How to Create a Website that Generates Organic Traffic

How to Create a Website that Generates Organic Traffic

We should address the most critical question: what does organic traffic mean?

In the immense global network known as the internet, organic traffic is a term used to describe visitors who find your website through regular searching. These good-looking guests don’t come from paid advertisements or social media campaigns where attention is bought with bright lights and big promises. No, sirree, they’re born with it, like a bear drawn to honey.

Let me put it another way: if your website were a physical store on the street, organic traffic would be those whimsical people who come in simply because something caught their eye while walking past or because they could smell fresh bread from miles away. They didn't see any signs or have any papers handed out to them – they just decided to come on their own. Incredible, isn't it?

Why Does it Matter if your Website Generates Organic Traffic?

Alright, so you know what organic traffic means. That’s great, but why should you care? Let me give you a few reasons:

1. It is free advertising: Although you will still need time and effort optimising your site, organic traffic doesn’t require paying for clicks like paid ads do.
2. It fosters trust and credibility: When people find you organically, they are more likely to trust your website. It’s akin to receiving a personal recommendation from someone rather than getting bombarded with spam messages.
3. It’s the most valuable form of targeted traffic: These users have actively searched for something related to your offer; therefore, they are highly likely to interact with your content, convert it into leads or sales, and become loyal customers in the long run.
4. It never stops giving: While paid campaigns may dry up after some time if not maintained consistently over the years with proper optimisation techniques, organic traffic can keep flowing forever as long as people are interested in the topic your website covers.

Want more information? Well, let us delve deeper into generating this liquid gold, shall we?

How to Increase Organic Traffic to Your Website

Ready to attract even more of those sweet, sweet organic visitors? Here are several proven tactics to get you started:

1 – Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)

Search engine optimisation is like a complete body workout for your website— blood, sweat, and tears will go a long way towards increasing those search rankings.

On-Page SEO

This is all the optimisation that can be done directly on your website’s pages, such as:

• Content with keywords: Yes, you got it right! Strategically sprinkle in those valuable ‘keywords’ that your audience searches for. But remember – don’t overdo it because nobody wants their content stuffed with keywords.
• Title tags and meta descriptions: These guys are like well-dressed doorkeepers who give search engines (and people) an attractive first impression about what they will find inside!
• Image optimisation: Since search engines cannot see images (yet), so we have to optimise alt text, file names, etcetera.
• Mobile friendliness: More than 50% of traffic comes from mobile devices; therefore, having a responsive design or mobile-optimised site is essential.

Off-Page SEO

These are all optimisations happening off your website, such as;

• Link building: The more backlinks pointing towards your site from other high-quality sites, the higher authority & trust in Google’s eyes — think digital networking!
• Social signals are not directly related to ranking, but having an active social media following can boost SEO credibility.
• Local SEO: If you’ve got a locally based business, optimise for city-specific/region-specific keywords and ensure you get listed on directories, etc.

The rule of the game changes now and then; however, if one masters these fundamentals, they will rank better than others, thus driving much more traffic organically.

2 – Develop Amazing Content

You’ve probably heard the phrase “content is king” a million times. And you know what? It’s still true — maybe even more so in 2024. Search engines are getting smarter, meaning subpar, thin content won’t cut it.

To generate organic traffic, you must create rich, authoritative and engaging content that keeps readers returning more regularly. Think meaty blog posts, comprehensive guides, educational videos and so on.

Don’t be the brand that pumps out forgettable blog posts every week. Instead, go extensive (and comprehensive) with fewer cornerstone content pieces. Not only will these beefy content assets do wonders for SEO, but they’ll also help position you as an industry expert and thought leader.

A Few Tips For Creating Epic Content:

• Research high-traffic keywords: Find out what your audience is searching for and build content around those topics.
• Use visuals: Spice up all that text with relevant images, videos, charts and other multimedia to increase engagement.
• Update and repurpose old content: A refresh can drive new life (and traffic) to your ageing content.
• Tell engaging stories: People relate to stories more than boring facts and figures.
• Master the art of the headline: A magnetic headline has never been more critical — there’s just so much competing content out there fighting for eyeballs!

Creating epic content takes more effort — but it’s worth weight in organic traffic gold.

3 – Guest Blogging & Outreach

You have a website that has been revamped and great content, but how do you increase the number of people visiting it? By carrying out guest blogging and outreach.

