Using SEO to Increase SERP Ranking

Written Assignment: Case study

1. Why is important that businesses maintain a high level of visibility on SERPs?

Maintaining high visibility on SERPs increases a business’s visibility on search engines, translating to increased website traffic. With high visibility, more people will see the business’s content in search results and interact with the content by visiting the business website. A company that maintains high visibility on SERPs indicates that the business is credible, and more people will trust the business (Schultheiß & Lewandowski, 2021). When a business appears on the first page of SERPs, visitors will subconsciously trust the business, assuming the business must be doing something right to have such a high ranking. Visitors are more likely to make a purchase or recommend the company to others, increasing the business’s organic traffic. Domain authority is another benefit the business will get from high visibility on SERPs. Having a high domain authority leads to search engines rewarding the website with more traffic. Brand recall and popularity are enhanced amongst visitors because they consistently get to see the same business when they perform searches related to the business’s specific area or industry.

2. Why are organic search listings more valuable than paid search listings for most companies over the long term? Even though organic search listings are more valuable, what are some reasons that companies should consider using PPC advertising as part of their search marketing strategies?

Organic search listings are valuable because they offer a better return on investment over the long term. Organic traffic not only drives qualified traffic and conversions but also improves brand perception, increasing the trust and credibility of the business. Paid searches are fantastic for the short-term for the company to gain instant results. Most companies value organic search over paid search listing because organic search attracts relevant users (Panchal et al., 2021). Organic traffic continues to bring visitors to the website in the future, while paid search listings stop working when you stop paying for the ads.

A company should consider using PPC advertising as part of its search marketing strategies to capitalize on its content marketing strategy as it waits for search engines to rank the company’s website and start delivering search results. A company can use PPC advertising to produce instant traffic. Using data from the traffic, the company can then determine keywords, ad copy, and landing pages that effectively drive conversions. The data is insightful as it can be incorporated into the organic traffic marketing strategy. Targeting can be done using PPC advertising. A company that wants to narrow its marketing efforts to a specific demographic can use PPC advertising to target the group, yielding much better results than organic traffic.

3. Explain why people are much more likely to view and pay attention to product and service information in SERPs compared to traditional mass media advertising? What strategies are businesses adopting to take advantage of this trend?

The information displayed in SERPs is related to what the person is searching for, indicating there are viewing something they are interested in. They are performing an online search for a particular product or service. Therefore, the person is more likely to interact with the product and service information offered in SERPs. Traditional mass media advertising displays ads to all people regardless of if the person is searching for the advertised product or service. Therefore, the chances of people interacting with mass media advertisements reduce because they are not interested in what is being advertised. Mass media advertising is viewed as an unwelcome interruption, making it less effective since most people will not pay attention to what is being advertised. Information presented in SERPs is welcome because the user is engaged and interested in what is being offered to them. The user will be more interested in the product or service since it relates to the topic they are searching for.

Businesses are adopting strategies like content optimization to increase their visibility on SERPs. Another strategy being used is PPC advertising targeting specific keywords that users search for. These strategies increase the visibility of the business on SERPs.

4. Why are “black hat” SEO techniques considered unethical? Who is harmed by the use of such techniques? What are the consequences of using these questionable SEO tactics?

Black hat SEO techniques are unethical because they tend to trick search engines into believing a website has genuine, high-quality content when the website does not. These techniques tend to manipulate SEO practices to get their content on the first page of search engines (Yang et al., 2021). Black hat SEO techniques are unethical because they focus on the search engine, not the target audience. Websites that employ black hat techniques get punished severely by search engines when discovered. The website gets downgraded in the search engines’ ranking system, denying the website traffic from search engines. Visitors also get harmed because they visit websites unrelated to what they were searching for. Search engines get hurt, too, since many websites employ black hat techniques, and visitors will not trust the results.

Businesses that use black hat SEO techniques will suffer when they are discovered by search engines by their website ranking being lowered, preventing the business from showing up on SERPs. The business will lose its traffic since it will no longer appear on SERPs, lowering its domain authority and relevance in the industry

Use socialmention.com to evaluate the nature of conversations people are having about three telecommunications companies: AT&T, Verizon, and Sprint. Based on the four metrics provided by Social Mention, decide which company is viewed most favorably and least favorably by the marketplace. Using Twitter search, read a sample of tweets where people discuss the companies. Can you draw any conclusions as to specific reasons why the companies are viewed favorably or unfavorably?

The company viewed most favorably is Sprint. Sprint has 409 mentions, 4.5k interactions, 1.1m reach, and eight shares in the last seven days. Sprint might have fewer mentions from Verizon, but it still comes top due to its interactions and reach. AT&T is the least favorable due to its low performance in the four categories of mentions, interactions, reach, and shares. AT&T had 205 mentions, 55 interactions, 2.7M reach, and four shares. The reach by AT&T is the highest of the three companies and could be seen as favorable to its audience. However, with the lowest mentions, interactions, and shares, we can see that people are not talking or interacting with the company even though the company has the widest reach.