For Service Sites, having a phone number in meta description ALWAYS a good idea?
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If you have a site that offers a same day service, e.g. plumbing, electrical, computer support: do you think it would always be a good idea to stick the phone # in the meta description?
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YES!!!
This is critical and a common mistake many SEO's overlook. Make sure you use a number that is trackable so you can see the kind of return it generates and go from there.
You can even put it in the title, depending upon the circumstances. I have specific experience utilizing both of these methods and they both worked well for generating leads for my clients!
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Well, not for SEO purposes but for marketing yes. SEs do not count descriptions as a metric for rankings. However, for marketing, when someone sees your phone number, it may give them a higher level of confidence to click. Or they might just call instead of clicking?
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I've never seen a phone number in the title tag hurt rankings at all. In fact, there is a chance it adds relevancy to the query and could increase your rankings, possibly.
Beyond that, while the meta description is not used for rankings directly, I am of the personal belief that it does influence rankings using CTR.
Since we do not know every piece of the algo, I would venture to guess that Google uses CTR as a determining factor for rankings. So by providing a piece of content that could increase CTR, it could increase ranking.
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Hi David,
I said nothing about adding to the Title tag. I do all the time, more for the geotagging and in the about us or contact us pages.
Higher rankings through CTR is speculative at best, although I also believe this is probable. However, as I pointed out, this could make them call instead of click and that would GREATLY reduce your CTR and therefore your rankings if that metric were strong.
Is it a good idea, sure, why not. Will it helps rankings, I doubt it.
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A a user yes, I'll often use a phone number from the SERPS rather than click a page and David's idea to make it a trackable number is brilliant for justifing SEO efforts.
Also check out this post from Patrick Altoft on numbers showing up in rich snippets - http://www.blogstorm.co.uk/google-testing-phone-numbers-h1-tags-in-rich-snippets/
I've not seen it out in the wild yet but I'd say it's definitely worth doing.
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Richard, I disagree that SEO is just all about 'rankings'. Conversion is also a big part of SEO and in fact may be an indirect factor to rankings, since more visitors equates more natural links.......so yes, a higher conversion would be an seo WIN.
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Just to add though that I think having your phone number in the SERPS would result in less click throughs, so if CTR is or becomes an important factor (I don't think it is or Google wouldn't be trying to show more and more in the SERPS) but you're still going to get less visitors.
So if you rely on showing traffic to prove SEO is working go with David's idea of a trackable number.
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No, SEO is Search Engine Optimization which is to optimize for Search Engines. CRO is Conversion Rate Optimization, and that is different.
SEOs might work on both disciplines, but they are different.
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An SEO who does not optimize for conversions should be fired. That is their job. What good is a ranking if half the people do not click it because the SEO failed to use text that would convert. Getting rankings is only part of the battle. SEO's cannot be 1-dimensional, this industry is not meant for 1-dimensional people.
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ok, conversion is not click through rate, but converting to an sale, sign up, or other process. An SEO would actually do all of these things including probably SEM, SMM, and more which is NOT SEO!
Although David, I think you were talking about CTR and not CRO.
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Click through rate is part of conversion....you've successfully converted a visitor who is picking between 10 websites to click on yours.....by having a better meta description tag.......that's conversion.....
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No, that is not a conversion. You converted them to nothing they are still visiting. To convert is to change.
the act or an instance of converting or the process of being converted
Converting someone is the intent to make tangible contact. Purchase a product, sign up for an email list, get them to watch a video, contact the company. Something besides a static visitor. There has to be an interaction stronger than clicking on a pages within a website.
CTR is just that. Optimizing so you get the person onto the site. Once there, you try to convert them to [enter your goal for that visitor]
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Richard
That assumes that 'wanting to buy' is an off or on state inside a person's mind; there are stages in the buying process. A person is nudged along in the process by various techniques in each stage. In the service searches, most of the initial steps have been done for you; the need has been created, the customer NEEDS your service, the question is will they choose you or your competitors; That's where committment and consistency come into play. Get the customer to commit to your brand even a little bit and they're more likely to buy. Every step that you get the customer to take towards you is a step towards a sale, which is why clicking on your site is DEFINITELY a step towards that. So I would say yes CTR is a BIG part of Conversion Rate Optimization.
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Sure, say what you want. People say lots of things. You are talking about marketing which is NOT SEO. My original post did state that yes, it would not harm the site, which was your question. But to say that clicking a link in a SERP is conversion is not technically correct. Now if they call your number in your description, then yes, you converted them.
My ONLY issue was to that was the fact that you might reduce CTR as there is no need to click through, as I have the information I want and was converted.
That was all. People are mixing terms here and calling it all SEO. Which is incorrect as the acronym stand for Search Engine Optimization.
I am closing this out on my end,
Best of luck
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Always keep the phone number there. It's not going to give any SEO help, however it's good practise for marketing
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