Organic traffic refers to the visitors a website naturally attracts through its search engine ranking for specific keywords and phrases. This type of traffic holds particular significance for websites because it is generally regarded as high-quality and more valuable than traffic generated through paid advertising or alternative methods.
There are several compelling reasons why organic traffic is vital to a website’s success. First and foremost, organic traffic tends to be more precise and pertinent than other forms of traffic. When a user conducts a search using a particular keyword or phrase and lands on a page directly relevant to their query, they are more inclined to engage with the content and spend a longer time on the webpage. This, in turn, can lead to increased user interaction and potentially result in more conversions, such as sales or lead generation. (We want to avoid having a high bounce rate, as this can negatively impact on our website’s value as far as websites are concerned. When people come on to a website and leave quickly, that’s known as bounce.)
Organic traffic has the advantage of sustainability. While paid advertising can provide a short-term traffic boost, it often ceases, or dries up to a trickle once the advertising campaign concludes. In contrast, organic traffic has the potential to grow steadily over time as a website ascends in SERP rankings and attracts more visitors through search. This contributes to the establishment of a website as a trustworthy and authoritative source within its industry, fostering long-term success. (SERP rankings are Search Engine Results Pages.)
Another critical aspect of organic traffic is its perceived trustworthiness and credibility. High SERP rankings are a testament to a website’s quality and authority, which can instill trust in users. This is especially significant for websites selling products or services, as trust significantly influences consumer decision-making.
In summary, organic traffic is a cornerstone of website success. By optimising a website for search engines and attracting organic traffic through high-quality content and a robust SERP ranking, a website can enhance its visibility, credibility, and longevity, ultimately leading to sustained success.
Here are five methods to enhance your organic traffic:
- Optimise for Search Engines: Employ strategies such as using pertinent keywords in your website’s content and meta tags, using header tags effectively, and maintaining a well-structured, crawlable website. When I build a site, there are times when I forget to correctly structure my data, so I occasionally miss things like Headers etc. By putting them in correctly you will save time in the future. Don’t be lazy like me.
- Create Exceptional Content: High-quality, engaging content is a fundamental factor in attracting and retaining organic traffic. Valuable, informative, and entertaining content draws visitors and encourages their return. Blog posts are an ideal way to do this. If you write blogs over 1000-1500 words, that will massively help you in regards to search engines. Make sure you include information about where you are located in each blog. A few local blogs on landmarks in the area will help you no end. Support local businesses that support you. Say you’re a restaurant and use a greengrocer or local butcher, write a post about them, zap directions from your business to them in there, contact them and tell them you’ve blogged about them, and ask if they can give you a back-link from their site. Most people won’t and most will be confused but those who value these things, will REALLY benefit you with their response.
- Build Quality Backlinks: Search engines use backlinks to evaluate a website’s quality and authority. By securing backlinks from reputable websites, you can elevate your SERP ranking. For a quick demonstration: OSA Digital is a link onsite which helps bind the website together like a type of glue: If I have a link to my website for free music and set it up like this, that will indicate that the website’s purpose is to provide free music. I have also linked it to a specific page on the website rather than just putting it on the homepage, because it’s specifically designed to indicate music is on a music page. By having people link to you and linking to other people, you will improve the power of your website. Whenever it is crawled, or scanned by a search engine, they make a note of links, where they go and what they do. Onsite links where you go from page to page are great. They bind the site together like a well knit spider’s web. Links going offsite like my chanwalrus link provide value to that sector, as they are a referral or an endorsement. (Though there are instances where this is not so.) Links coming in to you provide value to you, and will help you stand out in SERPS.
- Optimise Website Loading Speed: A slow-loading website can deter visitors, so optimising your website’s loading speed is crucial for retaining visitors. We’ve worked hard to make sure the OSA Digital website loads fast, so we’ve cut back a lot on special effects and optimised images to ensure the website will be faster, which search engines prefer. – (Mainly because it cuts down on bounce!) If you’re using wordpress like us, I recommend Robin Image Optimiser. Just install it, run it, and then let it tick over in the background. Amazing plugin.
- Utilise Social Media Promotion: Promoting your website on social media platforms can attract visitors and improve your search engine rankings.
By implementing these strategies, you can enhance organic traffic to your website, ultimately driving more traffic, leads, and sales for your business. If this blog is helpful, please link back to it, share it on social media, and let us know! (I love being showered by praise!)
I’m the Head of Personnel for OSA Digital. Working hard to forge a new era in Digital Marketing.
For more information about me check my personal website: chanwalrus.com