Search engine optimization is one of the two practices that businesses implement to reach new customers and improve online visibility besides paid advertising. It involves multiple optimization strategies and tactics to rank higher on SERPs and draw organic traffic to your website. One of the main goals of such optimization is to turn the visitor into a loyal and paying customer, which can be easily done after capturing them as leads. That’s why, in this article we want to elaborate on what is lead generation in SEO and how it affects your business success.
With our experience in the field, we want to emphasize the importance of this practice in SEO while highlighting some of the best practices you should know of. Furthermore, we’ll explain the different ways you can generate leads through SEO, focusing on the unique processes they consist of. Continue reading to discover all there is to know about lead generation in search engine optimization and how to implement the best strategies successfully.
What is Lead Generation in SEO?
Lead generation in SEO is the process of attracting and converting website visitors into potential customers through implementing search engine optimization strategies. This involves optimizing the website’s structure, content, and keywords to rank higher in SERPs. Doing so leads to increased organic traffic, which helps engage and attract potential prospects, turning them into leads.
If the visitor shows interest in potentially buying the products or services by taking a specific action, they are referred to as leads. This can include submitting their personal information for a free trial, signing up for your newsletter, or downloading a resource you’ve provided. Leads play a vital role in the process of converting prospects into customers.
In terms of SEO, businesses can implement various website optimization techniques to aid in lead generation. Since they’re closely interconnected processes, SEO and lead generation can influence each other to achieve better outcomes.
The Importance of Lead Generation in SEO
While SEO is commonly used to attract new visitors to your website, lead generation tactics capture their interest and guide them down the sales funnel.
Additionally, optimizing your website to capture new leads can also be beneficial for search engine optimization purposes, such as improved user engagement and inspiring valuable content. Since these practices are closely interconnected, insights gathered from your lead generation strategies can be used to boost your SEO performance. Not only will you gain a deeper understanding of which keywords drive the most traffic, but you’ll also discover how to increase your conversion rates.
By tailoring your website content to fit the needs of those who have shown interest in your business, you can also focus on a more effective solution– targeted marketing. With a newfound insight into your audience’s preferences and behaviors, you can develop more efficient marketing strategies and improve your product or service offerings. You’ll understand the terms your potential customers are likely to reach, helping you to create relevant content that will bring your target audience toward your website. From here on out, you can establish a meaningful relationship, collect their information and turn the prospects into leads.
Ways to Generate Leads through SEO
There are two ways to generate leads through SEO.
- Direct way: as the name implies, this method is specifically designed to convert website visitors into leads. They are created with a clear and straightforward goal in mind, which is to gather lead information.
- Indirect way: unlike direct methods, this tactic focuses on slow and long-term growth by building trust, awareness, and engagement within the audience. Since they’re not as aggressive as direct methods, their main goal is to nurture the leads and guide them down the sales funnel.
To get a better understanding of their use, we’ll elaborate on which practices are best used in both the direct and indirect way in the following strategy guide.
Direct way
If you’re interested in trying out the direct way of generating leads through SEO, here are some of the most common tactics used:
- Landing pages
- CTA (Call-to-action)
- Lead capture forms
- Pop-ups
Landing pages
One of the most common tactics used as a direct way of gathering leads is creating optimized landing pages. A landing page is a separate page on your website design for marketing purposes. What sets them apart from your regular website pages is that they’re created with a specific goal in mind and are highly targeted.
Landing pages get their name because visitors “land” on them after clicking a designated link through an email, social media platform, or search results. Their main use is to grab visitors’ attention and persuade them to convert into leads or paying customers. The landing page must be attention-worthy and clearly define your services or products.
If the landing page is meant for lead generation, it’s often designed to collect information easily from the traffic. In addition to the regular headlines and visual content, it can also contain offer descriptions, CTAs, forms, and trust indicators.
CTA (Call-to-action)
Another common direct method for lead generation is the use of call-to-actions, also referred to as CTAs. These short texts act as prompts to guide and encourage visitors to take a specific action on your page. They can come in many different forms, such as website buttons and advertising messages.
Since their main goal is to persuade the visitor to complete a desired action, you must ensure that these phrases are short, concise, and direct. It’s important to place them strategically on high-traffic pages and ensure an eye-catching design when used as buttons.
When used for lead generation purposes, it’s common to encourage the audience to submit their information by offering something in return. For example, you may offer a discount, free trial, or access to your newsletter.
That being said, here are some of the most commonly used CTAs for lead generation:
- “Join our newsletter”
- “Sign up today”
- “Contact us”
- “Learn more”
- “Download our free guide”
- “Start your free trial”
Lead capture forms
As the name implies, lead capture forms are forms specifically designed to collect visitor information. Even though they can be implemented on various pages of your website, strategic placement plays a key role in their success. Thus, some of the most common placement options for lead capture forms are on high-traffic pages, landing pages, and blog posts.
When designing these forms, it’s important to be mindful of the visitor’s time and attention span. Failing to capture the necessary information quickly may discourage the audience from completing the form, resulting in a missed lead-capture opportunity. To prevent such issues, we advise you to design the forms with clear instructions and as few fields as possible to increase the submission rates.
