Organic traffic refers to visitors that land on your website as a result of unpaid – or organic – search results. Alternative Names: Unpaid Traffic, Natural Traffic
How it works
Organic traffic is traffic that comes to your website without any cost to you. This type of traffic finds your site after using a search engine like Google or Bing, hence it is considered highly valuable. These visitors are often looking for a specific answer, product, service, or information, making them more likely to convert or engage with your website.
Why it matters
Organic traffic is considered the most valuable type of web traffic for several reasons. Firstly, organic visitors are more likely to convert because they are actively searching for specific information or a solution to a problem. Second, they are often more engaged with your site and its content, which can lead to increased brand loyalty and repeat visits. Lastly, increasing your organic traffic can improve your ranking on search engines, leading to even more organic traffic.
Common misconceptions
One common misconception is that once a site is optimised for search engines, organic traffic will immediately start to flow. In reality, SEO is a long-term strategy and it may take time before results start to show. Another misconception is that all visits from search engines are considered organic traffic. In fact, paid search traffic, which comes from ads in search results, is not organic.
Use cases
Organic traffic is crucial for all websites, but it’s especially important for businesses that can’t afford or choose not to use paid advertising strategies. For example, small businesses and start-ups often rely heavily on organic traffic to drive sales and awareness.
Real-world examples: A real-world example of organic traffic might be a blog post that ranks highly for a specific keyword phrase. For instance, if you run a dog grooming business in London and write a blog post about ‘best dog grooming tips’, when someone searches for this phrase and clicks on your blog post, this would be considered organic traffic.
Calculation or formula: There’s no specific formula to calculate organic traffic. Instead, it’s tracked and analysed using website analytics tools like Google Analytics.
Best practices or tips:
Perform keyword research to understand what your target audience is searching for. Create high-quality, unique content that answers these search queries. Optimise your website and content for search engines (SEO). Build high-quality backlinks to your site. Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and loads quickly.
Limitations or considerations: While organic traffic is highly valuable, it’s also unpredictable and takes time to build. Additionally, SEO practices must be updated regularly as search engine algorithms change.
Comparisons: Organic traffic is often compared to paid traffic. While paid traffic can drive visitors to your site more quickly, it requires a continuous budget and may not bring as engaged or valuable visitors as organic traffic.
Historical context or development: The importance of organic traffic has grown significantly with the evolution of search engines and their algorithms, which increasingly reward high-quality content and penalise manipulative tactics.
Further reading
Moz’s Beginner’s Guide to SEO Google’s SEO Starter Guide
Related services
At Bird Marketing, we offer services that can help you increase your organic traffic:
Website Search Engine Optimisation – We offer high-quality SEO services to cover all of your digital marketing needs. Content Marketing – Ask our experts about content marketing and how it can help boost your online visibility. Link Building – Find out how our link-building expertise can be used to leverage greater awareness of your brand.
With a combination of these services, we aim to improve the visibility of your website, draw in more organic traffic and ultimately increase your conversions.
Related terms
SEO, Keyword Research, Backlinks, Content Marketing, Search Engine Ranking
Growing visits is only part of the goal. Our UK SEO team helps businesses connect organic search visibility with relevant traffic and measurable enquiries or purchases.