If you want your online marketing campaign to be successful, then you need to spend a lot of time thinking about your web traffic. In fact, it’s hard to overstate the importance of your website’s traffic. After all, without a steady stream of new visitors to your site, you’re going to have trouble widening your visibility. If you want your web presence to have a positive impact on your business, then you need to focus on organic traffic.

But what exactly is organic traffic, and why does it matter so much? Here are the answers to some of the most common questions about organic web traffic.

What is organic traffic? 

Web traffic, of course, is simply the number of individual visits to your website by different internet users. Broadly speaking, there are two types of web traffic: paid and organic. Paid traffic refers to visits to your site that are prompted by paid online advertisements. When people talk about PPC (pay-per-click) advertising, they’re referring to paid traffic.

Organic traffic, on the other hand, refers to visitors who came to your site through organic—that is, unpaid—means. For instance, if a user types “dentist near me” into Google’s search bar and then clicks on the link to your website in the search results, that is an example of organic traffic. When people mention SEO (search engine optimization), they’re talking about optimizing for organic traffic.

What advantages does organic offer over paid traffic? 

The inherent value of organic traffic over traffic that comes from paid advertisements may not be obvious at first. However, organic traffic has a number of clear advantages, which is why it’s important for businesses of all sizes to focus on it. If you want to make sure that you’re staying ahead of your competition and catching the attention of potential customers, then organic traffic should be central to your online marketing strategy.

These are some of the reasons why you should focus on organic traffic:

It allows you to connect with prospective customers.

With organic traffic, you know that your site is being viewed by real people—and, thus, potential customers. Unlike paid traffic, there’s no chance that your site’s traffic is coming from automated bots. Since generating leads should be one of the top goals of your marketing campaign, you should concentrate on organic marketing methods.

Organic traffic enables you to boost your search engine ranking.

The more organic traffic your website is receiving, the more prominently your website is likely to rank in Google and other top search engines. As a result, you’ll become more visible on the web—and thus able to attract even more visitors to your site. Ranking high on relevant search engine results pages is something every business should strive for.

It indicates that your business’ reputation is growing.

If you want to succeed, then you need to pay close attention to what people are saying about your business. What kind of reviews are you getting? Are people engaging with your social media posts? When a prospective customer looks at your online presence, are they getting the impression of a business that is trustworthy? Growing your organic traffic is indispensable to establishing a strong, positive reputation on the web.

Boosting traffic organically allows you to analyze your own marketing strategy.

When you’re getting more organic traffic, it means that your marketing methods are working. If you want to stay on the right track in terms of your SEO strategy, then you need to be continually reevaluating your approach to marketing. Are you using the right keywords? Is your website targeting the right users? Is your content optimized for the best results? Looking at your organic presence can help you answer those questions.

It results last longer than paid traffic results.

Paid traffic is often a popular choice for new businesses, since it allows them to get clicks right away. However, the results of paid advertisements usually end as soon as the advertisements themselves stop. If you want to forge a strong, lasting online presence and keep expanding your visibility, then your strategy should focus on organic traffic.

Pursuing organic web traffic is a cost-effective option.

Paid traffic requires both an up-front and continuous investment, which isn’t the best move for every business. Growing your traffic organically through skillful SEO tactics, on the other hand, allows you to focus on providing your users with high-quality content. The more polished and professional your website is now, the more successful it is likely to be in the long run. Thus, investing in SEO—and on building organic traffic—is a smart move regardless of your business’ current financial situation.

Above all, prioritizing organic traffic allows you to focus on building a solid foundation for your business’ online presence. It’s easy to rely on gimmicks, but it’s much more rewarding to concentrate on quality. If you want to make sure that your business has a good reputation and that you’re able to get your content in front of as many potential customers as possible, then SEO is the best tool for those goals.

It’s important to keep in mind that SEO is a multifaceted practice. It encompasses everything from blogging to social media to web design. Thus, you need to be thinking about every major component of your online presence if you want to get the best results. If you want to make sure that you’re following the best practices for SEO, then you may want to reach out to a professional to get the custom content you need.

Get in Touch with Pennington Creative

Do you need help rethinking your online presence? If you’re a business or agency that’s looking for smart, relevant content to engage your audience, then Pennington Creative can help. Our team of experienced content creators can ensure that you always have original blogs, fresh onsite content, and everything else you need to stay visible. If you have any questions about boosting your online presence through the services we offer, don’t hesitate to contact us today.

About the Author

Justyn - Digital Marketing Manager, Special Projects
Justyn Dillingham

Digital Marketing Manager, Special Projects