![\"How-to-optimize-website-seo-conversions-introduction\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/29101803\/optimize-website-seo-conversions-9.jpg\")
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Learning how to optimize your website for <\/span>SEO<\/span><\/a> and conversions is crucial for your site’s success.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It’ll ensure your website is working exactly as hard as it should.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n If you have good SEO, you can attract more traffic and get more opportunities to convert potential customers.<\/span><\/p>\n And a website optimized for conversions typically has better metrics, such as time on page and <\/span>bounce rate<\/span><\/a>, which means that Google might rank it higher.<\/span><\/p>\n The following tips and strategies will teach you how to optimize your website for both <\/span>SEO and conversions<\/span><\/a> so you get the both of best worlds.<\/span><\/p>\n SEO stands for “search engine optimization.” It’s the process of increasing your website traffic through search engine results.<\/p>\n This helps your website become more\u00a0discoverable.\u00a0<\/em>When potential customers search terms related to your brand, they’ll have a better chance of discovering your website and becoming a customer.<\/p>\n Imagine you have a fitness business. You offer dieting and workout tips on your website.<\/p>\n You also have an article about losing weight. With good SEO practices, a person searching a keyword like “how to lose weight” might have a better chance of finding that article\u2014and therefore, your brand.<\/p>\n That’s the power of SEO.<\/p>\n There are plenty of reasons to learn how to optimize for conversions and SEO in tandem.<\/p>\n First you need to know how they work together to create a leaner, more productive website.<\/p>\n Let\u2019s look at five specific reasons to optimize your site immediately and to continually optimize your site over time.<\/span><\/p>\n Marketers sometimes feel as though they\u2019re at odds with <\/span>Google<\/span>. The search engine fails to rank their best content, for instance, or they see a huge drop in traffic after an algorithmic update<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n In reality, though, your goals and Google\u2019s are the same:<\/span><\/p>\n You just go about it in different ways. Google\u2019s analyzing millions of websites, while you\u2019re analyzing your specific audience\u2019s behaviors.<\/span><\/p>\n Google uses more than <\/span>200 ranking signals<\/span><\/a> to decide which pieces of content appear on the first page of the search engine results. The algorithm pays careful attention to signs that a particular web page will give searchers the information they seek.<\/span><\/p>\n When you focus on SEO, you choose primary and latent semantic keywords related to search intent. You write content that people love to read and make sure you provide meta information to help Google better understand the copy.<\/span><\/p>\n If you optimize your website for conversions, you focus on guiding visitors toward a specific goal, whether it\u2019s joining your email list or buying one of your products. Just like Google, you want to give your audience exactly what those consumers want.<\/span><\/p>\n Knowing how to optimize your website for SEO and conversions simultaneously furthers both of those goals and creates a better relationship between your site and the search engines.<\/span><\/p>\n The average business spends about <\/span>1 percent of its total revenue on advertising<\/span><\/a>. If your business rakes in $1 million per year, you might spend $10,000 on advertising.<\/span><\/p>\n While that might seem like a small percentage, it adds up. Some industries, such as retail, spend considerably more on ads.<\/span><\/p>\n Attracting organic traffic through SEO, however, is free. You have to pay to develop and promote the content, but that\u2019s not nearly as expensive as pay-per-click.<\/span><\/p>\n When you compare the close rate between searchers who arrive at your site via organic search and those that come via paid ads, the results are illustrative. <\/span>Organic search closes at nearly 15 percen<\/span><\/a>t, while paid search closes at less than 2 percent.<\/span><\/p>\n Invest your time and, if necessary, money into growing your organic traffic. It might take longer, but the results last longer and result in more conversions.<\/span><\/p>\n When people visit your website, you don\u2019t want them to poke around and leave. Instead, you want to make a lasting impression and encourage them to return.<\/span><\/p>\n Learning how to optimize your website for conversions requires an understanding of the user experience. Figure out how visitors navigate your site, whether they scroll down the page, and how often they click on your <\/span>calls to action<\/span><\/a> (CTAs).<\/span><\/p>\n If someone signs up for your email list, you can contact them at a later date with offers, incentives, and more. You can also encourage visitors to follow you on social, visit your product pages, and read your blog posts.<\/span><\/p>\n Capitalizing on existing traffic helps <\/span>improve your conversion rate<\/span><\/a> because a higher percent of your organic traffic will convert. You know what offer your audience will respond to and how to present it to them in an appealing way.<\/span><\/p>\n Anyone can build a website \u2014 even a beautiful website \u2014 but far fewer can create a website that reliably produces conversions. After all, <\/span>the average conversion rate<\/span><\/a> across all industries is less than 2.5 percent.<\/span><\/p>\n You want your audience to convert at much higher rates. To do so, you have to study your audience closely and give them what they need and expect.