Top 5 Simple Changes to Improve SEO with Conversion Rate Optimisation

If you know anything about marketing, you’re probably familiar with SEO.

SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of getting your pages to rank higher on search engines. When done well, SEO will bring plenty of new traffic to your site.

If you’re a beginner, learn more about what SEO is here. Instead of covering the basics of what SEO is, we’re going to address how to boost SEO using a different group of practices: CRO.

With CRO, or conversion rate optimization, you can bring more customers to your site from search engines and get them to take action. In this article, we look at how you can improve your SEO with CRO by making five simple changes to your site.

What Is CRO?

In marketing, SEO gets a lot of attention. CRO, not so much. Many might not even know what CRO is, let alone how important it is to your SEO.

CRO stands for conversion rate optimization. The process involves trying to turn as many visitors as possible into customers, which is vital for online sales. You don’t want potential customers to visit your site, only to leave a few minutes later. You want to convince them to take action and invest in what you offer.

CRO might seem like it’s focused only on increasing purchases. However, you can use CRO to encourage your site visitors to take action in other ways:

These actions aren’t directly profitable, like a purchase is. But, in the long run, they contribute to your business’s success by boosting relationships with your audience and building brand awareness.

The Relationship Between SEO and CRO

SEO and CRO are different processes.

Think of it like this: SEO gets more people to your site. CRO gets these people to become invested in your company (whether it be through buying a product, signing up for a newsletter, etc.).

Even though they are different, SEO and CRO are closely related:

SEO is what actually gets people to your website. This means that you have visitors that could potentially become customers.
CRO is what converts these visitors into customers. This involves creating a good user experience that encourages your visitors to buy a product or take some other kind of action.

The interesting thing? This all goes full circle.

Improving your CRO actually boosts your SEO. Search engines like Google love websites with good CRO.

A good CRO strategy helps users effectively navigate your website. Users find what they’re looking for, take action, and stay on your pages longer—all of which help your pages rank higher.

5 Simple Changes You Can Make

Want to start using CRO to improve your SEO? Consider making these five simple changes to your website:

1) Keep Things Simple

This is a common marketing rule in general and for a good reason.

By keeping your website simple, you don’t overwhelm your audience. You make it easy for users to find what they’re looking for. And, you make it clear what action you want them to take.

Start by cleaning up your website. Get rid of clutter and only keep the most important elements. Some specific changes you should make include:

Simplify your navigation menu. Don’t give your users too many options. Only include pages in your navigation menu that will help you convert visitors.
Focus on the links you include. When choosing links to include, focus on quality over quantity. Make sure they are hyper-relevant to the page so customers can find what they’re looking for. Links should also be high-quality for SEO purposes (Google trusts sites that feature reputable, authoritative links).

Actions such as these will give your audience improved user experience. They won’t get frustrated and bounce. Google takes note when visitors are staying on your page and rewards you by ranking your pages higher.

Also, when you keep things simple, Google will have an easier time indexing your site and putting it in front of relevant traffic.

2) Decrease Page Loading Times

Imagine that you click on a link, and the page doesn’t automatically load. You see a white screen, blurry images, or the dreaded loading symbol.

Like most people, you’ll probably click away. We’ve come to expect instant results, and when we don’t get them, we’ll find them somewhere else.

Find it hard to believe that users are not forgiving when it comes to loading times? Look at the numbers—one study found that a little over half of mobile users will leave a page if it doesn’t load within three seconds. Three seconds doesn’t seem like a lot, but that’s all it takes to lose a user’s attention.

Don’t lose out on potential customers with slow loading times. Both your visitors and the Google algorithm favor fast page loading times.

The good news is that simplifying your website almost always decreases page loading times. So, if you implement tip #1, you’re in good shape!

To make your pages load even faster, try tasks such as the following:

Optimize image sizes and file types
Reduce the number of redirects
Leverage browser caching

3) Edit Your Meta Titles and Descriptions

Too many websites overlook the importance of meta titles and descriptions. You might think they don’t matter, but this couldn’t be further from the truth.

Good meta titles and descriptions will compel visitors to click on your link. When writing them, make sure to:

Clearly state what the page is about. This isn’t the time for fancy language. You should get to the point and clearly state what the page is about. This way, users will be able to find what they’re looking for easily.
Include what sets you apart. Your meta titles and descriptions should be clear, but try to make them stand out. Including what sets you apart will compel users to click on your link over the many others on a SERP.

Meta titles and descriptions aren’t just for visitors; they also tell Google what your pages include. Make sure to use relevant keywords and ensure that they are relevant to the content that is on the page.

Now you know to give more thought to your meta titles and descriptions. Keep these principles in mind when writing them in the future.

If you’ve neglected your meta titles and descriptions in the past, it might be worth revisiting your old pages. Edit them to include keywords, reflect what your pages are about, and appeal to visitors.

Writing your meta titles and descriptions is something you can do yourself. But, if you don’t have a good grasp on writing copy and using the right keywords, you might need the help of a professional. You’ll be able to update your old pages and optimize new ones quickly.

4) Show off Your Reviews

Put yourself in a customer’s shoes. When you buy products online, you might be skeptical of whether or not they are legit. To determine the company’s credibility, you do a little detective work. You read the about page and see if the website has a professional look about it.

And, of course, you check out the reviews. You see whether other people are using and liking the product. If the reviews are bad (or there aren’t any), then you’re probably going to go with another company.

So, don’t be shy about displaying your reviews because customers crave social proof. Show off a couple on your home page, about page, product pages—wherever they will be most relevant. When a customer sees a glowing testimonial before buying a product, for instance, that might be enough to convince them to purchase.

Search engines also love customer reviews. They show that real people are using your brand and convince search engines to rank your pages higher.

If you don’t have reviews, try to get some more! Ask your customers to leave a testimonial and spread the word on social media. But, be careful as some sites (like Yelp) do not allow you to solicit reviews.

Once you get reviews, display them in a way that your customers (and search engines) can easily read. Consider organizing them by most recent, most helpful, etc.

And, don’t hide your negative reviews. Negative reviews are a natural part of any business. Too many positive reviews look fishy and may cause customers to become skeptical.

5) Create Lots of Content

Anyone who knows even a little about SEO has probably heard the phrase “content is king.” Your website needs content. Content gives your brand substance and helps your audience trust you.

You should create lots of content for your website. Describe your business on your About page with a detailed history, a mission statement, etc. Give a thorough overview of your products and services. Create blog posts about topics relevant to your industry.

All of this content will improve the user experience. Even though users tend to have short attention spans, they favor websites with lots of info. They’ll have their questions and answered, and view your content-filled website as one they can trust.

Google will also reward you. Search engines tend to rank pages filled with lots of high-quality, informative content.

Integrating Your CRO and SEO strategies

SEO and CRO are different but closely related. They have different short-term goals; the former focuses on increasing traffic, and the latter focuses on converting that traffic. But, both processes have the same long-term goal: to make your website more successful.

As a result, these strategies pair well together. Good SEO will give you more traffic to convert. Good CRO will convert more customers and boost your search engine rankings.

Try implementing these five changes to your website—you’ll see for yourself how simple it is to use CRO to rank higher