Is position 2 on the first page of Google good enough?

Or would hiring an SEO and a #1 position be worth the investment?

If you haven’t already, read the prologue to this post. If you don’t want to bother, then here’s a bit of info to set the stage.

In that post I showed how chiropractors in Scotts Valley were just about rendered invisible because Google bestowed a “Site Links” blessing on another chiropractor in town for the query “Scotts Valley chiropractic.” Dr. Hinde, though in position 2, looked like a mere mortal, while Dr. Thibodeau apparently achieved sainthood. On other queries, though, all chiropractors appeared to be on an equal playing ground, yet Dr. Thibodeau still reigned supreme.

This post answers the question, should Dr. Hinde in position 2 for the more popular and lucrative keyword “chiropractor” try for position 1? He also commands the first THREE positions for “Scotts Valley chiropractic office.” Is that enough?

And what about the other chiropractors further down the page and on other pages? Is it worth their time and investment in SEO to try to improve their rank in Google?

Where oh where can I find a Scotts Valley chiropractor?

If you read my previous blog post on where people are going to find local businesses, you’ll know that most are searching online and less in print Yellow Pages, and this is even more true if your market is under 35. Read those statistics there.

You can also read about eye tracking studies that revealed where on the page they look and where they click.

That said, most people looking for a Scotts Valley chiropractor are looking online but don’t even get past the first 3 or 4 results before they make a decision to click or call.

How are Scotts Valley chiropractors stacking up?

I did some research and found these chiropractors in Scotts Valley. Note their position and also note how many Santa Cruz chiropractors – yes, I said “Santa Cruz,” as in a different town – are outranking most of those in Scotts Valley.

I’m showing the results for Google Places instead of organic SEO and website listings because most chiropractors didn’t  even have a website to show up there!

Scotts Valley doctors are in blue and bold.

Query “Scotts Valley chiropractor”

You may be wondering why Dr. Hinde holds so many places in Google Places. This is because he has multiple Place accounts, something I would not advise for a variety of reasons, but I’m not going to get into that here.

The question is, should Dr. Hinde try to move up?

And what about the other doctors? Are their positions good enough?

While we’d all love to be #1 for ALL our keywords, sometimes it’s an unrealistic goal. Here are some things to think about when considering whether or not to optimize your position in the search engines…

Factors that should influence your SEO investment decision

• Where are you now? Are you invisible? Or are you positioned well enough that you are getting enough business from search?
• How much competition do you have and what will it take to outrank them? Besides numbers, I look at how much SEO your competitors are engaged in and how far ahead they are.
• That determined, how much time and expense will it take to get there?
• If you got a higher rank and more calls, can you handle the extra business or are you busy enough?
• How much ROI can you expect from your SEO investment?

So what about Dr. Hinde?

At a quick glance, unless Dr. Hinde is hurting for businesses, I might tell him to not bother. He’s also ranking very well for other keyword queries. He’s sitting pretty, and pretty may be good enough.

I might just tell him to take his family on a vacation instead of spending it on SEO.

On the other hand, I always tell everyone that there is also the danger of competitors overtaking you as they start to get involved in SEO.

So while Dr. Hinde may be sitting pretty today, next month it may start to look pretty ugly. It’s always good to stay alert and to keep moving forward if your budget allows.

It’s the other Scotts Valley chiropractors who need a nudge.

If you reviewed the eye tracking studies mentioned above, you’ll know that the further you go down the page, the less chance you have of getting the click.

So, applying the heatmap to this “scotts valley chiropractor” query for Google Places, who here could benefit from some optimization on their Google Places listing?

Dr. Sutton has left the area, but Living Health Chiropractic and Dr. McNabb, I’m speaking to you, if your schedule is not full, a climb to a better position can help.

This is even more true for the other doctors referenced in the chart above that fall back as far as PAGE 4 and are not being seen AT ALL!

They are giving up business to the neighboring town of Santa Cruz!

Little competition means easy wins.

It doesn’t take much time and research to see that the little town of Scotts Valley doesn’t have many chiropractors. In fact, they’d all fit on the first page. So why aren’t they?

In this case, it’s easy to see why they aren’t positioned well.

Dr. McNabb has had very little SEO done on his site, and what was done needs to be improved.

Can he overtake Dr. Hinde with a little effort? No, because Dr. Hinde is way ahead. But if Dr. McNabb doesn’t improve what he has, he will undoubtedly lose rank as others start optimizing their listings because, coming from an SEO, he is easy to outrank.

Living Health Chiropractic doesn’t even have a website, so they need to start there.

This is true of all the other chiropractors in Scotts Valley as well. None of them have websites!

Perhaps they all need to read this to find out where MOST people are looking for them – and it isn’t the print Yellow Pages anymore. They need a better online presence!

But maybe they don’t care.

Maybe calls they get from the Yellow Pages or from referrals are enough. However, I can’t help but wonder…

Do these Scotts Valley chiropractors know how easy it would be for them to get to page one?

I don’t think those chiropractors realize that getting to the first page in a low-competition market isn’t all that hard. You don’t need a big, expensive website to rank well and you don’t need that to make sales either. A simple website and some modest Google Places and website optimization is all these chiropractors need.

Without it, they are without a doubt losing business to not only their local competitors, but those in nearby towns!

How about you? Is your local business missing out an easy win?

I hate to see things like this – local businesses missing out on opportunities particularly in cases like this where I see clear evidence that it would not be hard to get all these doctors on the first page.

But rank is not all there is. My motto here at Kat & Mouse is, “We chase customers, not rank.”

And now we’ve hit upon my soapbox and the answer to the question posed in this blog’s title – “Would hiring an SEO and #1 position be worth the investment?”

And the answer is…

Being on the first page is only one piece of the puzzle!

It’s important to get people to your website for sure, but if your website turns them away instead of inviting them in, and doesn’t convert your visitors into customers, then what’s the point?

If that happens to you, your investment in SEO could be a complete waste.

So if you’re going to invest in SEO, make sure you hire an expert who has their priorities straight and knows how to deliver you customers, not just rank. Then and only then, will it be a good investment for you.

To your success!
Kat

• Author
• Recent Posts

Kat

Top Kat at Kat & Mouse Co.

Kathy (aka Kat) is one of the internet's original Digital Divas and freely shares her expertise in the fields of web design, SEO, Local SEO, social media marketing, content development, PPC, and conversion optimization to help businesses succeed online. Sadly, she's allergic to cats.

Latest posts by Kat (see all)

• How to get reviews using QR codes and boost your rank in Google - November 14, 2023
• How to Improve Behavioral Signals on Your GBP to Help Rank - May 14, 2023
• Yelp Is Hiding My Reviews. What Can I Do? - March 12, 2020

Related posts:

SEO site audit: Local businesses need to stay out of the ocean and keep to the pond. SEO site audit: 7 essential steps for optimizing a local consulting business to show up in Google’s Lucky 7 Pak Part 3: Where people are looking to find a local business Site audit: Helping a vacation rental company get off the PPC treadmill