There are dozens of ways to drive traffic to your website, including
paid search engine ads
social media
email marketing
and direct referrals.
However, organic traffic will always remain king.
It can be challenging to measure the exact ROI of organic rankings. It depends on how many users you acquire via organic search, the profit you make from each customer, and how much money you invested in your SEO campaigns or inbound marketing efforts.
However, one thing is clear: Organic traffic remains one of the best ways to
boost your ROI
get more leads
increase your sales
and improve your bottom line.
Today, I will talk about five incredible benefits of organic traffic and why you need to focus on getting organic traffic, from search engines as well as social media, instead of relying entirely on paid campaigns.
Let us get into it.
1. It Is Much More Sustainable and Cost-Efficient Than Ad Campaigns
Ad campaigns can bring in a positive ROI, but the reality is that organic traffic is more cost-efficient and more sustainable.
It can often be challenging to maintain a positive ROI when running search engine ads. Bidding prices fluctuate all the time, and they can increase as more people compete for that keyword. In addition, there are only a few sponsored spots on the first page of Google. The more coveted those spots get, the more they will cost.
The bidding game can be pretty tricky at times, as you have to find a fine line between earning a positive ROI and bidding too low to the point your ads don’t appear on the first page.
The total investment cost of organic traffic is much lower, however. The initial investment cost can vary, but it can be as little as paying a freelancer to write a single article or even writing one yourself. It may also involve hiring someone to conduct keyword research or investing in a subscription for a tool like SEMrush or some other keyword tool.
Once your page gets ranked for your target keyword, you won’t have to continue paying any money for that ranking. Of course, you may continue paying for a subscription to a keyword tool or for freelancers to pump out new content, but since you won’t have to pay for that keyword to rank, your ROI will be exponentially higher than with PPC ads. That makes it a more sustainable, long-term option.
Research shows that organic search results are 8.5x more likely to get clicked on than paid search results. While paid search results are somewhat higher to convert, this may be because they tend to be more optimized for conversions than organic traffic. In addition, the fact that organic search results are 8.5x more likely to get clicked on means that overall, you will get more conversions out of organic results.
2. It Gives Your Company Solid Branding and Credibility
I alluded to this in the previous section, but the fact is that organic search results tend to be trusted more. It gives you credibility and authority when your page shows up as one of the first results on Google. That’s because people know that Google will only show valuable, informative sites in those first few results.
Ads can work, but the reality is that many people online tend to gloss over ads and not pay too much attention to them, even if they are not using an ad-blocker (which many people are).
Organic search results are essential for branding as well. This includes not only organic search engine traffic but organic social media traffic as well. When your social media profiles have a lot of followers or when your social media posts are getting shared a lot, it boosts your credibility and helps improve your branding. Social signals boost your SEO rankings too.
3. It Can Destroy Your Competition
Can you destroy your competition with paid PPC ads? Not really. You can outbid your competitors, but who’s to say that they won’t have a larger budget and outbid you, so they get that first sponsored spot? In addition, outbidding your competitors can involve a lot of money.
However, dominating the organic search results can destroy your competition. Not only can a great SEO strategy land you on that first spot of Google, but if your SEO strategy is on point, you can even take up a few of those first spots.
Take the popular keyword “SEO,” for example. As of this writing, Moz ranks for the first two spots on Google (Google’s own site ranks for the third). You can even take up three of the results on the first page.
That will destroy your competition. When someone enters a search term into Google, and your page appears multiple times in the results, or even just in the first spot, your competitors won’t stand much of a chance. You will stand out as the clear authority in your niche, and more people will click on your search results and buy from you. You can also set the narrative in the niche simply by tweaking your meta title and description.
The same applies to social media, by the way. If you have a larger Facebook group or a more active and more popular Twitter profile, you will appear first in the search results on Facebook or Twitter for any specific keyword or hashtag you use in your posts. When someone searches for a hashtag on Twitter, Twitter shows them the top posts with the most engagement. The more followers you have, the more engagement your posts will get.
