This topic is in response to a question from an SEO Liverpool client who wants to know about Conversions.
It’s very important as an SEO consultant that you understand the final part of the optimisation puzzle. If you’re working towards the goal of just driving traffic to a website, then you’re not all the way their. The goal is to turn that traffic into conversions.
What is a conversion? – A proportion of visitors to a website, take action to go beyond a casual content view or website visit, as a result of subtle or direct requests from marketers, advertisers, and content creators.
This means – The person who lands on the website takes a desired action… or follows a set route you want them to travel.
Examples of Conversions
- The analytics shows the user has travel a desired route, and looked at the information you wanted to show them
- The user has phoned a number, or sent an email
- The user has filled out a desired form
- The user has downloaded a document
- The user has watched a video
- The user has bought a product or service
Why aren’t conversions all about getting work? – Actually they are, but not all work arrives immediately or directly from a glance at a website.
Example…
I’m looking to build an extension onto my house. I know what I want, I’ve stumbled onto an appropriate website…
Firstly everybody is different… I might want to call you up and get a quote – I’ve immediately seen the phone number in the header – Job done.
I may wish to email you (also in the header) the project details… so you have a feel for the project and then you can call me (at a convenient time for me) to discuss once you’ve more of an understanding of my needs.
I may just want to make sure your business is the real deal… you could be anyone. Subconsciously I’m looking for trust… maybe accreditation’s or visuals that imply trust.
I want to know you’re not going to run off with my money and I want to see samples of your work… I find the case studies pages.
What do your clients say about you… I find a video testimonial.
Conclusions
These are all either conversion points or major factors that relate to conversions. If your website doesn’t have them, then SEO will never be complete. How can you offer SEO to a website that will not convert? It’s like directing everybody to a closed shop.
The goal of running an SEO agency or being a consultant, isn’t to be consistently finding new clients. The goal is to establish long-term relationships, get recommendations from your existing clients to other potentials. Anybody who doesn’t understand the power of this type of referral should get reading. The most difficult and arguably time consuming aspect of this type of work is when you need to justify the reasons why they need SEO and its benefits. Why should anybody trust that you can deliver a project? Get your clients to do that for you!
How can you justify ROI if their is no ROI. Without proof of conversions, you’ll just make every potential client doubt the validity of your data sets and tarnish your reputation.