Why does organic website traffic matter?

What is the point of organic website traffic? Every Google search results page is top heavy with competitors’ Google Ads anyway – it’s a waste of time, right? The short answer is no, it really is not. Yes, there’s a handful of paid adverts on the results page, but the other websites you see have not had to pay for this prime position.

What is organic traffic?

Organic traffic are visitors who have arrived at your website by typing words into the search engine and clicking through to your website via the search engine results page (SERP) from the non-paid for results.

Why SEO is essential for organic traffic

Search Engine Optimisation is the backbone of organic traffic. Organic traffic is the lifeblood of any successful digital presence. Without effective SEO strategies, your website might never reach the audience you want it to. SEO delivers supreme laser-like targeting of your desired audience so you can enhance your website’s visibility, attract more visitors, and ultimately drive more conversions.

Whether you're a small business or a large corporation, investing in SEO can yield significant long-term benefits. A professional digital marketing agency in Christchurch like Digital Presence, guides businesses through the SEO process to help them achieve their online goals. Here are SEO techniques used to increase organic traffic:

1. Keyword optimisation

Keywords are the terms that people actively use in search engines to find your products or services. These relevant keywords are integrated naturally and strategically into website content, which piques the interest of the search engines – they help the search engine crawl and index the website, so they know when your website is a good fit for the searched terms. Identifying the best keywords requires research, but using metrics to inform your decision dramatically improves your chances of appearing in higher in the search results.



2. Quality content

High-quality content is vital for SEO. Google prioritises websites that provide valuable, relevant information. Regularly updating your website with fresh content, such as blog posts, articles, and videos, can keep your audience engaged and improve your rankings. Similarly, removing outdated content is also beneficial – everything published on your website must add value to the visitor. Happy visitors equals happy search engines.

3. On-page SEO

On-page SEO involves optimising individual web pages to rank higher and earn more relevant traffic. This includes using proper header tags, optimising images with alt text, and ensuring the site’s metadata is well-crafted. A well-optimised page is more likely to appear in search results, driving organic traffic. Digital Presence’s website designs always adhere to on-page SEO best practices.

4. Backlink building

Backlinks, or links from other websites to your own, are a significant factor in SEO. They signal to search engines the content is credible and authoritative. Building a strong backlink profile can be hard work but the results can be significant. Do guest posts, partnerships, and create shareable high-quality content.

5. Mobile optimisation

With more users accessing the internet via mobile devices, having a mobile-friendly website is critical to your digital marketing success. Google hugely favours mobile-optimised and responsive website designs, and they are an essential part of an SEO strategy. It’s important to test your website on different sized screens to ensure it loads quickly and correctly on all devices to capture and retain organic traffic.



6. User experience (UX)

A good user experience improves your SEO rankings. Google considers factors such as site speed, ease of navigation, and overall design when ranking websites. Investing in a user-friendly website design can not only improve your SEO but also keep visitors on your site longer, reducing bounce rates. Again, happy visitors equal happy Google.

7. Local SEO

For businesses targeting a specific geographic area, local SEO is a gamechanger. By optimising your website for local search terms, like Christchurch SEO or SEO Christchurch, you attract local traffic which improves visibility in local search results. This includes claiming your Google My Business listing and getting reviews from local customers.

8. Regular SEO audits

SEO is not a one-time effort but an ongoing process. Regular SEO audits identify areas for improvement and keeps your website’s performance optimised. This involves checking for broken links, editing old content, and staying updated with the latest SEO trends and algorithm changes.

Why is the first page of search results so important?

Google search statistics show that 90% of searchers don’t click past the first page.

Let that sink in.

The only way to get on that first page of Google is through SEO.

If you want your business to be seen, it needs to get in front of as many searchers as possible. The higher the ranking position provides greater visibility which triggers more organic traffic and the opportunity for more sales.



What are the advantages of organic traffic?