4. It Gives You a Consistent Flow of Potential Customers
One of the benefits of focusing on organic search is that it allows you to build up a steady flow of potential customers. These leads will come in even while you are not actively running ads or focusing on your SEO campaign.
That is one of the significant differences between PPC and SEO campaigns. With a PPC campaign, if you stop spending money on ads or simply don’t run a campaign, your traffic flow will stop. You need to constantly run ads and manage your campaigns to keep your traffic flow going.
SEO is the opposite. Sure, you do need to keep publishing quality content, or your website will eventually slip in the rankings as it becomes older and outdated. Google doesn’t like websites that have no updated information. In addition, you do need to keep focusing on getting backlinks.
If you are getting your organic traffic from social media, the same rule applies. You need to keep posting quality posts and engaging with your followers.
However, if you take a break from publishing posts for a while, it won’t do any long-term damage, as long as you eventually start publishing new content again without waiting too long. In the short term, it won’t matter much either. Even if you miss a week here or there, your existing posts that are ranking high will likely continue to rank, bringing in a steady flow of traffic.
That’s called passive income. Even if you take some time off of your blog to focus on other projects, you will still attract traffic and convert some of those traffic into sales. That’s the beauty of organic traffic, something that just isn’t possible with paid campaigns.
5. It Generates Targeted Leads
Most paid advertising platforms allow you to target who your ads are shown to. However, organic traffic allows for a level of targeting that can’t always be obtained when running paid ads.
With organic SEO, you can target specific keywords that will lead to higher conversions. You can be more targeted because you are reaching people who want to see organic content. Most people who search on Google do not want to see paid ad results, even if some of them click on it.
Your organic content, on the other hand, can be helpful and informative, reaching people who are interested in learning valuable, informative content. Not only that, but you can target buyer-intent keywords so that you get a constant stream of visitors who are ready to buy something.
For example, you can target a keyword like “the best coffee machine 2021.” People searching for that keyword are likely on the lookout for a coffee machine and are interested in buying one, but they first want an unbiased opinion on what the best coffee machine is. Perhaps they are looking for a list reviewing a few different coffee machines, and you can provide that to them.
Wrapping It Up
Paid search campaigns can help you improve your bottom line, and there’s no reason to stop using them if they are working for you. However, if you are not yet focusing on increasing your organic traffic, or if you have not put enough effort into your SEO campaigns, now is the time to start.
Yes, it may involve a bit of a learning curve, and you may have to adapt your strategy somewhat. However, the long-term benefits you will get out of it are well worth it.
Steve Scott is the CEO & Director of Training at the New York SEO Training Academy. He has taught SEO skills to people from around the world and currently offers his hands-on search engine optimization training workshops in New York to individuals and businesses of all sizes. Corporate SEO training classes and consulting are also available.
Any time a new update from Google comes around, people start migrating toward the idea of new SEO possibilities. Each time Google has announced a new program or feature, its typically a huge success! If you’re a professional with a website up and running, or a newbie just starting the process, you’re going to want to check this out! Leaving SEO professionals and business entrepreneurs flooding to find success, the New Google Search Console!
The New Google Search Console: The Basics
Often times, people begin to wonder why so many adjustments and updates are frequently being made to Google tools. “It’s a search engine, how come they haven’t gotten it right yet?”– Well, that’s a valid question. However, updates are completely necessary when it comes to the internet. Remember, things online are always changing, and it’s important (for search engines in particular) to keep up.
Did you know Google Search Console was also previously known as the Google Webmaster Tool? That’s right, in May of 2015, what was once known as Google Webmaster, was now the Google Search Console. Following that update, in the year of 2018, we were introduced to the Google Search Console we know and love today!
One of the most noteworthy factors of the Google Search Console you won’t soon forget, is that its completely free! “The New Google Search Console is a free service offered by Google that helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google Search results.” Say goodbye to the issues of not being able to afford a tool that you love!
Features in the New Google Search Console
That brings us to the big question – what does the new Google Search Console have to offer?
