A few weeks ago, I spoke with a colleague about connecting SEO content to conversions. We agreed there’s a blind spot in SEO: getting people to the website has traditionally been treated as the goal, even as LLMs change how users find and enter websites. We’re seeing more branded traffic, less organic SERP traffic, and users entering at different stages of the funnel.
My colleague called it “the SEO blind spot” because everything on a website should work together toward conversions and KPIs.
When I first started in this industry, I was told to drive traffic to get people on the page. We wanted our traffic numbers to grow. After that, the sales team would take care of it.
That’s not the right strategy. I learned that the hard way, but hopefully you won’t have to.
Your SEO content should drive traffic, but it should be the right traffic — people with a strong chance of converting. It should work with the full funnel to drive traffic and support conversions.
AI Overviews changed what an organic click is worth
Around 68% of searches on traditional search engines yield no clicks, per a Semrush study. Think about that.
It’s now harder than ever to get traffic to the webpage. More and more, we’re not even seeing it come from the top of the funnel but rather as branded or direct traffic.
This means SEO content has to be more intentional than ever, because if you get that click-through and the user doesn’t convert, it’s a waste of your hard work.
There’s so much white noise on the internet today, so many products, so many things, that if you’re not standing out from your competitors and creating an experience for your user, chances are you’re drowning in the sea of sameness.
Even still, traffic alone rarely yields meaningful results for business KPIs. Conversions do.
Dig deeper: Measuring zero-click search: Visibility-first SEO for AI results
Track, grow, and measure your visibility across Google, AI search, social, local, and every channel that influences buying decisions.
Why SEO can’t stop at traffic
Job descriptions are changing. We’re seeing titles like content and growth engineers. These titles come with job descriptions that encompass SEO, CRO, sometimes AEO, and other E-I-E-I-Os. Organic growth for the SEO star used to mean just driving traffic to the website. Past that, it was someone else’s problem to make the sale. Not anymore.
There are too many competitors in every industry to say, “Just grow our traffic numbers.” User experience and conversion rate optimization are being added to job descriptions more and more.
Both of those skills help a brand stand out and grow the business. As an SEO specialist, think about how to drive traffic with content and how to use that same content to support conversions.
What happens when you create traffic but not conversions?
You’ll see different trends and patterns across your content. It’ll be the usual suspects.
- Vanity metrics rise, but revenue doesn’t.
- Landing pages rank, but aren’t getting a decent CTR.
- Time on page is low for well-ranking pages.
- Visitors are landing, but not scrolling below the fold.
- Blog traffic grows, but there’s no lift in visits to product, pricing, or services pages.
You can find more trends through your analytics reports, heat maps, and more. When this happens, your customer or user isn’t moving through the funnel. They’re getting stalled because of your SEO content.
What happens when you optimize for both?
When you optimize for both traffic and conversions, you’re reconnecting the funnel and helping move the user smoothly through it. You’ll see some different, positive trends that you can report on and impress leadership with.
- Demo/trial requests climb.
- Return visitor rate goes up.
- Branded search volume grows.
- Assisted conversions show up in GA4.
- Sales report more leads from organic growth.
You can go back to those same reports and check to see what’s working and what’s not. You can use tools like SEOTesting.com or Convert.com to create A/B tests and see what’s driving your users. Now, instead of stalling the funnel, you’re actively helping move the user along toward the goal.
Dig deeper: New SEO KPIs you’re missing: How to measure SEO beyond clicks
SEO meets user experience to increase conversions
We’re seeing more and more that every user wants an experience. They don’t just want any company to provide them with a product or service. They want the company that shows it understands their problem, what it takes to make their life easier, and how it can do it better than anyone else.
So, how do you take generic SEO content and turn it into epic content that drives conversions?
Here are a few things to get you started.
- Know your ideal customer profile (ICP). Talk to the sales teams, read reviews, and listen to calls. You’ll be surprised how much they talk about why they need this. The story behind it. You can take trending language and worries and put that right into your content.
- Speak to the one. It’s an oldie but a goodie. Your SEO content should be a close-up for someone reading it. It should let them know that the brand sees them, understands their problem, and is the best choice to solve it. That means directly speaking to the one to make them feel seen rather than lost in the masses.
- Make the next step obvious and easy. Use clear CTAs. Repeat them at logical points throughout the page. If they have to scroll to find how to act, whether up or down, you’ve most likely lost them.
- Cut the friction. This can be both in the content, such as using jargon or inflated language, and forms. Simplify what you can. Most people don’t want academic reports unless they’re in that industry.
- Structure content so users can act without reading everything. Eye fatigue is real, and so is the short attention span. Make your content scannable so they can find a context clue that leads them to what they need. Scannable headers. TL;DR at the top, etc. Sure, some people read long landing pages, but most just want to know you can solve their problem and how to take the next step.
These are just a few steps. Depending on what your ICP needs, you have to do the research to figure out how to make your SEO content work to solve that problem. That’s where knowing a little bit about A/B testing will come in useful.
I highly recommend learning the basics of CRO. Talia Wolf (GetUplift), Joanna Wiebe (CopyHackers), and Steve Toth (CXL) are all great places to start when it comes to that.
Dig deeper: SEO leaders: stop chasing rankings, start building visibility systems
Make SEO accountable for more than traffic
SEO is leaning more and more into search experience optimization. This combines SEO and CRO to make sure that every user coming to the page has the experience they need to take the next step in the funnel.
If your SEO content brings traffic but has a full stop on anything after that, leadership may not find your role valuable.
If your SEO content truly understands the user, their needs, and what will drive them to take that next action, well, now you’ve gone from just having people click through to the page to clicking where it counts — that next step toward conversion.
When leadership or your clients see that you’re able to move the KPI needle, you’re helping the business succeed. That makes you a much more valuable SEO marketer than one who stops at just trying to drive traffic.
