International Business and Technology Blog

Since the dawn of Google, there has been the struggle for search ranking. A fierce clash of websites clamouring for our attention, the battle of keyword stuffing and content farming still rages on today.

It all boils down to finding a compromise between SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) and CRO (Conversion Rate Optimisation), because everyone knows you can’t have both... Or can you? In reality, SEO and CRO can exist in perfect harmony, so perhaps it’s time for a ceasefire.

We’ve all heard the statistics, so we’re painfully aware of the importance of SEO. With over 90% of searchers admitting that they don’t venture past the first page of search engine results, a high ranking is critical. But it’s easy to become so engrossed in the perpetual pursuit of search engine stardom that we forget what’s important – converting leads to clients.

CRO involves making the most out of each visitor to your site, and converting them into a client. The more they engage with your content, the more likely they are to buy into your brand, and Google gets this. So here’s the clincher: by optimising your site to make it easier for searchers to find exactly what they’re looking for, you’ll actually benefit your search ranking, not hinder it.

So it turns out that all this time we’ve been pitting them against each other, SEO and CRO actually go hand-in-hand when it comes to the ultimate web marketing strategy. And yet money injected into climbing the search rankings currently far outweighs investment in actual lead conversion. Thankfully though, it won’t take a site-shattering upheaval to get your CRO up to scratch.

A great way to drive higher engagement times is by adding a video to your site. After all, who can resist a large, inviting ‘play’ button? The promise of diverse and easily-digestible information beckoning from a searcher’s computer screen will encourage leads to linger on your site, boosting your Google brownie points and gaining the searcher’s interest all in one fell swoop.

Remember to make it easy for casual searchers to find the information they need, and to subscribe to the product or service you’re offering. Landing pages offer searchers a veritable smorgasbord of ways to engage with your brand, such as submitting their name to newsletters or email alerts. And, of course, Google will love this too.

So it’s time to let bygones be bygones and stop seeing Google as the enemy in the fight for better content. If the searcher’s happy, then Google’s happy, so make sure you’re delivering excellent content on your site, because there’s no point in increasing traffic to your site if there’s nothing there to greet the willing searcher, and your search ranking will drop as a result.

Let’s end the war and lead the way to a brave new future, in which SEO and CRO can exist in perfect harmony.

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