SEO management has at times been a trend, a buzzword and more broadly a digital visibility strategy. The fact is it’s all of the above. But what it is not is an end-all/be-all solution to business growth. It is a step in the process—a big step, to be sure—but only a step. What follows, if growth is to be achieved, is conversion. After all, it’s not a given that once you are able to draw a wealth of targeted traffic to your website, they’ll automatically convert. They could bounce. And if they do, you lose an opportunity for growth.
Whether you want the outcome to be a phone call to your office or a purchase from the site itself, conversion is the goal of any digital marketing strategy, so conversion optimization is a must. Conversion optimization, that next step in the process of growth, may sound complicated, but what it is in the nutshell is a method of creating a user experience that makes it easiest and most convenient for your visitors to convert, whatever that means to your website. And if you think about it, it makes perfect sense. Think about it, if you owned a hardware store and produced great online ads or television commercials that brought in a lot of foot traffic from people wanting to buy essentials for their DIY home renovation projects, creating an in-store experience that values their time and offers the most seamless pathway for finding what they want, making their purchase and getting on their way is the best way to optimization your store for sales (or conversion).
If your store is disorganized and its difficult to navigate for customers, if you shelves are not well-organized and your products are not clearly laid out, customers will be confused and frustrated when they get to your store. Many of them will want to leave because of the experience. If they do stay, its likely because they took the time and trouble to physically make their way to your store. It may take another 15 – 30 minutes to get to the next available option for them. If these customers visit your site online and get the same sort of experience, all it takes to leave is a click, and they’re on to the next vendor.
So remember, when you’re planning your SEO campaign, that its vitally important to make use of conversion optimization strategies that make it easier for those who took the time to visit your website to find the information they need to: (1) evaluate your business or offer; (2) find the products, services and even rates they need to compare you to the next guy; and (3) seal the deal with a phonecall (click-to-call is great for mobile users), send an email or even make a purchase right there on the website. If you do, you’ll make better use of their time and the resources you utilized to get them there and grow your business, which is what you wanted in the first place.