AMP Status Report
Index Coverage Status Report
Links Report
Manual Actions Report
Mobile Usability Report
Rich Result Status Report
Ownership Verification
Performance Report
Sitemaps Report
URL Inspection Tool, etc.
Ultimately, the information you will be receiving from this tool is virtually endless. We’ll go more into depth on the difference between the old console and the new one in our future blogs, so keep an eye out!
If you’ve tried to master the New Google Search Console, but seem to be having trouble navigating, don’t hesitate to ask a professional for some SEO coaching. At New York SEO Training Academy, we both have a common goal of your website – and business – succeeding. We’d love to supply you with all the tools to make that happen! Give us a call today at (888)736-7766.
Steve Scott is the CEO & Director of Training at the New York SEO Training Academy. He has taught SEO skills to people from around the world and currently offers his hands-on search engine optimization training workshops in New York to individuals and businesses of all sizes. Corporate SEO training classes and consulting are also available.
Mastering link building is not something that happens overnight. It takes some time to get the hang of it. However, there are some ways to learn more about it! Whether you take link building classes online, or even read through some link building articles like this one, there are good ways to learn about link building and how it works.
What is Link Building?
As a beginner in the field of SEO, you’ve probably just begun doing your research on the various factors of optimization. One of the biggest – link building. So, what is it? Directly defined, link building is the process of gaining hyperlinks from different websites, leading back to yours.
Why is Link Building Knowledge So Important?
Everyone knows, or should know, that link building is important to your optimization. In fact, you’ve probably heard several times that a good link building strategy can make or break your digital marketing success. Well, that’s as close to the truth as you can get. Knowing about link building, and developing a good linking method will make a huge difference in the success of your website.
It may be helpful to know that search engines crawl pages link-by-link, and page-by-page. They take the content of your pages, and index them. In doing that, they decide the quality of the page to determine search engine rank. One of the biggest determining factors is the number of links pointing to your page. Naturally, if your links are being shown on high-quality, reputable websites, your chances of ranking are great.
If another website is linking to your website, you can likely consider it flattering. This is almost as if another website is saying, “we trust (your website) to provide some awesome or useful products or information!”. Therefore, making your website obviously look more attractive to the consumer.
Once you know what links you’re looking for, and which high authority websites to target, link building can be pretty simple. However, a good rule of thumb to remember: not all links are good links! Not every link obtained on other websites are beneficial to you. Sometimes, links to your website can be distributed by very spammy, or poorly developed websites. Receiving links that are poor-quality could potentially hurt your ability to rank, if the search engine doesn’t find it sufficient.
Identifying Link Quality
There are essentially two different classes of links quality: the good and the bad. Identifying which is which, is the trickiest part.
Good Links
You’ve probably been told a hundred times (and will hear it a hundred times more) to obtain only good links. What makes a link a good link?
It is relevant to the focus of your website.
It is placed naturally within the webpage, not just randomly put.
The site is trustworthy/has high-authority.
The link to your site is inside the content of the following site.
Bad Links
It is probably quite obvious that bad links are exactly the opposite of a good link. You may be wondering, what does a bad link look like then? Bad links are:
Shown on spammy websites.
On irrelevant pages or unrelated to your topic.
Not on trustworthy/high-authority websites.
Placed within very low-quality content.
On top of knowing which links are which, there are also a number of tools available to you to help make this process easier. Some of our favorite are:
SEMrush
Majestic
Ahrefs
BuzzSumo
If you’re not a fan of those tools, or unsure where to start with link building, there are other options available to you. At New York SEO Training Academy, we specialize in helping identify what could be happening behind-the-scenes with your website (bad links), making it harder for you to find SEO success. If you’re in need of assistance with your link building strategy, give us a call today at (888)736-7766.
Steve Scott is the CEO & Director of Training at the New York SEO Training Academy. He has taught SEO skills to people from around the world and currently offers his hands-on search engine optimization training workshops in New York to individuals and businesses of all sizes. Corporate SEO training classes and consulting are also available.
Have you ever thought about what could happen to SEO if voice search technology didn’t exist? Take a second. Consider the benefits that voice search could bring to your optimization efforts. Whether you like it or not, the evolution of speech recognition could change SEO. Additionally, help you find a better rank.