Similar to the CTAs, you can also offer something valuable in return to further intrigue the visitors. Such incentives can come in various forms, such as free demos, resources, and discounts.
Pop-ups
Lastly, many businesses have turned to the use of pop-ups to catch the visitors’ attention before a certain action has been taken. Since they appear on top of the page the visitor is on, they can come in various forms and sizes. Some common pop-up options you’ll see online businesses use are full-screen overlays, lightboxes, surveys, slide-ins, and notification pop-ups.
As mentioned, these additional elements appear on the page after they’ve been triggered by a certain action the visitor has taken. For example, you can adjust them to appear if the visitor is showing an exit intent, has spent a specific time on the website, or has scrolled to a certain point on your page.
Like the previous tactics, this direct method aims to capture visitors’ attention while on your page and persuade them to quickly fill in their information. Moreover, since you’ll be distributing the user’s search intent, it’s of utmost importance to make their design as compelling as possible and keep the form short. You can also encourage the visitor through engaging offers, such as a last-chance opportunity to get a specific resource or discount.
Source: allaboutcookies.org
Indirect way
Even though many businesses often strive to achieve quick results through direct methods, we always recommend our clients take the time and implement indirect lead-generation strategies for long-term success. Some of the best methods to build trust and awareness within your audience for lead-capture purposes are the following:
- Content
- On-page optimization
- Social media
Content
The best way to utilize SEO for lead generation through an indirect method is by creating high-quality content. Some of the best results can be achieved by blogging and frequently uploading relevant content. Not only will regular blog posts keep the audience engaged, but you’ll also start gaining recognition in your field, which the search engines will notice.
When implementing this strategy, it’s important to ensure that it targets relevant keywords and topics within your niche. Furthermore, you should always be mindful of the article structure and text readability to ensure a positive user experience. If you’re new to this form of content distribution, we advise you to avoid any grammar mistakes and always proofread your content before publishing.
On-page optimization
On-page optimization is essential for any SEO endeavor. Ensuring that the pages on your website are optimized both for search engines and users alike will not only help you rank higher but also reach more potential customers.
The first thing you need to do is conduct a website audit and identify any potential issues. Whether you need to update your responsive design or organize your pages for easier navigation, you should always put yourself in your customer’s shoes before implementing any changes.
Furthermore, you should decide on a set of keywords you’d like to rank for and use them as frequently as possible. Make sure they’re part of the content published on your page and appear in your meta descriptions, title and header tags, and images.
Social media
Lastly, you should never underestimate the power of utilizing social media platforms as part of your lead generation strategy. In today’s modern age, the best exposure can be achieved by having an audience share your brand-related content through different channels. Being active on social media platforms suitable for your type of business can help drive traffic to your website and improve brand awareness.
Furthermore, remember that the most dominant and shareable content on these channels is visual. That’s why we always recommend you take the time and create appealing images or videos that will encourage the users to share them.
Lastly, social media can be used to engage with potential leads, which helps nurture a trustworthy relationship that will persuade them to try out your products and services. So, keep your platforms active by frequently posting relatable content. That way you’ll be able to reach new audiences and drive more traffic.
Tips for Using SEO for Lead Generation
Now that you’re familiar with the common lead generation tactics, we also want to highlight some of the best SEO practices you should consider that may aid in the process. Here are the best tips to streamline your lead generation and search engine optimization.
Keyword research
Keyword research is the base of any search engine optimization strategy. Finding suitable words and phrases to rank for based on your specific industry can help you reach the right audience and increase your overall authority. Furthermore, this process can aid in on-page optimization and content creation, making it easier for people to find your business when searching for the specific industry terms you’re targeting.
Source: ahrefs.com
Local SEO
If you’re running an on-site business, you should never miss out on the opportunity to implement local SEO tactics. This includes creating a Google Business Profile and enriching it with your business name, location, and contact information. After you’ve claimed your listings in online directories, you should focus on generating positive reviews and optimizing your content for local search.
Source: geeksforgeeks.org
Some General Tips for SEO
Website loading time
While many businesses focus on creating a user-friendly interface and compelling content, one technical aspect of SEO you should never overlook is the website loading time. Failing to load your website quickly can frustrate the users and force them to leave the website without taking any action. Thus, we recommend you optimize your loading time by adjusting the image sizes, removing unnecessary code, and limiting HTTP requests.
Link-building
Lastly, link-building has always been one of the most effective strategies regarding SEO. Since it involves both internal and external linking, it’s important to divide your effort equally. While the first helps users easily navigate your website and access additional content, the latter can increase your overall authority and help you drive more organic traffic.
Conclusion
After elaborating on the meaning of what is lead generation in SEO and its use, remember that this process plays a vital role in your business success. Implementing some of the mentioned tactics, whether direct or indirect, will potentially increase your conversion rates, resulting in increased sales and revenue.
Being mindful of how difficult gathering new leads may be, our team at CLICKVISION Lead Generation offers inbound lead generation through SEO to deliver higher engagement and conversion rates. By capturing hot and high-quality leads based on your industry, you’ll reach an audience actively searching for your services. So, contact our team today and discover the best ways to enhance your business success!