The dilemma every website faces: traffic or leads?

The worst cup of coffee I ever had was at a roadside stand in Glastonbury, England.

We were at their annual carnival and I joined a large queue to get a cuppa from the only place I could find–a well marked, and perfectly placed, stand along the high street. After a long wait, I finally got my caffeine fix, and joined the experience of everyone else in the line. The foul black swill that burned the throat was an insult to baristas around the world.

What does this have to do with SEO and generating leads? The coffee stand in Glastonbury was getting a lot of attention, but none of its customers was ever going to return, let alone give the shop a good review. This stand had great traffic, but the awful coffee was a bad user experience. On the other hand, imagine a gourmet coffee shop offering delicious, high-quality coffee that’s located in the wilderness where no one visits–great UX without traffic is also pointless.

In the digital marketing landscape, businesses often face a crucial dilemma: should they prioritize search engine optimization (SEO) to get traffic, or focus on generating leads through good design and user experience (UX)? Both are essential for sustainable growth, but finding the right balance can be challenging.

Traffic or clicks–must you pick one?

In order to understand this relationship between these factors, it helps to define them. In simple terms, Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the practice of optimizing website content (text, links and features) in order to convince Google to list it in search engine results. It’s a complex and ever-evolving game that’s been going on as long as we’ve had search engines–getting visibility and traffic to a site. Then we have Lead Generation–the tactics used on a site when potential customers arrive. This is the experience they have that, ideally, drives them down the sales funnel to become a lead.

In many cases, there’s a trade-off; the things that make a site well optimized for SEO (that great coffee stand location with strong signage) make it not great for Lead Generation (the terrible coffee that I hope I never drink again).

The SEO and lead generation tightrope

The truth is, prioritizing one over the other is likely going to result in a website that’s ineffective. A focus on SEO can lead to a site that has been “gamed” to please Google, but doesn’t meet user needs or expectations. Sites like this may be stuffed with reams of carefully chosen keywords that make it difficult to read and, ultimately, unhelpful to visitors. A focus only on lead generation tactics can result in pages brimming with pop-up windows, conversion forms and used-car-salesman-style copy that will create a terrible user experience. Additionally, some sites forgo proper SEO and good lead generation practices–relying on expensive paid advertising to generate traffic. But all too often, this fails to drive informed leads. That’s where UX comes in, creating a balance between the two that achieves the client’s goals.

What about the customer?

Ultimately, it’s the customer who will decide if they want to engage and convert on the website. When they choose to visit a site, they have questions they want answered or goals in mind, and they won’t act (convert) until those goals are met. For example, a person looking for information about RESPs might want to quickly understand if an RESP provider can help them get government grants before they consider signing on. They won’t consider converting until they have their question answered, even if they are bombarded with calls to action.

Users these days are sophisticated and very aware that they are the product. Pushy tactics to drive traffic and leads will instantly create a negative impression. Pop-up windows asking you to sign up for e-news? Instantly closed. Three thousand word essays about the history of flour before showing a bread recipe? End visit. Both of these tactics drive traffic and leads that harm the customer experience.

Marketers think of users as being in a sales funnel, but ultimately users will behave in a way that suits their own interests–not ours! Anyone who has watched customers interact with a website will know that they don’t act the way we want them to.They behave in a way that’s efficient for them and helps them accomplish their goals. They need to be treated with respect and helped through the process, not just funneled through a system.

In the end, human behaviour is driven not only by rational decision making, but also by emotions and subconscious desires. Understanding these factors helps develop a digital strategy that meets the needs of users, and the goals of the project.

The art and science of getting it right

Managing the tension between these factors isn’t simple, but when you approach it from a human-centred perspective, it balances the goals of both the site and the people visiting it. The Art is the design, branding, content and user experience. The Science is the way it’s implemented. Done properly, the result is an experience that just seems right to the user; a site they discover easily that’s well designed, answers their questions, and is easy to use. When that happens, the desire to convert is natural because trust in the brand has been established: pushy lead-generation tactics just aren’t needed.

Think bigger: the customer experience

Beyond a single interaction is an even bigger prize, creating a good Customer Experience (CX). CX is the critical factor that needs to be accounted for when making decisions that affect the balance between driving traffic and leads.

Strong CX touches every aspect of the customer’s interaction with the brand and is the factor that drives sustainable growth for a company. For a website, this begins as soon as a search result appears in Google, or within the first two seconds of a user’s visit to a site. CX requires a lot of attention to detail, not just the overall user journey, but every interaction the customer has with a brand–beginning with their first impression. This is where multi-faceted companies like Art & Science thrive–the details that mean that customers don’t fall through the cracks of a good experience.

Can you have it all?

At Art & Science, we have 18 philosophies that define how we work.The last one is my personal favourite. Be Human. That rule is the key to finding the balance between driving traffic and generating informed leads. Understanding the needs and mindset of those who use the site allows us to design a solution that meets their expectations, and helps them accomplish their goals.

Eric Liphardt

Director of Experience Design