How to Combine SEO and CRO for the Ultimate Lead Generation Strategy
If there's something that a lot of online marketers have in common, it's that we desire more leads.
Sure, not all leads are great. Some are even downright unqualified. But leads are what drive business, and as a result, many of us are held liable for creating more of them.
Out of all of the list building strategies out there, there's one that I find particularly effective: search engine optimization (SEO) and conversion rate optimization (CRO) working together.
While this may seem apparent, you 'd be surprised how many marketing groups are truly proficient at one or the other, but stop working to find the balance between both.
Below, I'll share why it's important to discover alignment in between SEO and CRO, and how to do it so that both of these functions collaborate to drive certified leads for your business.
SEO and CRO: Why you can't have one without the other
Being discoverable is more crucial than it's ever been. If a prospective purchaser can't discover your organization online, there's a great chance that you're leading them right into the arms of your rivals.
By now, most organizations understand the importance of having a presence in organic search results. SEO is more than just a buzzword, it's an offered. And it's crucial to growing brand awareness and driving traffic to your site.
There's a catch.
Traffic does not magically turn into paying customers and revenue. Are your web pages optimized to assist the user towards an action?
Traffic without conversions is basically just a vanity metric. CRO is the piece that ties all of it together.
Simply put, conversion rate optimization is the procedure of optimizing a web page to lead a user toward a preferred action. Generally, this action can be found in the kind of a conversion. This can be a demonstration demand, e-mail newsletter sign up, webinar registration-- you get the essence.
The idea here is to attract the user to move even more down the marketing funnel in some way.
SEO is what brings individuals to your site and CRO is what gets them to convert.
It seems like a match made in marketing paradise, but accomplishing alignment is typically easier said than done.
Start with a strong SEO structure
I could write countless words on what it requires to build a strong SEO structure for your website, however that's not what this short article is about. With that being said, a conversation about the relationship in between SEO and CRO wouldn't be total without a mention of it.
Previously, I said you can't have SEO without CRO. This goes both methods.
Plus, experimentation and screening is a huge part of what makes CRO so effective. It can be tough to run tests if your website doesn't get a healthy amount of traffic.
A successful SEO method fuels the inbound marketing engine to bring new prospective purchasers to your site on a regular basis. With SEO, your whole marketing group might be on PTO for a week and your site will still be creating traffic by itself.
If you're still working to develop an effective SEO strategy, there are many SEO resources that are available to you.
Be intentional about your material
Content and SEO go together.
When a purchaser goes to an online search engine, they want to discover material that brings them a response to their question.
Although this approach to content creation is effective at creating natural traffic, often we forget to think of how a piece can drive impact beyond just ranking primary for a keyword.
CRO doesn't just apply to landing pages or core options pages. There are components of CRO that apply to your long-from content as well.
When strategizing topic concepts and doing keyword research, appoint a goal to every piece of content that you release. Ask yourself, "what action do I desire the reader to take when they land on this page?"
Build this goal into your Great site material calendar and incorporate it as a call-to-action (CTA) on each page that you release.
As always, bear in mind the reader and their position in the funnel. Somebody that lands on "The Newbie's Guide to Marketing Automation" most likely isn't all set for a live demo just.
Rather, guide that reader toward a less intimidating action, such as registering for your email newsletter. A great CTA shouldn't feel spammy or overly promotional, it must provide additional value to the reader overall.
Following this process forces you to think beyond just traffic-- you're focusing on conversions before you even hit the "publish" button.
Test, optimize, and repeat
User experience (UX) is at the heart of both SEO and CRO.
If your website is slow, glitchy, and tough to navigate, it's going to adversely impact both traffic and conversions. The objective is to constantly fine-tune your website to make sure that anyone who arrive at it has a smooth surfing experience-- consequently increasing their likelihood to convert.
This is why split testing is so essential.
Split screening, in some cases described as A/B screening, is the process of screening several variations of a web page to determine which one converts at a greater rate. This is a core practice among marketers who concentrate on CRO. You can evaluate various types of lead types, CTA buttons, copy variants, and even page layouts.
Here's an example of a split test in between a single and multi-step lead form:
Some SEOs might be hesitant to run split tests since they fret it will adversely affect natural rankings. The fact is that Google not just motivates testing, however it even has its own tool that helps marketers to run split tests.
As long as you're following Google's web designer standards, you need to see no significant negative influence on natural traffic due to screening.
It's also worth keeping in mind that you can't reach statistical significance in your split tests without a big enough sample size. Simply put, you require traffic to have accurate test results.
There's no set rule for what counts as "enough traffic" however the basic consensus is that your web visitors need to remain in the thousands, at least. I recommend using this sample size calculator tool to get a much better idea of a number that's distinct to your website.
This is yet another example of how closely intertwined SEO and CRO genuinely are. Earlier we discussed how essential it is to begin with a strong structure in SEO, now you know how it fits into the larger picture.
The common thread here?
CRO and SEO have a symbiotic relationship. What's good for one is good for the other. And both are pursuing the exact same typical goal of producing revenue.
Recognize marketing funnel spaces
When looking at the huge photo of your inbound marketing efforts, SEO and CRO can assist you identify and fix any gaps in your funnel.
Let's state you have an item page that ranks # 1 for its main keyword and creates great deals of traffic. When you dig into the conversion data, you observe that just a small portion of users that land on that page really convert.
This is a red flag that something is off with the page.
It could be the messaging, the offer, or the lead type. Just because it works for Google does not indicate it's working for your audience. And their viewpoint is the only one that matters.
This goes the other way around too.
State you have a product page that's transforming at a high rate, but you notice that it is among the lowest-trafficked pages on your website. This must inform you to review the content on that page and determine chances to re-optimize it. If you don't, there are likely numerous potential conversions that you're missing out on.
Final thoughts
SEO and CRO is kind of like the digital marketing variation of the chicken and the egg. You can't be really proficient at one without the other.
Realistically, it doesn't matter what came first. What does matter is achieving positioning in between these 2 key marketing methods. By doing so, your site has the potential to end up being a major motorist of leads and earnings for your service.