Organic Traffic

What is Organic Traffic?

Organic traffic refers to visitors who arrive at your site from the unpaid results on search engine results pages. In other words, organic traffic is search traffic you did not pay for but earned from your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.

• Organic search results
• Inorganic search results

Inorganic search results (inorganic results or paid results) are the advertisements displayed on the search results page. They are typically displayed at the top of the page and are often marked ‘Sponsored.’ They are usually pay-per-click (PPC) ads.

On the other hand, organic results (or unpaid results) are the unpaid results on search results pages. Organic results are typically displayed as the regular blue link results below. 

Organic results may also appear in various other formats called rich results. For example, these are organic results in the local pack.

Importance of Organic Traffic

Organic traffic is a sustainable and cost-effective way to attract visitors and customers to a blog or business. It is also a key indicator of a website’s health and relevance, as high organic traffic suggests that the site is well-optimized and provides valuable content that satisfies the search intent.

Additionally, the data captured from organic visitors helps businesses understand their audience’s needs and preferences. Businesses could then use this data to refine their strategies and create more targeted and impactful content.

Unlike paid traffic, which requires ongoing investment to generate traffic, organic traffic is considered “free.” However, while the traffic is free, getting to page one of Google is expensive and time-consuming.

A new site would require a few years of hard work to reach the top of Google and receive considerable traffic from search results pages. The site would also have to invest considerable amounts into hiring writers and SEOs, gaining access to SEO and keyword research tools, and hosting their site on a server.

So, while organic traffic is free, it has considerable upfront costs. However, these costs become cheaper in the long term as your SEO efforts yield results. 

However, organic traffic is more sustainable in the long term. While ads can generate quick traffic, they do not often build trust with the audience. They also become expensive over time, which makes them an unsustainable source of long-term traffic.

How to Increase Organic Traffic

You can improve the organic traffic to a site by improving your on-page, off-page, and technical SEO. If you run a business that targets visitors in a specific location, you should also optimize for local SEO. We will explain them below. 

1 On-Page SEO

On-page SEO is the practice of optimizing the metadata and visible content on a webpage. This ensures visitors can access queries that satisfy their search intent while search engines can understand which queries the content is relevant to.

Some methods of improving on-page SEO include:

• Create content that provides value, is easy to read, and is written in simple language
• Conduct thorough keyword research and include relevant keywords naturally throughout your content
• Optimize your H1 tags, title tags, SEO titles, and meta descriptions for conversions
• Use relevant header tags (H1, H2, H3) to structure the content and include keywords where appropriate
• Ensure your content is high-quality, informative, and answers the needs of the target audience
• Use web-friendly image formats, compress their files, and include descriptive names and keyword-rich alt text
• Use internal links to improve navigation and connect relevant content
• Use Schema markup to improve the way search engines understand and display your content
• Create engaging and shareable content, such as infographics or videos, to increase dwell time and reduce bounce rate

Overall, on-page SEO is more exhaustive than the points mentioned above. You can refer to this comprehensive guide on mastering on-page SEO.  

2 Off-Page SEO

Off-page SEO refers to all the activities you engage in outside of your website to improve its search engine rankings. This primarily includes building backlinks from other sites, but it also encompasses social media marketing, influencer outreach, and brand mentions on and off the web. 

High-quality backlinks from authoritative sites signal to search engines that your content is trustworthy and relevant. This, in turn, improves your site’s authority, visibility, and rankings on search results pages. 

Some off-page SEO techniques include:

• Building high-quality backlinks from authoritative websites in your niche
• Guest blogging on relevant and reputable sites 
• Participating in relevant online forums and communities
• Collaborating with influencers in your industry
• Encouraging brand mentions and discussions across various online platforms 
• Using digital PR strategies to get featured in news articles or blogs that are relevant to your industry
• Monitoring and managing your online reputation 
• Responding promptly to feedback and reviews 
• Building relationships with other industry players in your niche
• Participating in forums, commenting on blogs, and sharing your expertise on social media platforms  

That said, off-page SEO can be challenging to execute since it is outside the blogger’s control. To improve your chances of doing it correctly, refer to this guide on mastering off-page SEO. You should also refer to this guide on finding high-quality backlinking opportunities.

3 Technical SEO

Technical SEO is the practice of optimizing and improving the systems and code that power your website. This ensures visitors and search engines can access your site and content. It also allows search engines to crawl and index your content, which increases their chances of appearing on search results pages.

Some methods of improving technical SEO include:

• Optimize your server and reduce its response time
• Leverage your browser cache to reduce your page speed
• Use a robots.txt file to control how search engines crawl your site
• Implement SSL/TLS certificates to protect your website and visitors
• Create and submit an XML sitemap to help search engines discover your content
• Regularly conduct technical audits to identify and resolve crawling and indexing issues
• Use a user-friendly URL structure and permalink that is descriptive and understandable to visitors who have not visited the page
• Fix broken links and 404 Not Found errors that prevent visitors and search engines from accessing your content
• Ensure your website has a mobile-friendly and responsive design that adapts to various screen sizes
• Use a content delivery network (CDN) to improve your site speed, distribute traffic, and reduce downtime

You can refer to this guide for additional tips on improving your technical SEO and site health.

4 Local SEO

Local SEO is the practice of optimizing a business’s online presence to attract customers using local search queries. This ensures that your business appears prominently in local location-based search results, making it easier for nearby customers to find and engage with you.

Local SEO increases visibility, foot traffic, and customer engagement. It also builds trust and credibility within the community, leading to higher conversion rates. However, local SEO is not for every site. Instead, it is used by sites that offer a product or service to visitors within a specific location.

That said, some methods of improving local SEO include:

• Encourage customers to leave reviews and respond to them
• Create your Google Business Profile and optimize it for SEO and conversions
• Ensure your name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across the web
• Include location-specific keywords in your content, meta tags, and headings
• Create content that resonates with your local target audience
• Build backlinks from reputable local websites, such as chambers of commerce, local directories, and local news outlets
• Use Schema markup to help search engines understand your business’s location and services
• Ensure your website is mobile-friendly, as many local searches happen on mobile devices
• Add a location page to your website with detailed information about your business and service

To optimize your site for local SEO, refer to this guide on performing local keyword research. You should also refer to this guide on creating and optimizing your Google Business Profile.