What to Do When Your SEO is Great but Fails to Generate Sales and Leads

You've nailed your SEO and traffic flowing in, but what if your sales and leads aren't keeping pace? It's actually a pretty common hurdle in online businesses. Even with top-notch SEO, that boost in high-quality traffic doesn't always translate into the expected uptick in sales and leads. Let's explore nine strategies to bridge this gap, turning that hard-earned traffic into solid, revenue-boosting results.

1. Improve your site's user experience (UX)

Improving your website's UX is a topic that has long been discussed in relation to SEO. Despite this, many websites have not prioritised improving UX. 

• Pay attention to white space to declutter pages.

• Add standout calls-to-action.

• Optimise page speed, as slow sites can lose up to 90% of leads.

• Employ responsive design for adaptability across devices.

• Maintain a consistent layout throughout your site.

• Minimise 404 errors for a smoother user experience.

Remember, testing your UX through an unbiased lens and adapting to visitor behaviour changes is crucial.

2. Increase your site conversions

After getting traffic, make sales. Check your conversion rate (CVR), the target is 2.3% or higher, especially for ecommerce sites. Focus on key areas of your site like:

• Blogs

• Integrate impactful calls-to-action, 

• prominently display product or service banners, and 

• provide content that focuses on solving your audience’s problems within your blog posts to actively engage visitors.

• Landing Pages 

Experiment with fresh approaches on underperforming landing pages by doing these:

• testing new Call-to-Actions (CTAs), 

• adjusting layouts, and 

• refining copy to enhance conversion rates.

• Copy

Work closely with writers to refine and clarify website copy, ensuring it resonates with your audience and leads to increased conversions.

The takeaway here is that you need to emphasise the importance of conversion optimisation to bridge the gap between SEO traffic and actual sales by avoiding missed opportunities.

3. Improve the first two actions on content pages lacking the right keywords

You can convert traffic into sales with educational content, and it might just be as simple as focusing on the first two actions on your current pages.

For example, add a prominent "Demo" button with a compelling call-to-action or place a demo video above the blog post. 

You can update the highest traffic pages as a test first. 

4. Improve content quality and relevance

Companies with older websites tend to gather a considerable number of blog posts that are not regularly reviewed or updated over time. What was once considered valuable high-quality content may no longer be applicable today. 

It's important to assess your articles, starting with the most visited, and conduct a thorough audit:

• Does the content meet the desired quality standards for your business? 

• Is it still relevant to your current audience? 

Just remember when you decide to remove old content, find redirect options to direct visitors to other content assets that may be of higher quality yet still relevant.

5. Use data analysis to enhance sales

Using data becomes crucial when you’re looking to boost sales. Various types of data sources, such as analytics, server logs, and heatmaps, provide valuable insights. 

For example, if a check of server logs reveals a spike in 404 errors on your checkout page, it gives insight into potential reasons for low conversions. 

Similarly, using a heatmap may uncover that most visitors focus on the right side of the page, while your call-to-action (CTA) is positioned on the left. 

Leverage this detailed data to identify where visitors encounter challenges in your sales funnel and implement changes to address these issues effectively.

6. Boost trust and credibility beyond social proof

Though social proof is crucial, what else can you do to strengthen trust and credibility? 

Every industry has unique methods to boost trust and credibility. For example, a technology company can showcase industry affiliations, recognitions, successful projects, and other data illustrating their reliability as a trusted business. 

Here are some ideas for you to get started:

• Include your professional licence number, whenever relevant.

• Display clear warranty or guarantee information.

• Incorporate logos or details about professional memberships or associations.

• Showcase any awards you've received.

• Provide links to news articles or publications where you've been featured.

7. Focus on local SEO (when applicable)

Physical businesses may experience a decline in sales and prospects if they overlook local SEO efforts. Local SEO involves a more focused and strategic approach to enhance a business's visibility in Google's local search results. I can’t stress this enough!

Imagine a restaurant in Melbourne trying to boost its online presence. Initially, they might use broad keywords such as "best restaurant" or "best restaurants in Australia." 

But it's really tough to climb the ranks with those terms because everyone's using them. Plus, they don't really zero in on its local crowd.

A more effective approach is to focus on specific, localised keywords. For instance, our successful strategy for a client involved targeting "pre theatre dining Melbourne," capitalising on the restaurant's proximity to the theatre district. This not only improved rankings but also attracted the right customers.

Other local SEO improvements include:

• Optimising your Google Business Profile page.

• Ensuring consistency in your business's name, address, and phone information online.

• Tailoring content and pages for location-based keywords.

Local SEO plays a vital role in ensuring that when local customers search for your business, they easily find your website.

8. Use A/B testing to improve conversions

A/B testing is an effective method for optimising conversion rates (CRO), where two versions of a web page are compared to find the one with a higher conversion rate. 

Even small changes like adjusting your text or changing the colour of a button can significantly impact conversions.

By conducting A/B tests, you can explore different versions of your pages, choose the most effective one, and maximise conversions. Even if your site is well-optimised, it may struggle to convert if the layout, text, formatting, and design are not effective.

An SEO specialist  like me and my team can assist you in:

• Identifying which page elements to test (e.g., headlines, CTA buttons, copy, layout, etc.).

• Creating variations of your pages.

• Running the test.

• Measuring and analysing the results.

A/B testing can be an ongoing process to consistently enhance your conversion rates over time.

9. Strengthen social proof to build trust and credibility

Persuasive writing alone may not be enough to convince customers to buy. About 87% of buying decisions start with online research, and 88% of consumers trust reviews as much as personal recommendations. 

If your sales are struggling despite effective SEO, you might be missing the social proof that potential customers need for conversion.

To boost trust, show:

• Reviews - Add them to product pages and showcase positive ones on your homepage.

• Testimonials - Display them prominently on your landing pages, including photos, videos, and names for each.

• Awards and Recognition - Show badges to indicate trust from industry experts.

• Case Studies - Feature them on your site to demonstrate results for other customers.

• Influencer Endorsements - Spotlight support from celebrities or influencers.

An SEO expert such as myself and my team can assist in optimising and prominently showcasing your social proof on your page.

Takeaway

Exceptional SEO alone doesn't guarantee increased sales and conversions. Even with a strong SEO foundation, the performance of sales and leads may falter without the alignment of other essential elements. The outlined strategies offer actionable steps to enhance your conversion rates.

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