s Useful: Crazy Egg allows you to visually track user engagement and experiment with different page elements, helping to optimize for better user experience and higher conversions.
Best For: Conducting technical SEO audits and crawling websites.
Why It’s Useful: Screaming Frog helps identify and fix technical issues that could be hindering your SEO performance, ensuring that your site is fully optimized for search engines.
Case Studies on SEO for Business Growth
The following examples won’t be any of my clients (NDAs can be a real bummer sometimes). Nevertheless, the examples here can be checked on Google (ofc) so you can get more in-depth info if you want it.
Cup & Leaf: SEO for Niche E-Commerce Growth
Challenge: Cup & Leaf, a small e-commerce business selling specialty teas, needed to grow its organic traffic and compete against established brands in the tea industry.
SEO Strategy:
Content Marketing: They developed a blog that targeted long-tail keywords related to tea health benefits, brewing methods, and tea varieties. These were highly specific queries that larger competitors weren’t targeting.
On-Page SEO: Optimized product descriptions and category pages with keyword-rich, informative content.
Internal Linking: Used internal links from blog posts to product pages, increasing product page visibility.
Results:
In just six months, Cup & Leaf grew its organic traffic from 0 to over 150,000 monthly visitors, significantly boosting e-commerce sales.
By focusing on long-tail keywords, they were able to rank in the top 3 for niche queries without a huge budget, helping to compete with larger tea brands.
The Greenhouse People: Local SEO for Business Growth
Challenge: The Greenhouse People, a small UK-based company selling greenhouses and garden supplies, wanted to grow their visibility in local searches and online sales.
SEO Strategy:
Local SEO: They optimized their Google My Business listing with high-quality images, detailed business information, and customer reviews.
Content Marketing: Created blog content focused on gardening tips, greenhouse maintenance, and seasonal gardening ideas, which helped drive local organic traffic.
Technical SEO: Improved page load times and mobile responsiveness, crucial for users searching on mobile devices.
Results:
Organic traffic increased by 40% in 12 months, leading to a significant rise in both in-store visits and online sales.
They ranked in the top spots for local searches like “greenhouses near me,” improving brand visibility among nearby customers.
Salt Lake Chiropractor: Hyperlocal SEO for a Small Business
Challenge: A small chiropractic office in Salt Lake City wanted to increase its online presence and attract more local patients.
SEO Strategy:
Local SEO: The chiropractor optimized their Google My Business profile, regularly updated it with business hours, photos, and client reviews, and posted local content to engage users.
Content Creation: They created blog posts targeting local health issues and conditions treated by chiropractors, optimizing them for local keywords (e.g., “Salt Lake City back pain treatment”).
Online Reviews: Encouraged satisfied patients to leave reviews on Google and other platforms, which helped build trust and authority in the local market.
Results:
In six months, the chiropractic office saw a 150% increase in organic traffic from local searches.
New patient appointments increased by 30%, driven by their improved local search visibility.
Even with limited resources, these companies demonstrated that strategic SEO can lead to substantial business growth. And so can you if you put your back into it XD
Or reach out to me and we can brainstorm what can be done together.
The point of sharing these with you is to give you some ideas and to get you thinking about what could suit you and your business. Not all of these can be replicated entirely, nor should they be, your business is unique and so are its challenges.
From Theory to Action: The Key to Business Growth
SEO is an ongoing process, and if you’ve made it this far, congratulations — you’re ready to take the next step. But here’s the deal: whether you’re just starting with SEO or you’ve been at it for years, there’s always something new to learn and test. The strategies you apply today won’t always work tomorrow because search engines (and users) are always changing. That’s why testing and iteration are crucial.
The good news? You don’t need to be an expert from day one, and you don’t need a massive budget to get started. Focus on testing a couple of elements from the list above. Whether it’s updating your meta titles or doing a deep dive into your backlink profile, start small and work your way up.
Here’s the best part: small businesses have a real advantage in SEO. You can pivot quickly, experiment with new ideas, and start seeing growth without the red tape that comes with larger organizations.
Now, before you run off and start testing every SEO tactic under the sun, take a breath. The key is to track everything. Start by auditing your current performance - look at what’s working, what’s not, and what could use some tweaking. Then pick 1 or 2 strategies and start testing.
Ready to dive in but feeling overwhelmed? No worries. If you need a little extra help, you know where to find me. We can brainstorm together and figure out the best way to grow your business through SEO testing.
Remember, SEO isn’t just about rankings; it’s about building sustainable, long-term growth. So, test, track, and repeat. Let’s get those results rolling!
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Growth Is a Systems Problem
Analytical articles on structural growth, diagnostics, and decision-making for complex organizations.
