How to Increase Organic Traffic for Marketing Agencies in 2024

So, let’s talk about organic traffic in 2024 and beyond. It’s a whole new ballgame, and we’re here to help you hit it out of the park.

Organic traffic is crucial for turning your clients’ websites into successful digital properties. The challenge? The rules keep changing, and staying on top of them can be tricky.

For marketing agencies, the ability to drive and increase organic traffic for clients is not just a valuable skill – it’s a fundamental necessity. This guide offers a comprehensive look at the most effective, current strategies to boost organic traffic in today’s competitive online environment.

What is Organic Traffic

Organic traffic refers to visitors who come to a website through unpaid search results. While this basic definition hasn’t changed, the methods for attracting and optimizing for this traffic have evolved significantly. What’s changed? organic traffic is characterized by highly personalized search results based on user behavior and intent.

Today, organic traffic isn’t just about clicks anymore. Zero-click searches are through the roof. Your content might be seen but not clicked. Sounds bad, right? Not necessarily. It’s all about visibility.

What about Google Discover? You can’t predict and you really can’t provide a comprehensive report. It’s like organic traffic on steroids – users find your content without actively looking for it. For brands, it’s a golden opportunity to reach engaged audiences based on their interests and browsing habits.

AI is stirring the pot too. Google’s AI Search Generative Experience (SGE) is summarizing search results. Your whole page could be boiled down to a snippet. But hey, that’s not the end of the world. It’s an opportunity if you play it right.

What This Means for You and Your Clients

Your old traffic metrics might be lying to you. It’s time to look at the bigger picture. Visibility is the new currency. If they see you, you’re winning, even without the click.

Voice search is sneaking past your analytics, but it’s bringing in the goods. Brand awareness is getting a boost, even if your site visits aren’t. And that’s gold.

The Value Proposition Selling SEO

When you’re pitching to clients, here’s what you need to hammer home:

• It’s not just about their website anymore. It’s about being everywhere their audience is looking.
• Zero-clicks can still mean big bucks. It’s all about playing the long game.
• Bang for buck? Organic search is still king. Show them the math.
• Unlike ads, this stuff compounds. The longer you do it, the better it gets.

The ROI of Organic Traffic

Here’s why organic traffic is still the golden goose:

Cost-Effectiveness

Paid ads are like a leaky faucet, drip-dripping your budget away. Organic traffic? It’s the gift that keeps on giving. Sure, it needs some upfront TLC, but the payoff is worth it.

Conversion Rates That Pop

On average, organic search converts at 2.8%, while paid search lags at 1.6%. Why? Because organic traffic catches folks who are actually hunting for what you’re selling. They’re warmed up and ready to go.

Long-Term Value

Unlike paid traffic that disappears when you stop paying, organic traffic keeps going. A well-optimized page can bring in visitors for years. Talk about getting your money’s worth!

Trust and Credibility

High organic rankings are like a trust fall with the internet – and you’re catching everyone. Users see those top spots and think, “These folks must know their stuff.” That credibility is priceless.

The Numbers Game

Let’s paint a picture with some cold, hard numbers. Imagine your client’s average customer is worth $1,000. With some SEO magic, you could potentially increase their organic traffic by 50% in the first year, improve their conversion rate from 2% to 3%, and reduce their reliance on paid ads by 30%.

Even after you factor in your SEO superhero fees, that’s a return that’ll make your clients sit up and take notice.

The Ecosystem of Search

But here’s the kicker – Google’s not the only fish in the sea anymore. We’re swimming in a whole ecosystem of search engines, social platforms, voice assistants, and AR interfaces. Sounds like a headache? No, it’s a golden opportunity for agencies that can adapt.

Stick with us, we’re talking real, actionable strategies to boost your clients’ organic game and make your agency the talk of the town.

Ready to dive in?

1. E-E-A-T

E-E-A-T stands for Experience, Expertise, Authoritativeness, and Trustworthiness. While Google’s exact algorithm remains shrouded in mystery, one thing is certain: E-E-A-T is its cornerstone.

Cracking the code to high rankings means mastering these four pillars. If your content stumbles on E-E-A-T, it’s going to face-plant in the search results. Let’s make sure your content is ready to catch you and propel you to the top.

