From SEO to Conversion: How to Marry SEO and Conversion Rate Optimization for e-Commerce Sites
As business owners work to strengthen their presence in the digital landscape, they continue to adopt digital marketing strategies that aim to improve their search engine results page (SERP) rankings. But these don’t always have the hoped for results. Some business owners and digital marketers make the mistake of focusing too much on rankings and not enough on conversions.
The disconnect between search engine optimization (SEO) and conversion rate optimization (CRO) leads to ineffective strategies that offer limited value to the business. CRO is one of the most effective ways of increasing revenue online. When it is left out of the equation or when it isn’t married to SEO services strategies, you run the risk of missing out on valuable opportunities for your site. These opportunities can range anywhere, from increased transactions to improved customer retention.
Find out how SEO and CRO are essential to each other to understand why their marriage is important for your long-term business strategy.
The Disconnect Between SEO and CRO
The success of your online business lies in how well your strategies are interconnected with each other. When your SEO focuses solely on your discoverability and ranking on SERPs, you will likely fail to convert valuable leads into loyal customers. Alternatively, focusing solely on your CRO often results in the failure to expand your existing customer base which leads to a limited pool of potential customers.
The Assumption that SEO and CRO are Mutually Exclusive
The ultimate goal of CRO is to convert your existing website traffic into customers. This is accomplished through various means, from targeted landing pages to enticing CTAs. However, limiting your CRO strategy to these means you can only convert leads from a select number of visitors. When you don’t have strategies to reach new potential customers, you fail to generate valuable leads. A loyal customer base is not enough to further grow your business.
The ultimate goal of SEO is to increase traffic to your website. This is accomplished through various white label SEO techniques, from a well-designed website to authoritative content to locally relevant keywords. But when there is no directive on your web pages, visitors will likely leave without doing anything for your business except increasing its click-through rates. This creates a scenario where you regularly experience high traffic but your conversion rates fall behind.
Some SEO tactics have little to no impact on CRO and vice versa. However, thinking they are mutually exclusive creates an imbalance in your digital marketing strategy. When executed properly, the two significantly impact each other.
How to Marry SEO with CRO
image source: https://moz.com/blog/what-happens-when-seo-and-cro-conflict
Marrying your SEO strategy with your CRO strategy is a matter of understanding where they meet. As mentioned, there are some strategies that have little to no impact on either optimization solutions. By familiarizing yourself with where they connect, you are able to develop strategies that improve the other’s strengths.
Use your analytics data to define your goals.
Your SEO strategies give you access to valuable data regarding your website’s visitors. The information from SEO tells you their search queries and where they are on their consumer journey. By reviewing this data, you can determine how to encourage your visitors to take action on your website.
Additionally, your analytics data helps in defining your short and long-term goals for your digital marketing strategy. Use the information to create landing pages that meet your visitors at specific stages in their consumer journey. Whether this is to encourage inquiries or to promote in-store visits, your data allows you to make informed changes to your SEO and CRO strategies.
Prepare your web pages for your targeted audience.
A well-made website is instrumental in generating and converting valuable leads. Any page on your website can be transformed into a landing page. It is only a matter of revamping them to meet the goals you’ve set out to accomplish.
Use a website design that is aesthetically pleasing and fully functional.
Good website design combines aesthetic value with functionality. As the digital representation of your brick and mortar store, your website should reflect your brand values. Design it to be user-friendly and easy to navigate to encourage visitors to browse your other pages. Additionally, improve load time and speed so visitors will stick around. Outsource your website design to experienced developers for professional results.
Post content that is informative and relevant to your target audience.
The content you publish on your website—from the actual text to images and videos— is essential in improving conversion rates. Well-written content is able to encourage visitors to take action on the page they’re on, whether this is to register for your newsletter or to purchase a product. Use the data from your analytics to craft specific content. For example, write blog articles that answer specific search queries about your industry, products, or services. By doing so, your visitors see you as an authority on the subject which builds trust. When done correctly, your content has the potential to effectively increase conversion rates.
Craft an enticing call to action for your website visitors.
The “call to action” (CTA) on your web pages varies depending on where your visitor is on their customer journey.
- Do you want them to sign-up or subscribe to a newsletter or alerts?
- Do you want them to browse your service list or product catalog?
- Do you want them to book an appointment for a consultation or meeting?
All of these actions are considered conversions. No matter which of these you utilize for your page, your CTA should be direct and unambiguous. Otherwise, they might choose to exit the page without doing anything other than reading the content there.
Regularly test your strategies to determine their effectiveness.
There is no guarantee that all of the changes you implement to your strategy will be effective. Much like with any new tactic, there will be failures along with your successes. Determining which ones work for your business helps you develop a strategy that is optimized for your growth and success. Failing to do so will lead to problems that will likely affect your long-term business performance. For example, you might spend an exorbitant amount on an SEO strategy that offers little value to your bottom line.
Regularly conducting full funnel testing allows you to see how the combination of SEO and CRO strategies impact your business. Using the information you gather, you can make the necessary changes without completely overhauling your digital marketing strategy.
The Advantages of Marrying SEO with CRO
When people look something up online, they likely have an idea of what they want to see. When visitors click on your link, they have an expectation regarding your business. When this isn’t met at first glance, they will likely exit the page.
By understanding what your visitor’s search intent is, you can develop strategies that connect your SEO with your CRO. Aside from this, you create advantages for your business to grow in the digital landscape.
Better Customer Insights
Once you’ve determined which strategies work, you get a better understanding of your potential and existing customers. This information is essential in helping you develop retention strategies for your e-commerce site. Using the data you’ve gathered, you improve your approach in generating, converting, and retaining valuable leads.
Better Scalability
The size of your target audience is not equal to your business growth. However, a good CRO and SEO strategy allows you to grow your business in a scalable way. This means developing your e-commerce site without having to worry about running out of resources and potential customers. Additionally, knowing which digital marketing tactics are ineffective allows you to save on time and resources that can now be redirected towards more valuable solutions.
Improved ROI
When you marry your SEO and CRO strategies, you get a clearer direction of how to approach your target audience. This leads to better conversions and improved ROI. With this, you have more resources to allocate towards other solutions that bring value to your business, whether this is traditional marketing collaterals or more Google Ads. Your digital marketing is a machine that needs to be updated and upgraded constantly; otherwise, you run the risk of falling behind the competition.
Enhanced Trust
Your e-commerce site is your digital storefront. By improving its appearance and features for your potential and existing customers, you build a positive reputation for your brand. When done properly, you create meaningful connections with your target audience and eventually foster trust in your brand.
With competition getting tougher on the digital landscape, every business needs to improve its digital marketing strategies. But his doesn’t mean adopting the latest solutions. Rather, it means looking at your existing strategies and determining where you can improve. By taking a strategic approach to lead generation, conversion, and retention, you create opportunities for your business to grow and develop in a scalable manner.
Remember, your SEO strategy needs to be married to your CRO strategy for a holistic digital marketing campaign. Both are needed to succeed in the digital landscape. Ranking high on SERPs is worthless when you can’t convert the visitors on your web pages.
Don’t miss out on valuable business opportunities. Develop a strategy that effectively combines SEO with CRO for a better and more competitive e-commerce site.
