Anyone familiar with SEO knows how increasingly important it is to adopt SEO marketing strategies to increase CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) and guarantee each user the best UX on a site. But let’s go step by step and, before seeing how SEO rules have an impact not only on the structure of the contents of a website but on the conversion of a user, let’s give a definition of each technicality. Let’s begin by defining what SEO means and what CRO means.
Search Engine Optimization: what it is and what it is for
What does SEO mean? It is the acronym of “Search Engine Optimization”, i.e. it is the set of activities aimed at optimizing a site so that it is positioned among the first search results for certain keywords. But today creating a SEO plan for a site is not enough, because it is essential that it is usable, authoritative and complete in its structural elements and contents. Only this way the ranking (its position on search engines) will be positively evaluated by spiders with a consequent increase in visibility, organic traffic and therefore a higher conversion rate of users. And this is where the connection between CRO and SEO comes into play.
What are CROs
CRO stands for Conversion Rate Optimization, which is the set of techniques implemented to improve a site so that it converts more users into customers. Putting a CRO activity into practice means crossing various SEO and marketing actions, including email marketing, the use of social media marketing strategies or blogging. But investing in CRO does not only mean increasing earning opportunities, but also leading the user to carry out the action for which a particular website was created (for example, in the case of an e-commerce it will be a matter of buying a product , but in other cases it could also be enrolling in a course, participating in an event, etc.). And SEO can influence the CRO, even the value of the conversion rate can impact the organic traffic of a website. Yes, because if SEO “attracts” users to the site, it is also essential that they take actions and therefore convert from users to potential customers.
How to improve conversion rate with SEO
So basically it’s not enough to aim only at SEO brand management, SEO advertising or an intense SEO & marketing activity, but we must take into account SEO in all its facets and CRO marketing in order to study how users navigate the site and take action to make navigation smooth. In fact, we cannot forget that the ultimate goal is to guarantee a great website UX. Therefore, if on the one hand adopting SEO strategies helps to position oneself, on the other it is also necessary to resort to CRO marketing techniques to see and evaluate each single page in the user’s shoes. Let’s take an example to clarify how the two activities must go hand in hand: if on an e-shop the navigation menu is easily navigable and the products are well categorized with structured URLs and understandable labels, the e-commerce will position itself more easily and users will be encouraged to browse the website and buy.
SEO marketing and CRO, two paths towards a single goal (the user)
Intervening on a parallel track made up of SEO and CRO means improving the user experience: if a user finds what he is looking for, he will take the action for which the site was created, otherwise he will abandon it and will hardly return. So, SEO serves to increase traffic and therefore the number of visitors to the site, possibly in line with the target interested in the products/services offered, but then it is the CRO that concludes the optimization process by removing the obstacles to conversion.
However, it should also be remembered that in some cases SEO and CRO work independently of each other. In fact, SEO involves optimizing some elements, such as meta tags, which are only useful for search engine bots but are not visible to visitors and therefore have no impact on conversion. At the same time, CRO marketing does not influence SEO positioning when it acts on non-scannable pages, such as the login area of the website.
Therefore, it is not enough just to have a well-structured site, but it must be navigable and respect the ranking criteria required by search engines.
How Google evaluates ranking
In fact, ranking is another element that should not be underestimated to optimize a site and therefore make itself known. By what criteria does Google evaluate the ranking? “Big G” evaluates the relevance of the content with respect to the keywords, the reliability of the source, the authority, the adaptability to various browsers, the usability, the page loading speed, mobile friendly features.
Why is SEO marketing important?
In conclusion, doing SEO marketing means understanding what the user is looking for in order to:
- Overcome competitors, i.e. appearing on search engines before others so that users browse your site and not that of the competition with more chances of conversion
- Improve the user experience to lower the bounce rate and increase the ranking
- Reach the first results of the SERP and consequently be an authoritative site, as well as more visible
SEO will always continue to be the pillar of the site for having qualified traffic, but to achieve other results it is necessary to integrate a marketing strategy, such as advertising campaigns, content marketing, aiming to improve brand reputation and obtaining qualified leads.
If you want to get your business off the ground, you have to move in one direction only: have industry professionals create a SEO oriented website and plan CRO marketing strategies. We at Key-One can offer you these services with the utmost competence and professionalism. Together we will be able to define the objectives to be achieved in line with your core business and start laying the foundations of SEO marketing for your business. Contact us to learn more or to get a no-obligation quote.
