💼 This Is Why Businesses Obsess Over Google Ranking Positions

📰 Industry News

• UK unemployment rate rose more than expected in February to 4.2%, raising fears of employers cutting staff amid high interest rates. (The Guardian)

• After announcing last week that Ted Baker’s European arm has fallen into administration, both Next and Frasers Group are circling for a potential acquisition. (This Is Money)

• British boot maker Dr Martens shares plunged around 30% on Tuesday to a record low as the brand warns of another tough year. (Yahoo Finance)

• Tesla cuts more than 10% of staff globally (15,000 jobs) as sales fall and Musk strives for cost reductions. Tesla’s stock has fallen around 31% so far this year. (Reuters)

• ASOS plunges to £120m loss as sales nosedive amid turnaround plans, as group sales drop 18%. (Retail Gazette)

• B&M has seen its full-year sales rise by 10.1% to £5.5 billion as it continues its focus on delivering everyday low prices. (The Retail Bulletin)

• Czech billionaire Daniel Křetínský has an initial offer rejected in a bid to buy IDS, the parent company of Royal Mail. According to a source, his team are working on a revised offer. (Reuters)

🖱️ How Your Search Rankings Influence Click-Through-Rate (2024)

As a former full-time SEO, if someone asked me where I would hide a body, my answer would be on page 2 of Google.

It should come as no surprise that ranking at the top position on page 1 of Google's Search Engine Results Page (SERP) can greatly enhance your SEO click-through rate (CTR). The question is, by how much?

As your brand or website rises to each position, you can expect substantial growth in the influx of visitors and customers to your site. Let’s look at the data.

What's at Stake in 2024?

Recent data from firstpage.com sheds light on why these organic positions are so coveted:

• 1st Position: Dominates with a CTR of 39.8%, more than double the rate of the next spot.

• 2nd Position: Holds a respectable 18.7% CTR.

• 3rd Position: Garners a solid 10.2%.

That means that the top 3 organic search results receive more than two-thirds (68.7%) of all clicks on the Google Search page.

Below the top three, CTRs drop sharply…

• 4th Search Position: 7.2%

• 5th Search Position: 5.1%

• 6th Search Position: 4.4%

• 7th Search Position: 3.0%

• 8th Search Position: 2.1%

• 9th Search Position: 1.9%

• Page 2: >1%. This is where I’d hide the body. Practically no one looks here.

Interestingly according to the data, ads perform similarly to lower-ranking organic results, with the first ad spot achieving a 2.1% CTR. This underscores the importance of a robust organic SEO strategy over-reliance on paid ads alone.

Outposts Opinion: Improving your SEO ranking is crucial as it boosts visibility, increases website traffic, and enhances your credibility. Look at what pages that rank above you have in terms of content, and do it better while building upon relevant keywords, ensuring mobile compatibility and enhancing user experience.

Remember, a strong SEO presence not only attracts more visitors but can significantly impact your business growth. It’s a long-term plan, but you must constantly refine your SEO strategies to remain competitive in the SERP battleground.

⚽ Google DeepMind Has Robots Playing Football

DeepMind, a UK-founded company acquired by Google in 2014, has made significant strides in the realm of AI and robotics.

Their focus has been on creating general embodied intelligence - developing AI agents capable of physical actions similar to those of animals or humans, with agility, dexterity, and a deep understanding of their environments.

Now, these robots can play football through dynamic movements, including walking, sidestepping, kicking, fall recovery, and ball interaction. It’s worth a watch, see the video below. 

💳 The UK’s Striving To Become Fintech Leader

In the wake of Brexit, the UK is doubling down on its ambitions to become a leading global hub for financial technology (fintech). According to recent data, FinTech is once again the best-funded start-up sector in the UK.

With strategic policy adjustments and incentives to enhance the sector, the UK is keen on leveraging its existing strengths despite the challenges brought about by its departure from the EU.

Key Developments:

• The UK Fintech Visa Scheme: The UK government plans to launch a visa scheme for fintech professionals. This initiative aims to address potential skills gaps resulting from Brexit and ensure the sector remains competitive on a global scale. This move aims to address concerns about retaining access to a skilled workforce.

• Crypto Regulation Reforms: There's a push to overhaul how the UK regulates crypto-assets. By proposing a more functional and technology-neutral regulatory approach, the UK aims to attract more blockchain-based fintech companies and stay ahead of international competitors, particularly from the EU.

• IPO and Public Listing Enhancements: The UK government wants to make the London Stock Exchange a more attractive place for fintech firms to go public. Proposals include adjusting the percentage of shares that must be held by public investors and introducing structures like dual-class shares to protect founders from hostile takeovers.

Outposts Opinion: The UK's proactive strategies are commendable. The British FinTech landscape is already strong, and creating a more inviting regulatory environment and providing targeted support, if executed correctly, will retain its current FinTech businesses but will also attract new start-ups.

💡 Hustlers Highlight

With news of the UK Fintech returning to being the most funded start-up sector in the UK, here’s a run down of the most funded UK industries by VCs in 2023:

1. Energy - $4bn

2. Fintech - $3.7bn

3. Health - $3.3bn

4. Transportation - $2.7bn

5. Enterprise Software - $1.8bn

6. Robotics - $931.9m

7. Food - $818.5m

8. Marketing - $753.3m

9. Semiconductors - $522.5m

10. Real Estate - $506.3m

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