Experience

This is the newest addition to the E-A-T concept. It’s about showing you’ve been there, done that. For marketing agencies, this means highlighting real client case studies and your team’s hands-on expertise.

You could share a story about how you helped a local bakery increase their online orders by 200% through a targeted social media campaign. That’s the kind of experience search engines (and potential clients) love to see.

Expertise

This is where you show you know your stuff. Create in-depth, data-backed content that goes beyond the basics. Highlight your team’s qualifications and certifications.

For example, if you’re writing about email marketing, don’t just list best practices. Dive into the psychology behind effective subject lines, or share data from your own A/B tests. That’s expertise in action.

Authoritativeness

This is about being recognized as a go-to source in your field. Get your team speaking at industry events, contributing to respected publications, and collaborating with other experts.

If your social media manager gets quoted in a Forbes article about the latest Instagram algorithm changes, that’s a big authority boost. Make sure to showcase these achievements on your site.

Trustworthiness

In a world where misinformation runs rampant, trust is gold. Be transparent about your processes and pricing. Display clear contact information. And of course, showcase those glowing client testimonials.

You could create a page on your site detailing your approach to data privacy, or share case studies that include the challenges you faced along with your successes. This kind of honesty builds trust with both search engines and potential clients.

Let’s say you’re creating content about social media marketing. Instead of just listing best practices, you could:

1. Share a detailed case study of how you improved a client’s social media engagement (Experience)
2. Include data from your own experiments with different posting strategies (Expertise)
3. Link to a podcast where your agency’s social media expert was interviewed (Authoritativeness)
4. Include a section on how you measure and report results to clients (Trustworthiness)

E-E-A-T isn’t just about your content. It’s your entire online presence. Every page on your site, every social media profile, every guest post contributes to your E-E-A-T score.

Pro tip: Do regular E-E-A-T check-ups. Look at your content through the E-E-A-T lens and spot areas for improvement. It’s like a health check for your online presence.

2. AI and SEO

AI isn’t the future of SEO – it’s the present. If you’re not using AI in your SEO strategy today, you’re falling behind. But don’t worry, we’re here to get you up to speed.

Content Creation

AI tools can help you generate ideas, create outlines, and even write drafts. But don’t just hit “generate” and call it a day. Use AI as your brainstorming partner, then add your human touch.

Try this: Use a tool like GPT-4 to generate a list of blog topics. Then, have your team pick the best ones, cross examine if there is a valid keyword from your keyword research, and add their expert spin. It’s like having a super-smart intern who works 24/7!

Keyword Research

AI can analyze huge amounts of data to find keyword opportunities you might have missed. Tools like Clearscope or MarketMuse use AI to suggest related keywords and topics.

For example, you might be targeting “social media marketing” as a keyword. AI tools could reveal that “social media marketing for small businesses” is a less competitive, more specific keyword that could bring in qualified leads.

Chris Meabe, Senior Content Specialist at Foundation Marketing was asked “How do you approach keyword research for long-term content relevance?” during our interview. And he came up with a great suggestion:

It’s similar to any other keyword research you would do, but you’ll want to pay more attention to how volatile the SERPs are and how certain SERP competitors are staying on top of some keywords but not others.

Read the full Linkedin interview with Chris Meabe

Predictive Analytics

Want to see what’s coming next? AI can help with that too. It can forecast traffic trends and spot potential drops before they happen.

Set up AI-powered alerts in your analytics tool to notify you of unusual patterns. If your traffic usually dips in the summer, AI can help you prepare content to counteract that trend.

Personalization

AI can help deliver personalized content experiences at scale. Analyze user behavior and serve up content based on their interests and previous interactions.

Imagine a visitor comes to your site looking for information on SEO. AI can track their behavior and next time they visit, it could prioritize SEO-related content on your homepage.

Chatbots and Conversational AI

These can improve user experience and give you valuable data on user intent. Set up a chatbot on your client’s site to handle common queries, then analyze the conversations to gain insights into what users are really looking for.

You might find that many users are asking about pricing before they even look at your services. This could prompt you to make pricing information more prominent on your site.

AI is a tool, not a strategy. It’s here to enhance your human expertise, not replace it. Use it wisely, and you’ll have a competitive edge that sets you apart in the crowded digital marketing space.

