If you're investing time and resources into search engine optimization (SEO) to drive more organic traffic to your website, that's great. But traffic alone doesn't pay the bills. To see a return on your SEO efforts, you need that traffic to convert into leads, sales, and revenue for your business.
That's where your SEO conversion rate comes in. Your SEO conversion rate measures the percentage of your organic search traffic that takes a desired action on your website, such as filling out a form, signing up for a free trial, making a purchase, or calling your business.
Improving your SEO conversion rate is one of the most effective ways to get more value out of your existing traffic and SEO campaigns. Even small conversion rate increases can have a big impact on your bottom line.
In this post, we'll dive into what a good SEO conversion rate looks like, and proven strategies you can implement to start converting more of your organic traffic into customers. Let's get started!
What is a Good SEO Conversion Rate?
First, it's important to understand how to calculate your SEO conversion rate. The formula is simple:
SEO Conversion Rate = (Number of Organic Conversions / Organic Search Traffic) x 100
For example, if your website gets 10,000 organic visits per month and 100 of those visitors convert, your SEO conversion rate would be 1%.
So what's a good benchmark to aim for? SEO conversion rates vary widely by industry and business model, but here are some general guidelines:
- 1-2%: Average SEO conversion rate
- 2-5%: Good SEO conversion rate
- 5%+: Excellent SEO conversion rate
However, the most important benchmark is your own historical performance. Focus on implementing CRO best practices to continuously improve your own SEO conversion rate over time.
8 Proven Ways to Increase Your SEO Conversion Rate
Ready to turn more of your hard-earned organic traffic into revenue? Here are 8 proven conversion rate optimization (CRO) tactics to try:
1. Align Your Content With Search Intent
One of the most important factors in SEO conversions is search intent - the reason behind a user's search query. If your content doesn't match what searchers are actually looking for, they'll quickly bounce from your site.
Do keyword research to understand what types of content will best satisfy search intent at different stages of the buyer's journey. Create informational content for top-of-funnel keywords, and more conversion-focused pages for bottom-of-funnel commercial intent keywords.
2. Optimize Your Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
Your calls-to-action tell visitors what action to take next. They need to be clear, compelling, and strategically placed to drive conversions.
Some CTA best practices include:
- Use action-oriented text that creates a sense of urgency
- Make CTAs visually prominent with contrasting colors and placement above-the-fold
- Test different CTA variations to optimize click-through rates
3. Simplify Your Forms
If your conversion goal involves a form submission, keep your forms as short and simple as possible. Only ask for the information you really need.
Consider breaking longer forms into multiple steps, and leverage social autofill and inline form validation to reduce friction. Test removing non-essential form fields to increase completion rates.
4. Leverage Social Proof
Social proof is a powerful psychological principle. When people see that others have had a positive experience with your brand, they're more likely to convert themselves.
Incorporate customer reviews, testimonials, trust badges, and social media proof points throughout your website and landing pages to build trust and credibility with organic traffic.
5. Improve Page Load Speed
Page load time is not only an important Google ranking factor, it also has a major impact on user experience and conversions. Nearly 70% of consumers say page speed impacts their willingness to buy from an online retailer.
Compress images, minify code, leverage browser caching and a content delivery network (CDN) to improve page load times. Aim for pages that load in under 3 seconds.
6. Create Dedicated Landing Pages
Conversion-optimized landing pages are focused on a single customer action. They eliminate distractions and make it crystal clear what the visitor should do next.
Create dedicated SEO landing pages that match specific search queries and guide users towards your conversion goal. Keep your messaging tightly aligned from the search results page through to the conversion point.
7. A/B Test Your Pages
A/B testing allows you to experiment with different page variations to determine which drives the most conversions. You can test elements like headlines, images, copy, forms, and CTAs.
Use an A/B testing tool to split traffic between two versions of a page and track which one performs better. Incorporate the winning elements into your page to improve SEO conversions over time.
8. Analyze Your Analytics
Digging into your website analytics can provide valuable insights into how organic traffic is navigating your site and where you may be losing potential conversions.
Use Google Analytics to set up conversion tracking and analyze your organic traffic patterns. Look at metrics like bounce rate, time on page, and user flow to identify potential roadblocks or drop-off points in the conversion process.
Real-World SEO Conversion Rate Optimization Examples
Need some inspiration? Check out these SEO conversion rate case studies from real businesses:
- Moz increased organic traffic conversions by 52% by redesigning their SEO landing pages based on user feedback and A/B testing different variations.
- HubSpot increased lead conversions by 55% by creating topic clusters of pillar content to better match search intent at different stages of the buyer's journey.
- Backlinko boosted organic traffic by 110% by optimizing existing content and building high-quality backlinks with the Skyscraper Technique.
- Shopify doubled organic search conversions by improving page load speed and implementing technical SEO best practices sitewide.
Boost Your Bottom Line By Optimizing SEO Conversions
Driving organic traffic to your website is only half the battle. By implementing these proven CRO tactics, you can turn more of those visitors into leads and customers.
Remember, even incremental conversion rate increases can have a big impact on your revenue over time. Stay focused on continuous optimization and let your analytics be your guide.
With a commitment to CRO, you can maximize the value of your SEO efforts and watch your organic conversions and revenue grow.
Happy optimizing!