It’s (almost) free

To elevate your business’s position on the SERP, depending on your skills and available time you may need to collaborate with an SEO expert, hire a copywriter or even a video production content creator; however, it’s an investment that delivers a high return. An SEO rich website and SEO content are a necessity – not a luxury.

It’s open to all

SEO fuelled organic traffic is accessible to all businesses – it’s the great leveller between big businesses and the small ones who simply don’t have the same digital marketing budget. Read through Digital Presence’s Insights section to learn more.

Generates leads from a new audience

Can your business continue on referral alone? Organic traffic is a new audience of potential consumers who are actively looking for your products or services. 

Google’s algorithms love organic traffic

Active searchers from organic means typically stay on websites longer to explore the other pages more so than PPC or visitors from Facebook ads and social media links. This indicates to Google your website is of high quality, informative and helpful, which is exactly the type of website Google promotes and rewards by sending more visitors.

How do I find out about my website’s organic traffic?

Google Analytics helpfully enable you to segment where your website traffic has come from, so by isolating the organic traffic metrics you can measure the success of your website as a standalone entity without any external prodding and poking (aka time and resources).

Is your website struggling to attract organic traffic? Have you checked the metrics and notice visitors using a mobile device don’t stay on you site for very long? Why is most of your organic traffic coming from Australia when you only work in Christchurch NZ? There are numerous reasons why organic visitors are not visiting your website, but the good news is this is not a permanent state – there is always a solution, and the metrics hold the key.

It cannot be understated how valuable Google Analytics are to help you grow your business online. By exploring a website’s metrics, weak spots can be identified and corrected.

If the idea of trawling through spreadsheets is filling you with dread and horror, don’t worry.

Christchurch NZ SEO specialists Digital Presence are proudly no jargon and translate reports into meaningful and understandable communications before we take action.

5 blocks to organic website traffic

In spite of good intention, some of the actions you have (not) taken to create a high functioning and profitable website may be the very reason visitors are failing to visit it. Here are the most common blocks to organic traffic:

1.   Poor website design and user experience

Your website design is the beating heart of an online business, but if it’s difficult to navigate, loads slowly or is not a responsive website design for a multitude of mobile devices, visitors will leave in their droves – this is problematic – it’s a very clear signal to Google the site is of poor quality and not worthy of Google’s recommendation. The result? Lower search engine visibility and therefore less visitors. 

2.   Poor website architecture and internal linking

Website architecture is the way a website is structured and how its content is linked across the site. Internal linking creates a clear understanding of the relationship between posts and pages. Without this structure a website can feel chaotic and random resulting in search engines struggling to index the site, and users finding it hard to navigate.

3.   Lack of quality content

If the content you publish is poor in terms of quality and relevance, the website will not be considered valuable or a trustworthy source of information by search engines or users. Everything you publish must be done so with intent – unique, informative, relevant, and engaging.

There is much speculation about how artificial intelligence is transforming websites by streamlining the process of writing SEO content; however, Google recognises AI content and views it as a violation of its guidelines – beware!

4.   Poor choice of keywords

SEO signposts to search engines what a website is about, and keywords play a significant role. A poor choice of keywords inhibits the efficiency of the website’s overall SEO and consequently its ability to be found by searchers. For example, if you have focused on high competition keywords, your website is unlikely to ever rank on the all-important first search engine results page. Keyword research is vital to identify the best keywords to use.

5.   Ignoring algorithm updates and penalty notification

Google continually evolve their algorithms. Many updates have little impact on website visitor numbers, but some are catastrophic. It’s crucial you react to algorithm updates and any penalty notifications you receive. Failure to do so will without a doubt impact organic visitor numbers.

If your website is struggling to attract organic traffic, get in touch. We analyse the site’s Google Analytics and identify what’s preventing you from achieving online success. SEO is the key to unlocking your business’s full potential.

Digital Presence, a digital marketing agency based in Christchurch NZ providing SEO, web design services and online marketing for small businesses. Contact us today for a free no-obligation chat, click here or call 0274 278047.