As a business owner, you may have noticed that a listing in the Yellow Pages – even a full-page color ad – no longer brings you the number of customers it used to. That is because today’s yellow pages are really the world wide web. Today, people search for services on Google, and many never open – or even own – a copy of the yellow book.

SEO experts are making a killing online. They are paid hundreds of dollars every month to help clients bring their websites to the top of the search engines. However, most SEO experts will only help you with one thing – bringing your already-existing website to page one. What this means is that consumers have a 10% chance of clicking into your website.

While 10% is certainly better than the 0% you get by being on the second or third page of Google search), it still leaves something to be desired. Consider the full-page color ads that some businesses used to place in the Yellow Pages. The bigger the ad, the more likely they were to get customers. They were essentially taking over the search engine of the times.

The “DK is a Street Performer” study shows something new – something unheard of. Instead of bringing just one website to the top of the search engines, certain marketers are now able to bring MULTIPLE sites for one business to the top of the search engines – thereby increasing the chance that a consumer seeking the product will click on their site.

The more sites you have on the first page of Google for a specific search, the more likely you are to get traffic (or clicks) to your website. One site on the first page gives you a 1/10 chance of acquiring a new customer, while four sites would give you a 4/10 chance. One of the challengers in the dk-is-a-street-performer case study, Liane Carmi, was actually able to get to 8/10!

Because search engines like Google are constantly updating, sites on the first page of Google do not always stay there. For example, recent news and blog items tend to rank higher than older news items; however, marketers like Ms. Carmi are able to employ strategies that keep certain websites at the top of the page.

When asked about the challenge and how she was able to rank so well in comparison to her competitors, Ms. Carmi responded, “You have to take action, and keep taking action.” “The winner will be the person who remains consistent even after all other competitors have thrown in the towel.”

“Find someone who has experience with difficult online markets,” Ms. Carmi offered. “This is the person who can get you the highest rankings on the first page of Google.” Also, Ms. Carmi recommended getting extra help with your landing page. “In order to make sales, it takes more than a click – it takes knowing how to win the customer over. Most websites don’t do that.”

Want more information about the challenge and case study? Go to Google now and type “DK is a Street Performer.” The sites that come up may surprise you!