This is part of our Grain of SEO Gold Series for Jewelers--short SEO tidbits.
Do you ever search Google for the phrase "engagement ring" hoping that your website will appear?
What about searching for other phrases like "custom design engagement ring [Springfield]"?
You're probably pretty happy when you see your website appear for your important phrases. Maybe you've even clicked on one of your own links to see where it leads to within your website. After a quick look at your own site you may even click the back button to see your other SERP page competitors.
Take a moment and think about what was just explained.
1. You searched for a phrase.
2. You saw your website in the SERP.
3. You clicked on your own link.
4. You looked at your page.
5. You clicked the back button to look at your competitors.
This is a pretty natural course of action, but what you just did was "bounce" off your own website. Google counts how many people visit a website and click the back button. That action is called a "bounce" and the more you get, the lower your SERP rankings will go.
Do not bounce off your own site because it's like shooting your own foot off. Instead click a few more pages before typing "google.com" back into your address bar and starting your search again from scratch.
Oh, when you do get back to the SERP page, you should feel free to bounce off your competitor's site.