This allows your site to be discovered by its audience when you contribute knowledge-based articles on other respected sites within your industry. Moreover, if you include a savoury backlink that points back to your website, then this will also help improve SEO. It is like killing two birds with one stone!

Outreach may seem counterproductive for organic traffic growth, but it is not. Actively contacting relevant influencers, bloggers, and people who already love what you do under your company’s name to push them towards your latest content or product offers can do this for you. Remember, just because something is organic does not mean you cannot actively participate in its growth.

4 – Get Social

Your social media game needs to be stronger now that we are talking about being proactive.

True, search engines might not take into account the number of followers someone has on Instagram (at least for now), but having an active social presence where people engage with each other helps expose brands to new individuals who could end up reaching those sites through natural searches later on down the line.

Also, word-of-mouth buzz thrives on such platforms, which could lead to massive amounts of organic traffic from seemingly nowhere over time.

The trick here lies in knowing what these channels are and creating content tailor-made for each while at the same genuinely interacting with those following or subscribed to them; then kick off your shoes, sit back, and wait till slight promotion through sharing among friends leads vast numbers coming through without any advertising at all

5 – Concentrate on UX (User Experience)

Consider this: You have mastered all the SEO techniques and content marketing strategies; you have even managed to attract organic traffic. However, once this flow reaches your clunky website and is hard to navigate, they leave faster than you can say “time spent on site”.

When capitalising on organic traffic and making people stay on your site longer, user experience design should be taken seriously.

Here are some of the onsite UX factors to consider:

• Mobile responsiveness: We mentioned it above, but it is too important to mention it only once. Ensure that your site provides an impeccable browsing experience for mobile users.
• Fast loading times because slow pages kill bounce rates. Do all you can to optimise speed;
• Clear CTAs & conversion opportunities: Give those visitors a gentle nudge in the right direction with prominent calls to action and lead capture on every page.
• Simple navigation – Don’t make people play “Where’s Waldo” trying to find what they need. Keep menus clean and use straightforward internal linking.

Creating a seamless, enjoyable user journey will make more of these natural visitors become repeat buyers and advocates for your brand.

6 – Wait and Stick With It

Are you waiting for your organic traffic to increase? Don’t lose hope.

Most things, especially online marketing, take a lot of time. Search engine optimisation and content marketing are not quick fixes; they’re like stocks or bonds that must be planned meticulously and nurtured consistently over the years.

The businesses that succeed in driving organic traffic haven't stumbled upon some magic formula. Instead, they’ve spent long periods doing unexciting background work: keyword research, content calendars, link-building exercises and UX (user experience) tweaks.

You should believe in this method and persist even if you don’t see immediate results. Sooner or later, the steady rewards from concentrated efforts towards an organic traffic strategy will pour down on you like compound interest.

The Advantages of Organic Traffic

At this point, you're likely getting hyped about generating more of that sweet, sweet organic traffic. And you should be! Beyond just being “free” and targeted, there are so many other incredible benefits that come with successful organic marketing:

1. Credibility and Trust Boosters

An underlying sense of credibility and trustworthiness comes with being discovered organically through research. If your website ranks on page one for those high-value keywords, you must be legit, right?

Unlike paid ads that scream “corporate soulless promotion”, organically earned traffic signals authority and expertise to your audience. They'll perceive you as an industry leader worth paying attention to.

2. Aligned With Modern Buyer Behavior

Today's consumers distrust traditional advertising more than ever before. They have a skilled ad-blocker game and can sniff out a sales-y pitch from a mile away.

That's why aligning your marketing efforts with organic search behaviour is so powerful. You're meeting modern buyers on their turf with the information they're actively seeking out, not interrupting them with unwanted promotions.

This “inbound” approach is far more likely to resonate and drive conversions than old-school outbound tactics could ever dream of in our ad-fatigued society.

3. Long-Term, Compounding Results

While paid campaigns yield quick hits of traffic that fizzle out when you stop spending, the organic traffic you earn through savvy SEO and content marketing keeps paying dividends over months and years.

Well-executed organic efforts create a rising tide that lifts all boats. The high-quality content you produce and backlinks you earn today will continue driving more and more brand awareness and search traffic tomorrow. It's a gift that keeps on giving!

This long-term, compounding nature makes organic marketing an intelligent investment. Every ounce of effort and resources you pour into it continues accruing interest like a robust savings account.

