SEO is the most cost-effective way to get web traffic to your site. If your website is good enough to be on the first page of Google, you will get traffic. But it only covers half the job. SEO lead generation is all about converting users to leads and customers. This post will clarify how to generate business from your website, and is something business owners need to understand.
Total cost per lead (CPL) can vary dramatically based on the industry type. But the method of generating the lead can also fluctuate. Tradition methods such as print, television and outdoor are difficult to measure. Marketers, for the most part, can only analyse results retrospectively. The advantage of digital is that you can see the results as they occur and optimise on the fly – in real time.
In an earlier post we talked about conversion optimisation. This is the method of providing a clear path to purchase on your website so users can either fill out a registration form. Or better yet, actually buy products from an eCommerce enabled website.
There are a number of tools that provide detailed reporting on website activity. Google Analytics (GA) is a free website analytics service that enables website owners to drill down into the detail and provide insights into how websites perform from a conversion perspective.
Conversion by Traffic Source
There are essentially five channels that make up where traffic originates from:
- Organic search – click through from a natural link in a search engine results page (SERP)
- Direct – users typing the URL directly into a web browser
- Paid search – click through from a sponsored ad on SERPs
- Social – click through from a link posted on a social network (Facebook/LinkedIn etc)
- Other – any other method (adhoc links, online press releases etc)
In this post we will cover lead generation as it relates to organic search.
Organic search traffic source for SEO lead generation
SEO optimised websites should be generating between 50% and 90% of total traffic. This figure is dependent on any other marketing activities in play at the time. If your site is generating around 5,000 visits per month SEO should account for 2,500.
By drilling down (by source) analytics tools should be able to tell you how many of those 2,500 visits convert to lead/sale. You can achieve this by setting up goals in GA. You can set multiple goals by measuring which pages were the entry point and the pages the user viewed before clicking on the final register or buy link.
You can then compare goals to determine which paths are performing better, and optimise accordingly.
It’s proven that the higher up your website appears in Google search results the more likely users are to click through to your website. If you have great structured content and compelling calls to action then users are going to be more likely to convert to lead/sale.
SEO lead generation is a science, but not a difficult one once you understand the process. Aligning user journeys with your goals by traffic source won’t seem all that hard anymore. By focusing your efforts on this process your cost per lead will reduce, which means more profit for your business.
If you would like to take advantage of SEO for lead generation give us a call. We’d be happy to help. So get in contact now