Pro tip: Stay on top of AI developments in SEO. Follow thought leaders who regularly share insights on AI and search. It’s like having a front-row seat to the future of SEO!

3. Mobile First Approach

With Google’s mobile-first indexing, your mobile game needs to be top-notch. Here’s how to make sure you’re on the right track:

User Experience Design

Your mobile site should be easy and pleasant to use. Big, easy-to-tap buttons are a must – nobody likes struggling to hit a tiny link with their thumb. A ‘sticky’ menu that stays visible as users scroll can make navigation much simpler. Use white space effectively to improve readability and prevent your site from feeling cluttered on small screens.

Content Strategy for Small Screens

Mobile users often scan content rather than reading in-depth. Short paragraphs work well – they’re easier to digest on a small screen. Put your most important information at the top of the page. Users shouldn’t have to scroll endlessly to find what they need.

• Use short paragraphs
• Put crucial info at the top
• Use expandable sections for less important details
• Optimize meta titles and descriptions for mobile SERPs

Local Search Optimization

A lot of mobile searches are local. People often use their phones to find nearby businesses or services. To make sure you show up in these searches, keep your Google Business Profile up to date. This is like your business card on Google – make sure it looks good.

Pro tip: Don’t just rely on emulators when testing your mobile site. Use real phones and tablets. Different devices can display your site in surprising ways, and it’s best to catch these issues before your users do.

4. Voice Search Optimization

Voice search isn’t a passing trend—it’s a fundamental shift in how people find information. With most phones incorporating AI voice assistants like Google’s Assistant or Apple’s Siri, optimizing for voice search is a must. Here’s how to do it:

Voice Search Behavior

Voice searches are different from typed ones. They tend to be longer and more conversational. Instead of typing “best pizza NYC,” someone might ask their phone, “What’s the best pizza place near me in New York City?” Voice searches often come in the form of questions, and they frequently have local intent.

• Longer and more conversational
• Often in question form
• Frequently have local intent

Featured Snippets

Voice assistants love featured snippets. These are the boxes that sometimes appear at the top of search results, providing a quick answer to a query. To have a shot at these prime spots, structure your content to answer questions directly. Use clear, logical header tags to organize your information.

Natural Language

When optimizing for voice search, think about how people talk, not just how they type. Use conversational phrases and questions in your content. An FAQ page can work wonders for voice search. It naturally matches the question-and-answer format of many voice queries.

Local Focus

Many voice searches have local intent. People often use voice search to find nearby businesses or services. Make sure your Google Business Profile is in top shape. Include phrases like “near me” or “in [your city name]” in your content where it makes sense.

• Optimize Google Business Profile
• Use “near me” and local phrases in content
• Create location-specific pages if serving multiple areas

Mobile and Voice Connection

Most voice searches happen on mobile devices. This means your mobile optimization efforts pull double duty, helping with both traditional mobile searches and voice searches. Your site needs to be fast and mobile-friendly. Use schema markup to help search engines (and by extension, voice assistants) understand your content better.

A smart approach is to create a voice search persona for your target audience. Think about what they might ask and in what situations they’d use voice search. This can help guide your content creation and optimization efforts.

5. Video and Visual Search

If you’re not leveraging video and visual search, you’re missing a huge opportunity to reach your audience. Let’s optimize your content and get you seen!

Video SEO

YouTube, now the second-largest search engine, requires specific optimization. Create keyword-rich titles and descriptions for your videos. Design custom thumbnails that stand out in search results. Adding transcripts to your videos not only helps with accessibility but also boosts SEO. Use YouTube’s chapters feature to break up longer videos and make them more user-friendly.

• Create keyword-rich titles and descriptions
• Design custom thumbnails that stand out
• Add transcripts for accessibility and SEO
• Use YouTube’s chapters feature for longer videos

Google often displays video results, especially for “how-to” queries. Add video schema markup to your embedded videos to increase your chances of appearing in these results. Keep track of all your growth with our YouTube report template.

Visual Search Optimization

As visual search technology advances, image optimization becomes more critical:

Visual Social Media

Platforms like Instagram and Pinterest are increasingly important for search. Use relevant hashtags on Instagram to improve discoverability. Create Pinterest boards around specific topics or keywords. Optimize your profile and board descriptions with relevant keywords to improve your visibility in platform-specific searches.