4. Valuable Behavioural Data

Beyond just sheer traffic volume, organic visitors offer a treasure trove of insightful behavioural data you can use to improve products, services, and marketing ROI:

• Their search queries reveal precisely what info they're seeking
• Engagement metrics show which content resonates most
• Top exit pages highlight areas of website friction
• Conversion data surfaces your most profitable traffic sources
• And so much more!

Because paid promotions or algorithms aren't nudging these organic users, their browsing behaviour offers a refreshingly authentic look at how your target audience thinks and operates online.

Such data-driven insights are gold for guiding your brand's future direction and doubling down on whatever works to attract your ideal customers.

5. Lower Acquisition Costs

The potential for lower acquisition costs with organic marketing is incredibly alluring for budget-conscious brands and bootstrapped startups.

Sure, you'll need to invest time and resources into creating all that search-optimized content and building high-quality backlinks. But at the end of the day, that investment is far more cost-effective than doling out cash for paid ads month after month.

And the more you can increase organic traffic, the lower your blended visitor acquisition costs become compared to their paid counterparts. With intelligent tactics and consistent effort, you may eventually reach a point where most of your visitor acquisition is essentially “free” beyond hosting and staff costs.

Common Organic Traffic Myths & Misconceptions

Of course, a digital marketing discussion would only be complete by addressing some of the most common myths and misconceptions swirling around the topic. Let's clear the air:

Myth #1: “Organic traffic is free.”

I hate to break it to you, but organic traffic is certainly not 100% free. You'll need to dedicate serious time, effort and skill to producing SEO-optimised content and earning juicy backlinks. For most businesses, you'll likely want to enlist the help of experienced SEO agencies or consultants, which can get pricey. While more cost-effective than paid ads, calling organic traffic completely “free” is a stretch in the long run.

Myth #2: “It takes forever to see results from organic marketing.”

Organic traffic requires more patience than paid campaigns, which can drive traffic quickly. But you can start seeing the fruits of your labour within a few months with the proper SEO and content strategy. The key is focusing on lower-difficulty keywords and content optimisations before tackling those highly competitive terms. Stop buying into the myth that you'll wait years for a single organic visitor!

Myth #3: “All organic traffic is created equal.”

This one hurts a little. While generating organic traffic is a positive step, you ideally want to attract some of that highly targeted, ready-to-convert organic traffic we discussed earlier. Visits from irrelevant queries or audience segments without intent to buy aren't worth nearly as much. Focus on the quality and relevance of your organic traffic sources and raw volume.

Myth #4: “You can just set and forget your organic marketing.”

Not a chance! Search algorithms and user behaviour constantly evolve, so a “set it and forget it” mindset with organic marketing essentially waves the white flag to your competitors. Consistent publishing, analysis, testing and optimisation are required to stay ahead of the curve. Your organic traffic gains will be fleeting if you stop consistently doing the work.

Myth #5: “Organic beats paid marketing every time.”

While this article has (lovingly) gushed about the perks of successful organic marketing, let's be clear: an exclusive organic OR paid approach could be better. The smartest marketers today leverage a strategic blend of organic and paid channels, allowing each to cover the respective weaknesses of the other. Organic AND paid to work in harmony? Now, that's a content marketer's dream!

Organic Traffic FAQs

By now, you're practically an organic traffic wizard! But just in case you've still got a few nagging questions, here are some FAQs to provide a bit extra clarity:

The Organic Traffic Bottom Line

Well, there you have it, folks – the all-encompassing guide to mastering organic traffic in the modern age.

While paid advertising and disruptive marketing tactics will always have their place, consistently capturing eager audiences through organic search provides unparalleled brand credibility, audience insights, long-term ROI sustainability, and more.

But let's be clear: thriving with organic traffic in today's ultra-competitive online landscape isn't an overnight journey or a destination with a final “finish line.” It requires diligent, strategic daily work through intelligent technical SEO, high-quality content creation, tireless link building, and an obsessive focus on delivering exceptional user experiences.

Those brands that truly crack the organic traffic code won't be lauding you with sleazy sales pitches, though. They'll simply show up at the right place at the right time as welcome, trusted guides with your sought-after answers.

Are you ready to unlock the digital marketing holy grail by committing yourself to organic traffic mastery?