Back in the ’90s, when the internet first started to become mainstream consumer technology, people got most of their information from newspapers and magazines. This was a great way to get everything you needed to know, but it also presented some challenges.
The media companies that controlled who did and didn’t get published had a massive amount of power over what information reached people. People had access to more news than ever before, but they were also getting much less of it than they wanted or needed.
That’s all changed now that Google is one of the most powerful companies in the world and has an incredible amount of control over what we’re exposed to on the web.
People have access to more information than ever before thanks to Google, but are also getting much less of it than we want or need.
Partly this is because Google’s search results are so tailored towards advertisers (and other commercial interests) that we’re not seeing as much high-quality content as we used to see in magazines and newspapers.
This article will show you how to use Google Analytics insights on your site’s Search & Trends data to stop losing traffic from paid ads and start improving your SEO efforts instead!”
| Key Takeaways |
|---|
| Paid ads can lead to a loss of organic traffic if not managed effectively. |
| Regularly monitor website traffic sources to identify shifts in performance. |
| Ensure your paid ad campaigns target the right audience to maximize ROI. |
| Balance paid and organic strategies to maintain a steady flow of traffic. |
| Analyze conversion rates from both paid and organic sources for insights. |
| Optimize landing pages to enhance user experience and drive better results. |
| Consider retargeting strategies to recapture visitors who didn’t convert. |
| Continuously refine and adapt your marketing approach based on data. |
| Don’t overlook the value of organic traffic in building long-term brand authority. |
| Invest in comprehensive tracking and analytics tools for accurate assessment. |
1. Search & Trends Are Misleading
The first thing you should know about paid advertising is that there are a lot of ways it can trick you into thinking that people are visiting your website when they’re not.
For example, search engines like Google show you how many people searched for certain keywords over time, which seems like it would be a good indicator of what’s popular online at any given moment. But this isn’t always the case:
The search engine may be inaccurate. It all depends on how many other sites use those same keywords in their content (and therefore end up getting ranked higher than yours) or if Google has updated its algorithm recently without telling anyone (which happens).
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2. Cookie Management Can Hurt Your SEO
One way to track users across different websites and devices is by using cookies. Cookies are little bits of text that are saved on a user’s computer and can be used to store information about them.
The cookie is stored in the browser on their device, so if they visit another site using the same browser, it will recognise them as being logged in.
This can be useful for tracking user behaviour across multiple sites or to target adverts based on previous searches but there’s one big caveat:
If you’re not careful when building your website’s architecture (for example, if you use tracking methods like Google Analytics or remarketing pixels), you may end up accidentally collecting data from other websites which could damage your organic search rankings on Google!
3. Don’t Use “Relevancy” In Google All-in-one
You shouldn’t use any of the following features to measure your search engine rankings.
Google All-in-one: This is a tool that shows you how many people are clicking on your website, but it isn’t accurate. It doesn’t show you which keywords they’re using to get there, and it can easily be manipulated by competitors.
Google Analytics: It’s not a good idea to use a tool like this to measure traffic levels because it won’t tell you what people are searching for or why they clicked on your site in the first place.
Google Search Console: This feature was designed for website owners who want more information about their rankings on Google’s search results pages however, this information isn’t always accurate either!
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4. Optimise For Mobile First
Mobile-first design is the practice of designing your website or app mobile-first. This means you start with the content and functionality that’s most important to your users, and then enhance it for larger screens as a secondary step.
The idea behind mobile first is simple: if you can’t use a site on mobile, it doesn’t matter how great it looks on desktop because no one will see it!
Mobile traffic has been steadily climbing since 2011 and now accounts for more than half of all web browsing time in some countries (like South Africa).
If you want to grow your business by getting more eyeballs on your products, services, or content then you need to make sure that everyone can access them easily and this means making sure they look great no matter what device they’re using.
5. Facebook Ads Can Be Worth The Time
Facebook ads can be a great way to target your audience. You can target by location, age and gender, interests and demographics. The targeting options are so precise that you can even hone in on users’ browsing behavior or purchase history.
Location – If you have a brick-and-mortar shop, targeting people in your neighborhood is an obvious choice. But did you know you could also show ads to people who live within 20 miles of your store? Or 100 miles?
This is important because it means they’re more likely to buy from you than someone living far away who might not even know where your store is located.
Age – Facebook lets advertisers choose their audience based on demographic information such as birth year or graduation year.
Gender – For example, if you only want men purchasing a product (or vice versa), then this option would help eliminate any confusion about whether or not women were seeing the ad.
Interests – This could include hobbies like “gardening” or “beer making,” or specific brands like Harley Davidson motorcycles.”
6. Don’t Revive Old Pages With New Content
While it might seem like a good idea to add new content to old pages, it’s not. It’s a waste of effort, and you’re likely to see very little return on your investment.
If you’re going to add new content to an old page, make sure that the purpose is clear: do you want more traffic? If so, use a 301 redirect from the old page to its updated version with new content.
That way search engines will know which page they should be ranking for searches related to what was previously found in your old webpage.
Likewise if you want more blog traffic.
Or website traffic considers using 301 redirects as well instead of just adding new pages with similar titles or descriptions as existing ones because then only one of these two results will end up being indexed by Google instead of both (which can happen if both have identical titles).
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7. Write About What You Know, And Do It Consistently, For A While
The next tip is to write about what you know and be consistent.
The importance of consistency cannot be overstated. If your blog goes up every two weeks, or even every two months, it’s going to seem like you really don’t care or aren’t making any progress at all.
