Search Engine Optimization Vs Conversion Rate Optimization
April 9, 2023
Search engine optimization (SEO) brings visitors to your site by ranking pages high on search results for target keywords. Conversion rate optimization (CRO) turns those visitors into customers, leads, or subscribers once they arrive. SEO gets people through the door; CRO decides what they do next.
What is keyword research?
Keyword research is the process of finding the phrases people type into Google when looking for products or services in a niche. It is an integral component of SEO and helps webpages appear higher in search results.
Once keywords align with your content strategy, you can optimize the text on your site for them. Doing so draws in more visitors and encourages them to become customers.
Keyword research is complex and must be done correctly to avoid wasting time and money. If done incorrectly, the consequences can be costly.
Keyword research supports both organic and paid search campaigns. It is often done through a tool like Google Keyword Planner, which generates an extensive list of related keywords from a seed phrase and lets you evaluate them by search volume, competition, bid ranges, and more.
How does on-page optimization work?
On-page optimization (OPO) is the process of optimizing your website for both search engines and users. It covers title tags, content, internal links, and URLs, and it helps boost page rankings in search results.
On-site SEO makes it simpler for search engines to crawl your site and understand its contents, which is essential for ranking high in SERPs. The result is organic traffic, leads, conversions, and increased revenue.
Image optimization is another piece of on-page SEO. Adding descriptive alt text helps images pass through search engines and makes pages more visible to people with visual impairments.
Structured data, or schema, gives Google more context about your pages and makes them more prominent in search results. Google uses structured data to generate rich snippets, which often lift click-through rates on listings.
Why does off-page optimization matter?
SEO is one of the best methods for increasing traffic to your website. It helps you rank higher on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo.
Ranking well requires both on-page and off-page SEO working together. On-page SEO covers elements you control, such as keywords, title tags, meta tags, and content. Off-page SEO focuses on what happens off your site, primarily links between pages.
The primary objective of off-page SEO is to promote your website and brand across the internet by getting other websites to mention, link to, or include it in their content. Those signals build the authority, relevance, and trustworthiness that directly affect how high you rank in search results.
The most widely used off-page SEO tactic is link building. It involves getting authoritative websites to link back to yours, preferably using your site URL or a well-known brand name as the anchor text.
What does conversion rate optimization actually do?
CRO focuses on converting the traffic you already have, while SEO focuses on generating that traffic in the first place. Using CRO can significantly boost profits without raising marketing spend.
A conversion is any action a user takes on your website, such as signing up for a newsletter or buying something. It can also be something as simple as filling out a form.
Conversion rate optimization seeks to maximize the number of users who complete a desired goal on your site. Usually this means more sales, achieved through better lead flows, landing pages, and overall site design.
CRO is an ongoing effort of learning, testing, and refining your marketing strategy. It reveals how customers think and use your brand, and surfaces growth opportunities you might not have considered. Over time it helps deliver a better experience to customers and builds longer-term relationships.
Related coverage
- SEO for Business Owners: Unleashing the Power of Search Engine Optimization
- Local Search Engine Optimization For Small Businesses
Related coverage
- SEO for Business Owners: Unleashing the Power of Search Engine Optimization
- Local Search Engine Optimization For Small Businesses