The days are long gone when making a single tweak to a title tag could boost your site to the top of a search result. However, by efficiently utilising data science, it can eliminate much of the guesswork out of SEO.

According to Forbes, about 75% of users do not go past the first page on a SERP (Search Engine Results Page). This means that if your website is not on the first page of a Google search, then it simply won’t be found. And once you are on the first page, you will then need to fight for a place at the top of the results.

In the highly competitive world of SEO (Search Engine Optimisation), this can leave many businesses scratching their heads in terms of how to crack Google’s algorithms. This is where turning to an SEO company in Melbourne such as Newpath to fully utilise data science plays a crucial role for building an air-tight SEO strategy.

First, what exactly is ‘data science’?

Data science is a combination of algorithms, machine learning principles and tools that are designed to use raw data to detect and identify hidden patterns. In 2018, Forbes estimated that there were about 2.5 quintillion (yes, quintillion) bytes of data being created every single day.

That data is gold in the right hands when it comes to developing an SEO strategy.

Improving keyword research

A very common and extremely useful way to utilise this data is with generating keywords to determine which ones are going to be the most efficient. To determine the right keywords to use in relation to what your target customers are searching for, an in-depth analysis is required to fully understand their behaviours, browsing trends and search patterns.

An SEO strategy is not as simple as selecting keywords with the highest search volumes. Instead, a key tactic is to also search for keywords which your competitors don’t have a strong ranking for. This will help give you a strong footing and you can then start to target more competitive keywords. For the ultimate sweet spot, find and target keywords which have low competition yet high search volumes.

The importance of user behaviour

Google has always denied a correlation between keyword rankings and user behaviour, however, both must still be considered when it comes to developing an SEO strategy. This is because search engines utilise a lot of data science to evaluate user behaviour such as:

• Bounce rate
• Repeat visits
• CTR (Click-Through Rate)
• Time on site
• Pages per visit

There are many more methods which search engines use to measure user behaviour, but one of the most valuable methods is evaluating the average click-through rate of each visitor.

This is when a user clicks on a link when searching for something on a SERP and is sent to a web page. It measures the amount of clicks the link receives from the number of views the webpage receives. For example, if your webpage was in a search result 100 times yet the link was only clicked on 12 times, then the click-through rate would be 12%.

Data science tools such as Google Search Console (which is also free to use) are extremely useful for comparing your click-through rate for a particular webpage in relation to how it is ranking for a targeted keyword. Low scores will indicate which areas require your attention most. This could involve improving meta descriptions, optimising title tags and more.

Having the right resources and tools

For an effective SEO strategy that is data-driven, it is crucial to have access to the right resources and tools. SEO forecasting is never 100% correct, which is why having a data-driven approach is the best way to achieve a much more precise and accurate SEO strategy. Although tempting, it is never a good idea to double-down in the areas that you are already succeeding in – only filling the gaps with the right tools will create an air-tight SEO strategy.

Whether it is harvesting data from PPC (Pay-Per-Click) campaigns, bounce rates, competitor rankings or more, our team of SEO specialists have years of experience in creating tailored SEO strategies for our many clients.

Do you want to improve your SEO results yet don’t know where to start? If so, then contact Newpath Web, a leading search engine optimisation company in Melbourne, by calling 1300 761 806 or explore our website to find out how we can assist your needs today.