Learn how we helped our major supplement client regain Google page one search rankings
Paying attention to Google search results and page rank are critical to ensuring marketing and sales success within the supplement and health domains.
As a search and SEO agency for supplement clients, the Know Agency team regularly monitors client Google rankings and search engine results. And last year, for one of our major supplement clients, we noticed volatility in their keyword rankings and search results.
In this article we show you what happened with our client’s Google search engine results and the steps we took to help our client regain ranking on page one of Google’s search results.
The Scenario: Google Page One Keyword Volatility for a Major Supplement Company
Working with a major supplement company requires almost daily keyword research.
The Know Agency team felt there was a shift in what we were seeing on page one of the Google search results. However, we needed data to confirm our gut feeling and to determine the best approach to solving this keyword volatility.
With volatility in how Google ranks and rates YMYL content, companies must always be monitoring how their content is ranking and the changes in this ranking from month-to-month.
We know that supplement and health companies are under scrutiny both by Google’s human quality search raters and its focus on expertise, authority, and trust (E-A-T) with the medic algorithm update.
The Study: Know Agency and BrightEdge Partner to Learn Why Supplement Keywords Dropped Off Page One
It’s critical to never make changes without understanding what is really happening with SEO, search, and keywords. So, we contacted our representative at BrightEdge to discuss what we were seeing.
Fortunately, we have a long-standing relationship with BrightEdge, and they agreed to dig deeper into the search and keyword data to determine if our gut feeling about keyword volatility for our supplement client was correct.
Using BrightEdge’s share of voice, we saw data that clearly showed a major shift in vitamin related keywords during the week of August 29, 2021.
As you can see in the graph, prior to this time, WebMD was the dominant search result for vitamin related keywords.
Then during the week of August 29, 2021, WebMD search results for vitamin related keywords and phrases dropped dramatically from page one of Google’s search results.
And interestingly, Amazon saw a major boom in its rankings for the same keywords. Healthline and CVS also saw an increase, however Amazon is the clear winner in dominating the SERPs from August 29 and moving forward.
Keyword and SEO Strategy Recommendations to Regain Google Page One Ranking
We know we cannot compete with Amazon’s power. The Know Agency team decided the best approach to regain Google page one ranking for our major supplement client was to look for other keyword and search opportunities.
Here is what we did to regain page one ranking and why:
- Focus on long tail keyword opportunities: long tail keywords have less search volume, but they gave our client more opportunity to rank on page one of the Google SERPs.
Using BrightEdge’s DataCube, we researched longtail keyword opportunities to find those that gave us the best opportunities to regain page one rankings.
- Page optimization: with the new long tail keywords, we optimized the pages to better capture those keywords.
It’s important to remember that Google has strict E-A-T standards for companies in the YMYL space. For this reason, we wanted to ensure these keywords and content met user search intent and provided a positive page experience.
The good news is these changes resulted in an increase in SERP rankings for our supplement client during the holiday season. While the SERPs still remain volatile for the supplement and health domains, this keyword strategy is performing better for our client and resulting in more traffic.
There are no guarantees with search and SEO but the best way to build a resilient and successful search strategy is by paying attention to what Google is showing you.
Is there a drop in your Google ranking? If so, when did this happen, and can you correlate the drop to any changes you made on your website or with your digital marketing strategy?
When was the last time you reviewed your keywords? Remember, keyword research is not static, you need to pay attention to which keywords are ranking and how these rankings are changing over time.
What questions and problems do your customers have? Are your customers still searching for the same types of supplements? Instead of immune health products, have they switched focus to protein powders or exercise supplements?
Make sure your content and technical SEO addresses any changes in search intent and how Google is ranking keywords.
Contact me, to discuss your search goals and how my expertise in search and SEO for supplement companies can help you get the visibility and page ranking you want.
Keep reading about supplements, SEO, E-A-T, and Google:
- On-Page SEO Checklist: Supplements and Natural Products Companies – Help Your Website Get Found and Noticed by Google
- Supplement Sales are Spiking During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Is Your Website Ready to Support this Boom in Sales and Search Traffic?
Connect with me on LinkedIn to stay updated with my latest articles about search, SEO, E-A-T, and Google for supplements brands and to read the articles I’m sharing with the Know Agency team about search and SEO.
About the author
Jane Phelps is the CEO/Partner at Know Agency. Jane leads client SEO strategy and handles all aspects of in-house SEO demands. This includes providing SEO training, competitive analysis, keyword research, algorithm analysis, and the review of all new content to ensure SEO best-practices are followed. Jane holds a Master’s Certificate in Online Marketing from the University of San Francisco and is BrightEdge Certified.
