What if Ranking #1 in Google isn’t As Important as You’d Think

This is not another “SEO is dead” claim. Search engine ranking will always be one of the most effective sources of qualified traffic—AKA potential customers. But that’s just it… it’s only one source.

Too many website owners fall into a trap where ranking number one on Google is the number one internet marketing goal, and everything else is neglected.

When it comes to driving traffic to your website, there are 3 sources that matter:

• Search engine traffic is usually people who didn’t know about your brand but are searching for what your brand offers. These are great leads, and that‘s why SEO is such a valuable campaign. Yet it’s not the only one because there is still…
• Referral traffic. Technically, this strategy may also be factored into your SEO campaign. Link building and content marketing are two “crossover” campaigns that will get your brand in front of a targeted audience, drive traffic from external (related websites) and simultaneously increase authority with Google. (This can be debated.) Referral traffic comes from a referral link, and you know you’re doing something right when those links build themselves! It’s safe to say that social media can also be a great source for referral traffic. Then, there is…
• Direct traffic. These people went directly to your website, which means they already know about your brand. This is a good thing, and it can usually be attributed to brand awareness raised through advertising or marketing campaigns. Or it can be returning customers, which is also a good thing. In any case, you want this number to be high too!

What happens when you put SEO above all else?

Aggressive internet marketing tends to backfire because you’re trying too hard to drive traffic to your website. Instead, try harder to hook and engage traffic when they get there because traffic is useless if they lose interest immediately.