6. Content Strategy

Ready to take your content to the next level? It’s all about working smarter, not harder. Let’s explore the key strategies that’ll get you there!

Understand User Intent

Analyzing top-ranking content for your target keywords is crucial. This insight should guide your content creation, making you’re meeting the needs of your audience. Look at what type of content ranks well – is it long-form guides, quick answer posts, or video content? This will give you a clue about what users are looking for.

Content Depth and Breadth

Sometimes a comprehensive guide outperforms several shorter pieces. Other times, quick, focused content is more effective. The key is to match your content depth to user intent and the complexity of the topic. Don’t be afraid to go in-depth on complex topics, but also provide quick, easily digestible content for simpler queries.

Content Formats

Diversify your content types to cater to different preferences:

• Long-form articles for in-depth topics
• Infographics for data-heavy subjects
• Videos for tutorials or demonstrations
• Podcasts for interviews or discussions
• Interactive content like quizzes or calculators

We sat down with Alexandre Hoffmann, Managing Partner of Organic Marketing Growth and Innovation at Passion Digital to elaborate on how he approaches content ideation to creation:

The most significant change in SEO for me is social search and the increase in the variety of content formats… It makes our jobs a lot harder, as you are not only dealing with writers and developers anymore. Your strategies need to be a lot more rounded, and they tend to cost a lot more money.

I would approach this by really looking at the different platforms and the results that appear for different queries, the type of content, the engagement… You can also analyze hashtags or the search volume of queries on different platforms to see if it’s even worth it to create a blog post, for example.

Another good way to gauge if written content is enough is to look at the SERPs, what ranks? Blog posts or videos from social media platforms? That’s a great indicator of what users want to see. Don’t spend time and money writing a 3,000-word blog post if 80% of the SERPs are images and YouTube videos. 

You can read the entire interview with Hoffman on Linkedin Pulse.

Content for the Buyer’s Journey

Align your content with different stages of the buyer’s journey:

User-Generated Content

Use your audience to create valuable content. This could include customer stories, Q&A sections, or user-submitted tips. This type of content often resonates strongly with your audience and can provide fresh perspectives.

Content Distribution

Great content needs to be seen. Share your content across social media platforms, email newsletters, and relevant online communities. Consider content syndication to expand your reach, but be mindful of duplicate content issues.

Evergreen vs. Timely Content

Balance evergreen and timely content in your strategy. Evergreen pieces provide long-term value and steady traffic, while timely content can capitalize on current trends and news. Regularly update your evergreen content to keep it fresh and relevant.

Pro tip: Conduct regular content audits to identify your top-performing pieces and areas for improvement. Use these insights to refine your strategy and ensure your content continues to meet both user needs and search engine requirements.

7. Technical SEO

Technical SEO forms the backbone of your organic traffic strategy. In 2024, it’s more crucial than ever. I resonated with Hoffman when he said:

I don’t believe it’s a balancing act. The technical side needs to happen if you want your website to work, and this is critical for any marketing channel that drives traffic. The way I see it, the technical side is an enabler. It enables you to rank but doesn’t make you rank, whereas the creative side will make you rank.

Here’s what you need to focus on:

Site Speed and Performance

Studies show that even a one-second delay in page load time can lead to a 7% decrease in conversions. In 2024, site speed is directly tied to your bottom line.

• Minimize HTTP requests
• Enable browser caching
• Optimize images and videos
• Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

Mobile Optimization

With Google’s mobile-first indexing, your site must perform well on mobile devices. Ensure your design is responsive and works across all screen sizes. Touch-friendly navigation is crucial, and don’t forget to set your viewport meta tag correctly.

JavaScript and SEO

As websites become more dynamic, understanding how search engines handle JavaScript is vital. You might need server-side rendering or dynamic rendering to ensure all content is crawlable. Critical content shouldn’t rely on JS to load—search engines might miss it.

Core Web Vitals

Core Web Vitals are a set of specific factors that Google considers important in a webpage’s overall user experience. In 2024, a significant change is being made to these metrics:

Structured Data and Sitemaps

Structured data helps search engines understand your content better. Use relevant schema markup like Organization, Product, FAQ, and How-to where appropriate.