Benefits of Voice Search Technology
Trends are important when it comes to optimization. You want to pay attention to things that are on the uprise. When you see something like Alexa, Google, Siri, or Cortana, and notice that they are changing things up, get in on the action! They could end up providing you with several benefits.
Speech recognition devices will pull the answers from the top-ranking positions on the search engine results page. Which means, the competition for top spots could be heavy. However, once that spot is yours, you’re more likely to stay there.
When implementing voice search technology, you’ll have a better chance to get noticed for a more direct niche. Due to an increase in voice searches over the past year, long-tail keywords are being implemented more and more. Adding long-tail keywords to your SEO efforts, you have an opportunity to get noticed for more direct searches. Voice searchers typically use long-tail keyword phrases. Usually someone who searches for something with long-tail keywords is more likely to purchase a product. After taking on this new strategy, you become more likely to sell a product or service.
Voice Search Strategies for SEO
After you know the benefits, it’s time to start using voice search in your SEO strategy.
Start including long-tail keywords.Targeting phrases will be your best friend here. Add them to your content, headings, or even title tags.
Pay close attention to user search intent. Know what your users are looking for. Try using a tool to get insights on the user search intent.
Begin a local SEO plan. Many people use voice search while on the go. Searches that include “near me” are usually people who are ready to buy. Ensure your local SEO is all set, to gain extra business success.
Make your site mobile-friendly. Most people who are using speech recognition to search for certain items are doing so from their mobile device. Making your site mobile friendly, gives you a better chance to rank. Update your structured data. Structured data helps search engines to know what the content on your site consists of. If your structured data is strong, and unique, you’ll stick out a bit more on websites.
The Future of Speech Recognition
We can never clearly determine what the future of SEO will look like. However, we do have a pretty good idea. Many tools, pages, and even Google itself, provide some updates or predictions ahead of time. A few of the biggest, or more noteworthy, are:
Natural speech patterns will be a factor you will need to pay attention to. Users voice search differently than they search on a laptop or desktop. So speech patterns will become more relevant.
More focus will be put on mobile-first indexing. This includes speed, compatibility, and design, all needing to be in tip-top shape, operating smoothly.
Finally, customers, or users, will be happier. They will enjoy hearing or reading into more direct answers they searched for. Therefore, providing a better experience for them, and likely increasing your chance for them to revisit your page.
The possibilities are endless if you are effectively implementing speech recognition and voice search techniques. For more information on hiring SEO professionals that can help your transition into voice search strategies, give us a call today at (888)736-7766.
Steve Scott is the CEO & Director of Training at the New York SEO Training Academy. He has taught SEO skills to people from around the world and currently offers his hands-on search engine optimization training workshops in New York to individuals and businesses of all sizes. Corporate SEO training classes and consulting are also available.
Did you know mobile users spend more time looking at onscreen searches than desktop users? That’s right! In fact, it’s double the time spent, and in some cases it’s triple time! Mobile search is incredibly useful. Due to mobile search being the leading method used for searches, it is important to make sure your website keeps up with the latest on mobile search in 2018!
Why is Mobile Search Important?
When Google finally decided to implement mobile-first indexing, it was a huge deal. With the information that Google holds through analytics, they knew mobile search would become big. They saw it coming before any of us.
If you want to rank on search engines, you should probably follow what the search engines are doing. Mobile-first indexing was created to help you, no matter what method the search is being conducted on. However, if mobile search is the most-used method of searching information, you have to be sure you’re implementing mobile-first efforts on your site.
Mobile-First Indexing for Optimization
You know using mobile-first indexing comes with several optimization benefits. So how do you make sure your website is keeping up with these new developments?
Accelerated mobile pages (AMP’s) are designed to make mobile pages view-able at high speeds. They typically present a website quicker than a desktop page would on a mobile device.
Start using a quick response web design. This is important to ranking, because if someone turns away from your page, before it is loaded, you lose a chance to see success in your online business.
