SEO x CRO: how to use them effectively?

Because of the acronyms SEO (Search Engine Optimization) and CRO (Conversion Rate Optimization) do not define disciplines with the same objective, many have thought they had little to do with each other. Worse, some viewed them as opposing disciplines…

So, it's time to remind you that SEO and CRO are actually very complementary and that it's impossible to succeed in one without considering the other, a conclusion made even truer by the latest changes to Google's algorithm.

In this article, we explain how to use SEO and CRO effectively: let's look together at what lies behind SEO and CRO and which strategic actions to take to win on both fronts.

SEO x CRO: what do these acronyms stand for?

In the small world of the web, acronyms are extremely numerous and it can sometimes be hard to find your way when you're not an expert.

All the more so because these acronyms are often English initialisms: for example, “Search Engine Optimization” for “SEO.” They therefore require an effort of acclimatization for French speakers, but have the advantage of being easily transferable to other languages.

That's why here are some explanations of what SEO and CRO are:

At first glance, SEO and CRO may therefore seem disconnected… but to convert visitors into customers, there first have to be visitors, which SEO makes possible.

But while SEO is essential to CRO, the reverse is also true. Indeed, the integration of RankBrain — Google's Artificial Intelligence — into the search engine's algorithm allows it to better take user behavior into account. Thus, the top-ranked websites are those offering the best user experience.

Consequently, the efforts implemented to drive your SRO strategy will help boost your search ranking. SEO and CRO are therefore more complementary to each other than ever.

In reality, SEO and CRO are as interdependent as short term and long term: one determines the trajectory of the other. And choosing the short term is not always the quickest way to increase your sales. It is clear that an aggressive pricing policy (big sales, discounts, etc.) will temporarily bring a certain rise in sales.

But that rise is likely to collapse like a souffle. By contrast, investing in SEO optimization by offering professional, varied text content that is updated regularly will bring slower but more sustainable sales growth.

3 actions that demonstrate SEO and CRO are closely linked

Whether you want to optimize your site for search engines or its conversion rate, know that different actions need to be taken. And, as proof that SEO and CRO are closely linked, some of these actions let you achieve both goals at once:

1. Adapting your site for mobile users

Since 2018, Google has rolled out Mobile-First Indexing so that the mobile version of a website is now the reference. This is explained by the growing importance of queries made from mobile devices in recent years.

In terms of SEO, this means that web project owners must pay increasing attention to the page load speed, bounce rates and visit durations if they want to be or remain at the top of Google’s results.

The upside is that by seeking to optimize these elements, they will not only improve their search ranking since the site’s conversion rate should also be positively impacted—buying from a mobile device no longer scares mobile users…

You need to check that all pages of your site are truly responsive design, and also that they use Google’s AMP (Accelerated Mobile Pages) technology. Indeed, the mobile user quickly became the future of the internet user: about 50% of current queries are made via a smartphone, and that number is rapidly increasing.

You should also know that reading and purchasing behavior is statistically different on a smartphone than on a desktop computer.

Indeed, the desktop computer, both because it is often used for work and because it naturally allows many windows to be open at once, is better suited to in-depth research, thoughtful fact-finding, repeated site comparisons, downloading manuals…

It’s clear that smartphone use is different. It blurs the boundaries between professional and private spheres, between the moment of information gathering and the act of purchase. The smartphone is therefore more conducive to impulse buys.

Indeed, the smartphone tends to be in our pockets or even in our hands all day: it thus becomes an important everyday physical interface with an object that quickly became indispensable. Its format prompts mobile users to “skip” even more easily than on a desktop.

Consequently, SEO becomes even more important to boost your CRO: in other words, good top-of-results search ranking is essential to capture an average attention span that is even shorter than on desktop—on the order of only a few seconds…

Finally, the value of this increase in smartphone queries for both your SEO and your CRO is also the smartphone’s virality: it is now proven that smartphones are platforms where social media sharing happens intensely and rapidly.

Investing in a fully responsive design is therefore a bet on a virtuous SEO–CRO cycle, where part of your brand image is effectively carried by mobile users acting as “ambassadors,” since you capture their propensity to share on social networks for your benefit.

Today, some sites offer three options when you visit them for the first time on a smartphone rather than a computer: stay on the desktop version, switch to the mobile version, or install the corresponding mobile app.

This is a good way to account for the variety of mobile web behaviors while suggesting the option that can be truly valuable in terms of connecting with your prospect: installing your app on their smartphone. Finally, some sites are now outright “mobile first,” meaning they’re designed primarily for on-the-go mobile use and may include playful interactive tools like live selfie features.

2. Improving the user experience for visitors

Although Google has repeatedly stated that a site’s user experience is not a ranking factor, there appears to be room to investigate here since user behavior is taken into account. And user behavior is directly affected by the experience offered to them!

So, since to optimize your conversion rate you will inevitably seek to improve theuser experience of your site, your search rankings should benefit as well.

Therefore, don’t hesitate to enable the guest checkout (ability to purchase without first creating an account), offer an internal search engine, simplify your forms or revisit the appearance or placement of your CTA buttons.

The guiding idea is to truly immerse yourself in the intuitive ways people use a smartphone, to adopt successful new features while eliminating the fatigue caused by certain web routines (filling out a long form for a small order, inventing a password without the ability to group them, having to open multiple browser windows at once because a site doesn’t provide enough definitions, etc.).

Just as the comfort of a home is measured by the ergonomics of its layout (accessible storage, minimal effort required for maximum results, home automation), a website’s “comfort” of use is measured by how quickly and clearly the information sought can be “served” to users, that CTA buttons must be highlighted (even depending on the presumed position of the thumb on the screen).

It may sound like an excessive praise of laziness, but in reality, who hasn’t, at the end of the day, given up visiting a website because a password was too tedious to fill in, or because a deep page required too many successive clicks to reach? The truth about human nature is that a form of “laziness” drives it! To make sure you’re consulted as often as possible by your mobile users, be ergonomic…

This will help you sell better but also boost your site’s ranking in search engine results.

3. Conducting A/B tests

Widely used in CRO to define the ideal conversion funnel, A/B tests help determine which content, layout, or form is the most effective at converting.

But today, A/B tests have their place in SEO too, and it can be relevant to use them for titles, meta description tags, or even the URLs. These tests should indeed allow you to better understand your visitors and their intentions.

However, if you manage to attract those who want to buy, there is no doubt that your SEO and CRO strategies have fed into each other to reach your goals.

Our advice

On the eve of 2022, some companies still wonder whether they should prioritize SEO or CRO. Well, they should know that the two disciplines are essentially one and the same, or at least complementary, in order to achieve your ultimate goal, which is necessarily to generate sales.

Thus, by aiming to improve their search ranking, they also contribute to optimizing their conversion rate and vice versa.

Naturally you want to increase your sales? Take care of your company’s CRO by acting on its SEO: offer professionally written quality text thanks to the expert writers at Redacteur.com.