What is Website Traffic?

In the world of digital marketing and search engine optimization (SEO), there are many metrics and factors that can be used to gauge the effectiveness of your internet marketing efforts. With so much data to observe and analyze, it’s all too easy to become lost in the details or focus on the wrong elements. This abundance of data can also make it difficult to determine where to begin when assessing your strategies or measuring your growth. If you are looking for a way to measure the success of your SEO endeavours, it’s worth checking your website traffic and seeing where your site visitors are coming from.

As experts in internet marketing, the team at FirstPage Marketing knows that website traffic is a highly valuable metric for all types of businesses. This is especially true if you have recently launched a new site or have started a new digital marketing campaign, as you’ll want to see if your efforts are paying off. That’s why we’ve put together some information to help you understand what website traffic is and why it matters for your business.  

Learn about some of the most important metrics in Google Analytics.

Defining Website Traffic

Website traffic refers to the number of users that travel to a given website. Just as cars travel down the highway or drive to a specific destination, website traffic measures the digital movement of users. By measuring your website traffic, you can monitor how you’re performing online and look for opportunities to increase the number of visitors your site receives each day.

5 Different Types of Website Traffic

While it may be easy to think that all website traffic is the same, this is not the case. Website traffic can be broken down into various types, each with their own unique characteristics. The most common types of website traffic include:

1. Direct Traffic

Direct traffic typically comes from a user typing the website URL into their browser, clicking on a bookmark or email signature, or links from apps or other software. When a high number of website visitors access a website through direct methods, it shows search engines that the website has value. This means that more direct traffic visits to your website can increase your SEO.

2. Organic Search Traffic

Organic search traffic is the direct result of good SEO practices such as quality content writing, keyword optimization, quality backlinks, and effective internal linking. An important element to remember for organic search traffic is that it is earned, not paid for. Organic traffic will ideally come from searches related to a website’s keywords. While traffic from organic searches does not have a major effect on a website’s SEO rankings, the actions that visitors can take after accessing a website through an organic search can be extremely helpful, and good organic searches are more likely to lead to qualified website visitors than many other types of traffic.

3. Paid Search Traffic

Paid search traffic often comes from PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising methods. Like organic search traffic, most paid search sessions do not have a significant impact on SEO. That said, the actions a visitor might take on the website after getting there through a paid search campaign can be beneficial for SEO rankings or increasing conversions.

4. Referral Traffic

When traffic comes from a different website, it is categorized as referral traffic. The value of traffic coming from referrals has more to do with the source of the domain than it does with the visit itself. A high number of high-quality backlinks and referring domains is a major influencer for SEO. That is why it is always worth spending the time to obtain high-quality backlinks from reputable sites.

5. Social Media Traffic

Any traffic from a recognized social media platform like Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, or countless others would be categorized as social media traffic. Social media traffic is similar to referral traffic in the sense that it’s a link coming from a different website. Good social media practices tend to bring in more website visitors (depending on the industry) than most other referral sources. For example, you could post new blog articles to your social media accounts to promote various services, resulting in additional social traffic. Once a visitor accesses your website through a social media link, the actions that they take on that website can increase SEO and conversions, making social media platforms well worth your time.

If you would like to find out how you can increase your website traffic, give the team at FirstPage Marketing a call at 604-866-2230 or reach out through our online contact form. We will be happy to help you develop the perfect strategy for your business.

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