Free traffic from Search Engine optimization…is great. However, as with all free things, there is always a downside.
Downside #1: Free traffic isn’t scalable
Let’s say we put together a fantastic search engine optimization (SEO) campaign. Eventually, you will reach a maximum number of business leads from SEO. It is inevitable. You can’t manufacture more searches.
Let’s use a specific example. Let’s say in a given week there are 1000 key phrase searches that are related to “Bills Bike Shop” in Toronto, Ontario. Phrases such as “custom Schwinn bikes“, “bike performance in Toronto“, “custom bicycles in Ontario” etc. Let’s assume that we can get you to a #1 position for all of these (which is no easy feat). Typically, about 31% of the searchers will click that link. That means, 310 searchers will view your site. The #1 position is as good as it gets. Once you reach it there is no room for increased leads for your business.
This always happens. Once you rank well for the best keywords, to get you more traffic we have to move into less searched long tail keywords which will yield less traffic, because they have less searches. Since optimizing for 10 less searched keywords, costs about the same as optimizing for 10 highly searched keywords, you see where this goes…the same money and effort, with less site visits to show for it. Eventually all of the key phrases are exhausted, how do you continue to scale your traffic?
Downside #2: Free traffic isn’t dependable
Do a Google search for “Penguin Update”. You’ll see what we mean. In 2012 Google updated their algorithm to clear their search results of a lot of “spammy” websites. It worked. The problem is that a lot of legitimate websites that had spent significant money on SEO were now kicked to page 3, 5 or even lower. Typically, once your page appears lower than page 1 of a Google search, the click rate is below 1 percent! Traffic disappeared overnight. Remember, Google is a private company, they have no requirement to pass on any traffic to your site and are completely within their rights to cut off any traffic they do send you.
This is the problem with depending on any one source of traffic…if it fails, you are out of business, or at least seriously challenged. None of us wants to be here!.
So, if you want to continue to grow your business with reliable traffic, what should you do?
The answer is paid traffic.
Paid traffic is the answer to the scalability, and reliability problem because you can buy as much traffic as you need, and it will be reliably delivered to your site. In other words, you get what you pay for.
If you max out on Google traffic, you can buy more on Facebook. If you max out on Facebook, you can move to Instagram, then YouTube….and so on. The other upside of paid social ads is that you don’t have to wait years to build a following. Traffic can literally be turned on in a few hours, and will run for as long as you need it.
Just buy traffic and the leads come in?
It isn’t quite that simple. The easy part is getting your ads in front of people. After that,
- you must get them to click your ad,
- then they have to stay engaged with your website long enough to get an idea about what it is that you are selling,
- then you must persuade them to buy your product, or to contact you in some way.
Then you achieve this without spending more than you take in.
Our part in all of this
We handle all of this for you. Whether it’s researching the markets, buying the media, writing the ad copy, building a website or any of the other things that need to be done, we do it all in house.
Your part in all of this…reach out to us
At this point you should contact us. All of the information presented here is pretty general and is not necessarily tailored to your business. If you are reading this, you are in need of some kind of help – so why wait? We don’t charge for phone or e-mail consultations, so at the very least you will get a few pointers For Free. The only way to find out is to contact us.