Use as many tools as needed to help you find information on how your site is operating. Search engines themselves, particularly Google, provide tools to give you direct suggestions, analytics, and most importantly, show you how your mobile site is doing in mobile searches.
Eliminate unneeded pop-ups on your page. We often see “sign up now” or “enroll today” notifications come up on pages we click on. Don’t get me wrong, some of that is okay, but if you have too many those, you tarnish the possibility of a good user experience. Therefore, they likely will not return to your page.
In addition, you may opt to hire some help, if needed. There are SEO professionals available to you, like New York SEO Training Academy. We are willing to help you along the way, and ensure you are gaining the recognition you need.
Mobile Search Practices That Help Your Site
While we can’t always predict the future of search engine optimization, sometimes we receive a bit of information that not only helps us, but also helps those who seek our assistance. We are always open to suggestions, and information regarding optimization.
So, we’d like to know, what do you find to be most effective strategy with your mobile search practice? What tools do you use to test your mobile page? How do you administer effective mobile-first indexing?
Steve Scott is the CEO & Director of Training at the New York SEO Training Academy. He has taught SEO skills to people from around the world and currently offers his hands-on search engine optimization training workshops in New York to individuals and businesses of all sizes. Corporate SEO training classes and consulting are also available.
Did you know that 1 in 6 Americans now own a smart speaker? And 40% of adults are actually using voice search at least once a day. If you’re already implementing mobile first design and optimization strategies, you’re headed in the right direction. However, it is important to remember, mobile and voice search go hand-in-hand.
Mobile First Indexing
If you don’t know much about mobile first indexing, it won’t be long till you’re teaching others. Mobile first indexing is exactly what it sounds like. The mobile version of your website is what Google will show first. Google will consider the mobile version of your website the primary version.
Voice Search Technology
Over 60 million people use digital assistants to conduct voice searches. The number of people conducting voice searches on their mobile devices continues to increase. Which means, you should probably be sure your page is accessible to those who are using voice search technology for information your page may have.
Mobile and Voice Search for SEO
You may not think mobile and voice search work as closely as they do together. However, mobile and voice search tend to go hand-in-hand.
Since most searches are conducted on mobile devices, it is important to optimize your site for mobile search. If you can manage to be ranked for your niche area, your site will likely be viewed on a mobile device. Ensuring your site is indexed mobile-first will guarantee users viewing from a mobile device will have a good user experience, and keep coming back.
Long-tail keywords will end up being your “claim to fame” when it comes to voice search. We talk much differently than we type. Something you may get noticed for through a typed search will be a few words. Searchers may type “shoe store near me”, while a voice search may include more specific words, like “where to buy sneakers in downtown Manhattan”.
This is where mobile and voice search tie together. When voice search is conducted on a mobile device, and you are practicing mobile-first indexing, you are increasing your chances of being noticed online.
Once you’ve been ranked, mobile search devices, such as Alexa, Cortana, or Google, are most likely to target your information; therefore providing the user with information from your site. Because your website will continue to be used by mobile searching devices, you will likely stay ranked higher for a longer period of time.
Mobile and Voice Search from the Professionals
There is a lot of information that goes into mobile and voice search in SEO. If you’re looking for a more hands-on approach, and more information, you may opt to hire a professional SEO coach.
Often times, you’ll come across companies that not only show you the basics, but also provide additional services, that can be crucial to your success. If you’re looking for the best of the best, please reach out to us via email (info@New-York-SEO.com), or by calling (888)736-7766.
Steve Scott is the CEO & Director of Training at the New York SEO Training Academy. He has taught SEO skills to people from around the world and currently offers his hands-on search engine optimization training workshops in New York to individuals and businesses of all sizes. Corporate SEO training classes and consulting are also available.
Due to the current Coronavirus (COVID-19) conditions we have decided to hold all of our training classes on a strictly remote/virtual basis until further notice. We believe this decision will help to keep all of our students (as well as their contacts) safe, and to comply with the official recommendations regarding Social Distancing. You will of course get the same great live instruction and training as you would in our in-person classes! We look forward to meeting you online!