<\/span><\/p>\n If you\u2019ve done the research and applied the data to your site, you can expect a jump in conversion rates. The people who visit your site find what they need quickly and appreciate your brand for providing it. Brand loyalty results.<\/span><\/p>\n SEO always comes first, though. Without traffic, you can\u2019t have conversions. Create a site with valuable, sticky content and plenty of opportunities for visitors to convert.<\/span><\/p>\n Imagine this scenario:<\/span><\/p>\n You have an ecommerce site that sells shoes. A customer needs a new pair of running shoes and conducts a Google search for the best shoes for runners. You\u2019ve written a long, in-depth blog post about choosing running shoes, including brand recommendations and information for different types of runners.<\/span><\/p>\n The visitor reads the article. At the end, you have a lead magnet that offers a free sizing and fit chart for runners. All the visitor has to do is sign up for your email list.<\/span><\/p>\n You send the lead magnet immediately to the visitor. A few days later, you send out a coupon code for your online store along with images of running shoes. The customer realizes you have what meets his or her needs, and the discount incentivizes an immediate sale.<\/span><\/p>\n As you can see, SEO and conversion rate optimization work hand-in-hand. If you meet your audience\u2019s expectations and help them find what they want, you\u2019ll secure a customer.<\/span><\/p>\n To start, you need to boost the SEO on your website to draw more traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n The following steps will set you up for SEO success. You can then turn your focus to conversions while continuing to update and release new content.<\/span><\/p>\n One piece of data by itself might not tell you anything, but when you collect lots of data, you start to notice patterns. <\/span><\/p>\n If a few people visit your site and fail to click on your CTA, you might not have a problem. <\/span><\/p>\n However, if a large percentage of visitors ignore your CTA, you might need to make some adjustments.<\/span><\/p>\n User behavior reports and <\/span>Google Search Console<\/span><\/a> traffic data help paint a clear picture. User behavior reports, for instance, show you how people behave once they land on your site, while GSC data tracks key metrics, such as number of sessions, number of unique sessions, bounce rate, and more.<\/span><\/p>\n Analyze the data for specific patterns. Referral sources can tell you a lot about your audience. How are people finding your site? Look for pages that get more traffic and more conversions than others. Reverse-engineer that page\u2019s success to replicate it across your site.<\/span><\/p>\n Years ago, you could pick a keyword out of thin air, write a 300-word article, and rank for that keyword the next day. SEO doesn\u2019t work like that anymore.<\/span><\/p>\n Tools like <\/span>Ubersuggest<\/span><\/a> help you find keywords related to your business and niche. Use it to find long-tail keywords that fit with your prospective customers\u2019 user intent. Think about why they would search for a particular keyword and what they would hope to find on a page about it.<\/span><\/p>\n Start with a broad keyword. For instance, maybe you offer dog boarding, so you begin with a keyword like \u201cdog kennels.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n Ubersuggest will provide you with a list of keywords that you can filter in several ways. You\u2019re looking for long-tail keywords you can use to attract a specific audience.<\/span><\/p>\n Do this over and over again as you create more pages for your site. Write long, in-depth articles that provide as much information on the topic as possible.<\/span><\/p>\n According to Buffer, the <\/span>ideal length for a blog post<\/span><\/a> is 1,600 words. That\u2019s just a starting point, though.<\/span><\/p>\n Before you decide on the optimum length for your content, Google your primary keyword and visit the top 10 result in the SERPs. Are some of those pages longer than 1,600 words? Then yours should be, too.<\/span><\/p>\n Length isn\u2019t everything. However, it sends a signal to Google that you\u2019re providing more information. If lots of people spend a long time on that page \u2014 reading to the very end \u2014 you\u2019re more likely to rank higher.<\/span><\/p>\n On-page SEO<\/span><\/a> tells you how to optimize your website when you\u2019re building specific pages. Factors like headlines, subheadlines, URL slugs, and meta tags fall into this category.<\/span><\/p>\n Use your primary keyword in your headline, preferably as close to the beginning as possible. It should also appear in the slug and at least one subheadline. Throughout the body copy, aim for .5 percent to 2.5 percent. Try not to go over the higher end to avoid looking like a keyword stuffer.<\/span><\/p>\n Sprinkle your primary and related keywords throughout your body copy, subheadlines, and image alt text. Include plenty of context for each so Google accurately understands what you\u2019re talking about.<\/span><\/p>\n Off-page SEO<\/span><\/a> \u2014 also called off-site SEO \u2014 refers to the ways in which you optimize your website via external means. Guest blogging, social media activity, influencer marketing, and brand mentions can all improve your site\u2019s SEO.<\/span><\/p>\n We\u2019ll talk specifically about backlinks a little later, but links in general can make a big difference in SEO. You don\u2019t want to get links from small, low-authority sites. They won\u2019t help (and they can hurt). Instead, you want to target well-respected publications when researching backlinks.<\/span><\/p>\n With more and more people accessing websites via mobile devices, you don\u2019t want to leave those potential conversions out in the cold. Furthermore, Google has launched the <\/span>mobile-first index<\/span><\/a>, which means you might rank better if you focus on mobile friendliness.