Keep your XML sitemap current and under 50,000 URLs or 50MB. Submit it through Google Search Console to ensure it’s found and indexed.

Crawl Budget Management

For larger sites, managing crawl budget is key. Use these techniques:

• Guide crawlers with robots.txt
• Set up pagination correctly
• Avoid duplicate content
• Fix broken links and redirect chains

This helps search engines find and index your most important pages efficiently.

8. Link Building

The recent Google data leak might have shaken the SEO world, but one thing remains clear: high-quality backlinks still hold significant weight. It’s no longer about amassing a large number of links; it’s about earning relevant, authoritative connections that genuinely enhance your site’s reputation. Here’s how to cultivate a strong, natural backlink profile that stands the test of time:

Content-Driven Link Building

Create content that naturally attracts links. This could be original research, in-depth guides, or unique data visualizations. When you offer valuable, shareable content, other sites will want to link to you as a resource.

Digital PR Strategies

Blend traditional PR with digital tactics. Try these approaches:

• Use trending stories to your advantage (newsjacking)
• Turn your data into newsworthy stories
• Offer expert commentary on industry trends

Broken Link Building

This strategy is a win-win. Find relevant broken links on authoritative sites in your industry, create content to replace what’s missing, then reach out to the site owner with your solution.

Unlinked Brand Mentions

Find instances where your brand is mentioned but not linked. Reach out to site owners and ask if they’d be willing to add a link. Many will oblige if asked politely.

Building Relationships

Modern link building is about creating valuable connections. Focus on building genuine industry relationships. Collaborate with other businesses, participate in industry events, and engage in your professional community. These efforts often lead to natural, high-quality links over time.

A few high-quality, relevant links can be more valuable than many low-quality ones. Always prioritize links that will bring value to your audience and enhance your site’s authority in your niche.

The Google leak highlighted the importance of avoiding repetitive anchor text and excessive link building. Focus on a natural, diversified approach.

9. Local SEO

The ‘near me’ search trend is transforming how customers find local businesses. If you’re not showing up for these hyper-targeted searches, you’re leaving money on the table. It’s time to make local SEO a priority and tap into this valuable customer stream.

Google Business Profile

Your Google Business Profile is your local SEO foundation. Keep it updated with:

• Accurate business information
• High-quality photos
• Regular posts about news and offers

Claim and verify your listing. Think of it as your digital storefront – it needs to look good and provide all the necessary information.

Local Content Creation

Show Google and users that you’re a local authority. Create content that showcases your local expertise:

• Neighborhood guides
• Local event coverage
• Location-specific service pages

Use local keywords naturally in your content. This helps search engines understand your relevance to local searches.

Citation Management

Make sure your business name, address, and phone number (NAP) are consistent across the web. Get listed in relevant local directories and clean up any duplicate or incorrect listings.

Local Link Building

Build your local authority through backlinks:

• Partner with other local businesses
• Sponsor local events
• Get involved with local charities
• Seek out local press coverage

These activities not only earn you links but also boost your local visibility and reputation.

Review Management

Reviews play a crucial role in local SEO. Here’s how to handle them:

• Ask happy customers to leave reviews
• Respond to all reviews, positive and negative
• Address issues raised in negative reviews
• Never buy fake reviews or try to game the system

Local Schema Markup

Use schema markup to highlight your local business information for search engines. Implement:

• LocalBusiness schema
• Organization schema
• Review schema
• Event schema for local events

Mobile Optimization

Local searches often happen on the go. Make sure your site works well on mobile devices:

• Ensure your site is mobile-friendly
• Make your phone number clickable
• Add a map to your contact page
• Consider adding “Click to Call” buttons for easy contact

Pro tip: Make the Local Pack your benchmark. Regularly analyze which businesses dominate local search results for your key terms. Uncover their strategies and adapt them to your own business. Remember, local SEO is about building visibility and trust within your community.

10. International SEO

Break down language barriers, expand your reach. International SEO isn’t just about translation, it’s about tailoring websites to local cultures and search behaviors. This will make your clients’ messages resonate, driving engagement and conversions across borders.

Multilingual and Multi-Regional SEO

When targeting multiple languages or regions, consider creating separate versions of your website for each. This could involve using different top-level domains (e.g., .fr for France, .de for Germany) or subdomains/subdirectories.

