Which is better: Site optimization or traffic optimization?

Investing in a digital marketing plan can be an essential part of your business’ overall marketing strategy but if you’ve got a limited budget and laser-focused goals, it might be better to focus on one specific type of website optimization.

The big two are site optimization and traffic optimization. With site optimization, you’re focusing on improving your online conversions and with traffic optimization you’re working on getting high-quality traffic to your site. To decide which one you need to focus on you need to ask yourself: Am I more interested in improving my site’s traffic (SEO) or improving my site’s experience (CRO)?

If you have the funds to focus on both, you should do so, but sometimes we need to start with the most important aspect and when that’s in a good place, tackle the other. So, how do you know which one is more important?

SEO

When we focus on Search Engine Optimization (SEO) or improving your site’s traffic, we’re really looking at optimizing your site for the right keywords and improving ads to bring in quality traffic.

SEO relies on a lot of analysis and refreshing content and ad copy. This may also include looking for new opportunities for content, refreshing images, and even addressing the links to your website from other sites, like TripAdvisor or bed and breakfast directories.

CRO

When we focus on Conversion Rate Optimization (CRO), we’re looking at the user experience. Is your site designed well, are the CTAs strategic, and is your content valuable?

CRO relies on a lot of user and A/B testing. This could include testing different landing page copy, the colors or words on your CTA buttons, images, and even the organization of your website. CRO could also look at your booking engine to ensure there’s nothing in there that’s impeding a visitor from finishing their booking.

You might be asking, can’t you just tell me which one to focus on? And we have a 50/50 shot of being right, but it really does depend on what your current goals are. Most likely, you’ll want to start by focusing on SEO and getting the right people on your site. But if you’re already getting the right traffic and your SEO is on point, then it’s time to focus on CRO and doing some A/B testing for conversions.