<\/span><\/p>\n Responsive design offers the easiest solution. You can download free and premium WordPress themes that have responsive design built in, which means you don\u2019t have to worry about adding any extra code.<\/span><\/p>\n Page speed matters<\/span><\/a> when it comes to both SEO and conversions.<\/span><\/p>\n If you visit a website that takes forever to load, you\u2019ll likely click the \u201cback\u201d button and look for something else. Similarly, if you\u2019re filling out a form that refuses to submit due to slow speed, you\u2019ll eventually give up.<\/span><\/p>\n Google\u2019s PageSpeed Insights<\/span><\/a> gives you valuable insight into how fast your site loads across all devices and what specific things you can fix to make your site faster.<\/span><\/p>\n Backlinks<\/a> are a prime factor in helping your website rank better. <\/span><\/p>\n When high-quality sites link<\/a> to yours, Google interprets the link as a signal of your site\u2019s credibility. As you build a solid backlink profile, your pages will climb up the ranks.<\/span><\/p>\n Getting quality backlinks takes effort<\/span><\/a>, but you\u2019ll see results. Consider emailing influencers and other blogs in your niche. Share your article with them and point them to a page where you\u2019ve shared a piece of their content.<\/span><\/p>\n Now that we\u2019ve covered improving your SEO, what happens to your conversions?<\/span><\/p>\n You won\u2019t see results right away. Rankings take time to build, especially with the plethora of content that exists online, so you have to work hard to build quality content, attract backlinks<\/a>, and establish credibility with Google.<\/span><\/p>\n However, you should start preparing for conversions now. If you know how to optimize your website, you can immediately see greater conversions even if you have low traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n SEO improves conversions by directing the right searchers to your content. If you make a page\u2019s purpose clear, Google can rank it accurately based on <\/span>search intent<\/span><\/a> on the part of the consumer.<\/span><\/p>\n Additionally, writing longer, more value-driven articles increases the chances of a visitor converting. They recognize the value of what you\u2019ve shared and become intrigued. As long as you present them with an attractive offer, you increase the chances of gaining conversions.<\/span><\/p>\n User experience simply means how people perceive your site relative to navigation and finding what they want. A good user experience leaves the visitor satisfied and appreciative.<\/span><\/p>\n To snag more conversions, focus on the smallest details. For instance, examine your homepage and identify every element, from your logo and top navigation bar to the widgets in your sidebar. If you removed one of those elements, would you harm the user experience?<\/span><\/p>\n If not, get rid of it. Focus on driving your traffic toward the action you want people to take.<\/span><\/p>\n Guesswork only goes so far when it comes to user experience. You might think an element on the page is necessary, but user behavior reports don\u2019t bear that out.<\/span><\/p>\nWhat is SEO?<\/span><\/h2>\n
5 Reasons You Need to Optimize Your Website<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"how-to-optimize-website-seo-conversions-5-reasons\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/29101746\/optimize-website-seo-conversions-3.jpg\")
<\/p>\n1. Make your website useful for your specific audience<\/span><\/h3>\n
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2. Grow your organic traffic<\/span><\/h3>\n
3. Capitalize on existing traffic<\/span><\/h3>\n
4. Force your website to work harder<\/span><\/h3>\n
5. Give your audience what they want and expect<\/span><\/h3>\n
How to Optimize your Website for SEO in 8 Simple Steps<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"how-to-optimize-website-seo-conversions-8-steps\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/29101755\/optimize-website-seo-conversions-6.jpg\")
<\/p>\n1. Analyze all of your website data<\/span><\/h3>\n
2. Conduct thorough keyword research<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"how-to-optimize-website-seo-conversions-keyword-research\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/29101749\/optimize-website-seo-conversions-4.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"how-to-optimize-website-seo-conversions-ubersuggest\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/29101744\/optimize-website-seo-conversions-2.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"how-to-optimize-website-seo-conversions-ubersuggest-list-of-keywords\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/29101752\/optimize-website-seo-conversions-5.png\")
<\/p>\n3. Produce long and value-rich content<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"how-to-optimize-website-seo-conversions-ideal-length\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/29101759\/optimize-website-seo-conversions-8.png\")
<\/p>\n4. Optimize for on-page SEO<\/span><\/h3>\n
5. Optimize for off-page SEO<\/span><\/h3>\n
6. Optimize the website for mobile <\/span><\/h3>\n
7. Speed up the pages<\/span><\/h3>\n
8. Get quality backlinks<\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"how-to-optimize-website-seo-conversions-backlinks\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/29101742\/optimize-website-seo-conversions-1.jpg\")
<\/p>\nCan SEO Improve Your Website Conversions?<\/span><\/h2>\n
Optimizing Your Website for Conversions – Improve the User Experience<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"how-to-optimize-website-seo-conversions-user-experience\"](\"https:\/\/ceblog.s3.amazonaws.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/08\/29101758\/optimize-website-seo-conversions-7.jpg\")
<\/p>\nTry User Behavior Tools to Analyze What Needs Improvement<\/span><\/h3>\n