Not All Web Traffic is Created Equal

Learn which traffic sources produce the best conversion rates

If you’ve been in the digital marketing game for any amount of time you know that it’s not enough to simply drive traffic to a page.

It needs to be the right traffic.

And even when you dial in your audience you can still expect varying results depending on where the traffic is coming from.

So, what traffic sources convert the best? We’ve ranked the most common channels below so you can see for yourself.

Note: all data courtesy of?FirstPageSEO

1. Email—2.6% (2.8% for B2B and 2.6% for B2C)

It’s really no surprise that on average, email traffic converts at the highest clip. These are the people that know and love your brand, so any time you can direct them back to your site you should definitely do it.

This also highlights how important it is to build an email list of qualified leads and customers. Yes, it takes time to grow your list—and you likely won’t see results right away—but if you stick with it, it will pay off big time in the long run.

2. Organic Search—2.35% (2.1% for B2B and 2.6% for B2C)

Coming in at a close second is organic search. This one also isn’t a shocker. People who perform a search are generally trying to solve a problem and are further along in the buying journey.

If you’re able to provide a quick and easy solution to that problem there’s a good chance you’ll have yourself a new lead or customer.

Like email traffic, organic traffic takes time to build. However, if you consistently publish quality SEO-optimized content you’ll eventually see results.

3. Organic Social—2.05% (2.4% for B2B and 1.7% for B2C)

Only those who subscribe to your social channels see your posts organically. Similar to email, these are people who are already familiar with your brand and have chosen to see your content, so it makes sense that this type of traffic would convert well.

Surprise, surprise, organic social traffic also doesn’t always come quickly and easily. You’ll need to work on it for a while before you grow a sizable following. But this is another investment that’s worth the effort.

4. Paid Social—1.5% (2.1% for B2B and 0.9% for B2C)

This is the first paid traffic source on the list, and you’ll notice a sizable dropoff in conversion rate.

So, why does paid social traffic not convert as well organic? Because these are generally brand new prospects who aren’t familiar with your brand yet. That’s why you have to pay to get your content in front of them.

You haven’t built up the same level of trust as you have with your organic audience, so naturally you’ll see a drop in conversions.

It’s also interesting to note that paid social traffic seems to perform a lot better for B2B audiences than B2C.

5. Paid Search—1.35% (1.2% for B2B and 1.5% for B2C)

At the bottom of our list sits paid search, which on average converts just a little less frequently than paid social.

This is an interesting one, as there isn’t a whole lot of difference between organic and paid search listings, besides one having the “sponsored” label.

It’s possible that visitors are more apprehensive about paid listings because they know they're more likely to sell them something.

So what have we learned?

On average, free organic traffic sources will generate a higher conversion rate.

This isn’t to say paid traffic shouldn’t have a place in your market strategy. They’re a great way to supplement organic traffic and help you find your audience as you build up your other channels.

However, your long-term strategy should be to focus on email, organic search, and organic social traffic.

Good luck!

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