Organic traffic
Visits from unpaid search results.
What organic traffic tells you
Organic traffic means visits that come from unpaid search results, as opposed to paid ads, social media, email or direct visits. Analytics tools such as Google Analytics label it "Organic Search". Search Console's click figures measure something similar from Google's side, though the two won't match exactly.
Where to find it
In Google Analytics 4, the traffic acquisition report shows sessions by channel, including Organic Search. Add your key events, such as form submissions or phone clicks, to see which organic visits turn into enquiries. Compare with Search Console clicks to check the numbers broadly agree.
Reading it in practice
A conveyancing firm's organic traffic doubles after a blog post about house prices goes viral. Enquiries don't change at all. Meanwhile, a modest rise in visits to its pricing page brings a noticeable increase in quotes. The firm starts reporting enquiries by landing page instead of total traffic.
Misreadings to avoid
- Treating all traffic as equal.
- Comparing months without allowing for seasonality.
- Assuming a traffic drop always means a ranking drop. Tracking problems and lower demand also cause dips.
- Not setting up key events, so you can't link traffic to results.
Why it’s worth tracking
Organic traffic is the clearest sign that SEO is reaching people, but it isn't the goal in itself. What matters is how much of that traffic becomes enquiries, bookings or sales. A small amount of well-targeted traffic is worth more than a large amount of irrelevant visits.
It's also worth separating branded from non-branded organic traffic. Visits from people searching your name show reputation. Visits from people searching your services show SEO reaching new customers.
Terms you’ll see alongside it
- Impressions: How often a page appeared in search results.
- Conversion rate: Share of visits that complete a goal such as an enquiry.
- Branded search: Queries that include your brand name.
- GA4: Google Analytics 4, Google's tool for measuring traffic and conversions.
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