• Use hreflang tags to indicate language and regional targeting
• Implement country-specific top-level domains or subdomains
• Create localized content for each target market

Content Localization

Don’t just translate your content—localize it. This means adapting your content to fit the cultural context, preferences, and search behavior of your target audience in each country.

As Hinde Lamrani, Digital Marketing Services Director at Acolad group points out,

Global Marketing Campaigns target specific audiences, so the Localized version of the campaign needs to be tailored for the target audience in the target international markets for better ROI. Companies need to choose the right localization process; for example, choosing machine translation or traditional human translation will not work for Global Marketing campaigns.

Instead of simple translation, you need to adapt your content with a deeper understanding of local nuances.

They need to choose Transcreation as a localization process. Transcreation is the process during which a highly specialized linguist recreates the source text to be appropriate for the target audience — NOT a direct translation… As opposed to a translator, a transcreator is allowed to not adhere strictly to the source text; this freedom facilitates their work so they CAN make changes to make sure cultural differences are respected.

Read our entire interview with Hinde Lamrani here.

Local Link Building

Build links from local websites in your target countries. This helps search engines understand your relevance to those specific markets.

11. Integrating SEO with Other Marketing Channels

We can debate if SEO is better than PPC, or vice versa, or if social media is the new norm. Whether your agency specialize only SEO or not, more and more clients are looking for complete marketing strategy. For the best results, integrate your SEO efforts with other marketing channels.

SEO and Content Marketing

Content marketing and SEO go hand in hand. Use your keyword research to inform your content strategy. Create high-quality, valuable content that naturally incorporates your target keywords.

• Use keyword research to guide content topics
• Create comprehensive, authoritative content
• Optimize content for featured snippets

SEO and Social Media

While social media signals aren’t direct ranking factors, a strong social media presence can indirectly boost your SEO efforts.

SEO and PPC

SEO and pay-per-click advertising can work together synergistically. Use PPC data to inform your SEO strategy and vice versa.

• Use PPC to test keywords before investing in SEO
• Retarget organic visitors with PPC ads
• Use SEO content to improve PPC quality scores

This approach creates a feedback loop between SEO and PPC, enhancing both channels’ effectiveness and efficiency.

12. Analytics and Measurement

Google Analytics 4 (GA4) is now the standard for website analytics, even if you were among those who opposed it. That’s the past, and we are here now. So, here’s how to leverage it to improve your organic traffic

GA4 focuses on event-based data, providing a comprehensive view of user behavior. Key metrics to watch include engaged sessions, engagement rate, average engagement time, and conversions. These metrics give you a clearer picture of how users interact with your site after arriving through organic search.

The AI-driven insights in GA4 help spot trends and anomalies automatically. Keep an eye on the Insights panel for valuable observations that might inform your SEO strategy.

• Engaged sessions
• Engagement rate
• Average engagement time
• Conversions

Use GA4’s Exploration feature for deeper analysis. Funnel exploration can help you understand user paths through your site, which can inform your internal linking strategy. Path exploration shows how users navigate your site, which can help you optimize your site structure.

GA4’s predictive metrics can help forecast future behavior. Metrics like purchase probability, churn probability, and revenue prediction can help you anticipate trends in your organic traffic and its impact on your business goals.

Conclusion

AI is reshaping SEO in 2024. It’s not just a tool anymore – it’s the core of how we approach search optimization. Blend AI with human creativity to get ahead.

Don’t forget about user experience. Google’s getting better at reading these signals. Focus on:

• Speed
• Mobile design
• Easy navigation

As you put these strategies to work, start small. Test what works best for your situation. Build your organic traffic strategy gradually, based on data and results. Don’t be afraid to try new things—what works for one site might not work for another.

To keep track of your SEO metrics and progress, tools like Swydo can make reporting and monitoring your organic efforts seamless. Swydo is a client reporting tool designed for marketing agencies, making it easy to build comprehensive SEO reports within minutes.

With its KPI monitoring and alerting features, you can ensure your SEO efforts are aligned with your clients’ goals. Plus, Swydo’s stunning data visualizations make it easy to showcase your organic growth in a way that clients can quickly understand and appreciate.

Align your client’s SEO initiative with Swydo from the start. Request a demo or sign up for a free 14-day trial today.