6 August 2019 SEO
Organic traffic. Paid traffic. Direct traffic. Beginners to SEO easily become confused by the terminology. In a nutshell, the primary objective of search engine optimisation (SEO) is to boost organic traffic to a website (or particular webpage). Like greater footfall in a brick-and-mortar business, more visitors can lead to more leads and more sales.
But what even is organic traffic? How are organic traffic and SEO related? And what are the top SEO strategies you can use to boost organic traffic?
As a premier SEO agency in Gold Coast, we're revealing our insider knowledge and secrets about the power of SEO. Read on to learn more.
In this article we'll look at the below questions about SEO:
Organic traffic refers to the number of visitors from unpaid search engine results arriving on your website. That means you didn't pay for an advert that the visitor clicked on. Usually, organic visitors search for a specific term, and your website appears high on the search engine results page (SERP). The higher you appear, the more clicks you receive.
Search engine optimisation (SEO) is the art of boosting your ranking to generate more clicks without paying for an advert.
The other form of search traffic is paid traffic. These visitors come from pay-per-click (PPC) advertising. Businesses bid for search terms to appear near the top of the search results. Direct traffic, meanwhile, refers to visitors who type your website URL directly into the search bar.
Picture a shop that gets no visitors. When you walk in, there's no one browsing the shelves or speaking to the shop assistant. Would you consider it successful? Probably not. The more people walking around, the more likely (we assume) that the shop is popular and that someone is going to purchase a product.
The same is true online.
Organic traffic is the digital equivalent of footfall. Unlike paid traffic, which comes from advertisements, organic traffic is generated through effective search engine optimisation (SEO) and provides a more sustainable, cost-effective approach.
According to BrightEdge Research organic search drives 53% of website traffic. Moreover, because these individuals actively chose to engage with your brand (and searched for related terms), they have higher engagement rates. Indeed, First Page Sage's research indicates that SEO results in a much higher conversion rate for both B2C and B2B websites. It's something we've seen ourselves as a Gold Coast SEO Agency.
Prioritising organic traffic through SEO, therefore, not only enhances visibility but also increases the chance of converting browsers into buyers.
SEO isn't just a "nice-to-have;" it's essential. Unless you've got a steady stream of new organic visitors coming to your site, you're unlikely to see significant traction. Consider these key benefits of SEO:
- Increased Visibility: SEO helps your website rank higher in search engine results, leading to greater exposure.
- Cost-Effectiveness: Unlike paid advertising, organic traffic from SEO doesn't require ongoing costs per click.
- Higher Quality Traffic: SEO attracts users who are actively searching for your products or services.
- Long-Term Growth: SEO results can be sustainable and built over time, offering long-term benefits.
- Increased Credibility and Trust: Websites ranking high in search results are often perceived as more credible by users.
- Better Conversion Rates: Users coming from organic search are often more targeted, leading to higher conversion rates.
- Adaptability to Market Changes: SEO strategies can be adjusted to keep pace with changing market trends and search engine algorithms.
SEO is, by far and away, the best option for boosting organic traffic. Solely focused on improving your search engine ranking, it helps you target browsers already interested in your brand and other related topics.
But what's the best way to increase organic traffic and get more visits to your website? Here are some key strategies:
1. Publish Content People Want to Read
Hearing what many SEO services on the Gold Coast say, you'd think SEO was magic. It's not. For years, Google has been telling people it's just a matter of writing content people want to read.
2. Target the Right Keywords
Keywords aren't some secret hacks. They're simply how browsers find your content. Use tools like Google's Keyword Planner, SEMRush or Ahrefs Keyword Tracker to identify high-ranking keywords. You'll want to balance search volume (i.e., how many people use a keyword) with competitiveness (i.e., how many people want to rank for a keyword).
Don't just go after the highest volume keywords – add some slightly easier keywords into the mix. Indeed, "long-tail keywords" won't generate as much organic traffic. However, customers searching for the "best real estate lawyer in Brisbane" are more likely to purchase your service than those searching for the "best lawyer."
3. Build an Easy-to-Use Website
Content is one pillar of our Gold Coast SEO services; the other is technical SEO. Your site should load quickly and be easy to navigate. That includes:
- Load Time: Your website should load quickly to provide an optimal user experience and improve search engine rankings.
- Logical Page Titles: Each page should have a clear and descriptive title that aligns with its content.
- Intuitive Navigation: Design your site's structure so users can easily find what they want. This includes a well-organised menu, clear categories, and a helpful search feature.
- Mobile-Friendly Interface: Navigation on mobile should be intuitive, with easy-to-tap buttons and readable text.
4. Generate Backlinks
Backlinks are the best way to skyrocket your ranking (they're a top-ranking factor). However, they are also the hardest to generate. A backlink is a hyperlink from a third-party site to your website.
Known as "off-page SEO," the easiest solution is to create high-authority content fellow companies want to link to. But you can also contact people, asking them to include a backlink.
For more information about our SEO services Gold Coast, please get in touch. As an experienced SEO agency helping businesses on the Gold Coast and nationwide grow online, we're ready to take your organic traffic to the next level. Contact us today.