You want to make sure that people see regular content coming out of your site so they think “Hey, this guy is still working on stuff! He cares about his business and is trying hard! I should stay here for a while longer.”
So if you have things that come up in your personal life (like vacations), just plan around those times so that when those are happening there’s no new content from you coming out on the site!
This will also help keep readers engaged; if they know there won’t be any new posts while they’re away then they’ll stay subscribed just in case something comes out while they’re gone – which makes them more likely than usual.
Because there might not always be something new during those times as well (and if there isn’t then hey no harm done!).
You could write about anything: marketing strategies for small businesses; how-to guides for growing plants indoors; tips for saving money by shopping smarter; reviews of products under $20; whatever inspires YOU…whatever inspires YOU! Just remember:
Try not to get too technical with things like “how-to guides”. They should feel more like advice rather than instructions…
Like someone telling their friend how THEY would do something instead of giving step-by-step instructions along with pictures showing exactly how each part should look once completed – which can make it difficult for others outside their own educational background level(s).
8. Check Your Google Analytics Data Before You Write
Google Analytics is free and easy to use. You can sign up for a free account here, and once you do, it’s just a matter of creating a new property (a website or blog) and then adding the tracking code snippet to your site.
Once that’s done, head over to Google Analytics and click on ‘Audience Overview’. This will show you where traffic is coming from (i.e., where people are finding your content), how long they’re staying on the site, and what they’re interested in (by category).
This information will help inform everything from which topics people are most interested in reading about (so you can write more content around them) right down to what type of tone works best for engaging with your audience.
Because if we’ve learned anything over the last few years it’s that humans prefer being spoken to by other humans rather than robots pretending not be robots!
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9. Don’t Use A Video Instead Of Texting
This is a mistake that many marketers have made, so don’t feel bad if you’ve done it too. But videos are not always the best way to communicate with your audience.
As we discussed in point #2, text can be more personal and engaging than video, especially if you’re trying to make a connection with someone in person.
Think about how many times you’ve watched a video on Youtube or Facebook that has nothing to do with your interests chances are pretty good that there will be a lot of them!
It’s tempting as marketers to just throw up some content on our site and hope for the best – but it doesn’t always work out like that!
You should use video as a tool to communicate information rather than just entertaining people all day long (which is what happens when someone watches an hour-long cat compilation on Youtube).
10. Improve Your Website’s Usability Before You Add A Blog Or Video Feed
Your site’s usability is absolutely crucial, and it should be a priority before you add any content-focused features like blogs or videos. If your website isn’t usable and easy to navigate, you’re going to lose visitors who are looking for specific information.
You can test your website’s usability with simple tests such as counting the number of clicks it takes to find a particular page on your site, or asking users what they thought about their experience using it.
If your website is not very usable yet (which is likely if you haven’t tested it), this should be top of mind before adding new features that require more time spent browsing around in search of information!
11. Design & UX Is More Important Than Content
One of the most important things to keep in mind is that design and UX are more important than content.
If you have a website that looks like it was put together by an amateur, chances are your visitors will leave before they read anything. And if they do read something, chances are they won’t be reading for long.
To make sure that doesn’t happen to you, here’s some inspiration. Check out these websites:
The New York Times (http://www.nytimes.com/) – They’ve done a great job at making their site easy to browse through and easy on your eyes!
Patagonia (https://www.patagonia.com/) – This outdoor gear company uses a lot of white space in their design which makes for an easy way to navigate through the site as well as being visually appealing!
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Conclusion
As content marketers, we are always on the lookout for ways to improve our traffic generation and conversion efforts so that we can get more leads. It’s not easy, but it’s possible with a bit of hard work and some creative thinking.
This article will show you how to do just that by giving you 11 tips on what not to do when generating traffic to your website. You’ll also learn how to use Google Analytics as a way to identify problems in your SEO strategy before they become too big of an issue.
Further Reading
Check out these articles for more insights on related topics:
Is Paid Traffic Worth the Investment? Learn about the pros and cons of investing in paid traffic strategies and how they can impact your online presence.
Understanding the Drop in Organic Traffic Discover common reasons behind a decline in organic website traffic and strategies to address this issue.
Exploring Fluctuations in Organic Traffic Dive into the factors that can lead to fluctuations in organic traffic and how to navigate through these changes effectively.
FAQs
Why is organic traffic important for a website?
Organic traffic plays a crucial role in website visibility and credibility. It indicates that your content is relevant and valuable to users, leading to higher trust and better search engine rankings.
How can paid traffic benefit my business?
Paid traffic can provide immediate visibility for your business, reaching a targeted audience quickly. It’s especially useful for time-sensitive campaigns and promotions.
What could be causing a drop in organic traffic?
Several factors can contribute to a drop in organic traffic, including algorithm changes, technical issues, or increased competition in search engine results.
Are there risks associated with relying solely on paid traffic?
Yes, depending solely on paid traffic can be risky as it requires continuous investment. If not managed properly, it can lead to high costs without long-term sustainability.
How can I strike a balance between paid and organic traffic strategies?
A balanced approach involves leveraging both paid and organic traffic strategies. Paid traffic can offer quick results, while organic strategies build sustainable long-term traffic.
Costantine Edward is a digital marketing expert, freelance writer, and entrepreneur who helps people attain financial freedom. I’ve been working in marketing since I was 18 years old and have managed to build a successful career doing what I love.