Great Traffic, but No Conversions? It’s Not Your SEO, It’s How You Close!

So, your team has an SEO strategy for your MSP website chugging along. You follow best practices and can drive high-quality, relevant traffic better than a dancing traffic cop. There’s just one problem: no calls, no forms completed, no emails received, and no conversions at all. So, what are you doing wrong? 

The problem isn’t your SEO. What you actually need to do is reconsider your closing argument as to why you, not your competitors, are the best option.

The Problem with Conversions isn’t Your SEO

SEO is just one of the steps needed to navigate the currents to market your MSP successfully. SEO is designed to drive traffic to your site, not convert them. If you want to close the deal, it happens after they reach your website.

This is the mistake that most businesses make: misunderstanding the goal of SEO.

SEO aims to put your MSP in front of potential leads. If visitors hit your website via a search, your SEO is doing its job. The next step is determining what you will do once the traffic arrives. How do you encourage them to take action besides visiting the site, reading your content (if you’re lucky), and leaving without contacting you? 

Remember that MSPs don’t rely on impulse buyers; no one ever buys a server on a whim. So, a large part of your marketing strategy will revolve around developing a relationship with potential customers over a long period. 

We often mention the rule of seven, which notes that leads need multiple interactions before committing to a purchase.

This is the area where many MSPs stumble when they market their services. The general assumption is that now that they have built their website, customers will just come and convert; SEO alone is all they have to do. Worse, they follow outdated keyword research methods by focusing on MSP jargon your customers don’t use when searching for solutions to their IT problems.

The reality is that it takes time to generate a lead, and the best way to do this is to give potential customers a reason to return to your website. By continuously providing your customers with high-quality MSP content that will answer their questions and reassure them that you will be able to help them move their business forward, they will be more prone to revisit your website when they continue to have issues they can’t solve. It is that long-term interaction that promotes an eventual conversion.

How To Encourage Conversions?

First, we have to understand what a conversion is. A conversion is any action that collects contact information, such as an email address or phone number, from a qualified lead. This means that once your SEO attracts a searcher to click on a link and visit a page on your website, there needs to be a reason for them to provide their contact information.

Some ways to encourage this would be to ask visitors to the page, in return for their contact information, access to downloadable MSP-focused content such as guides, whitepapers, case studies, and other content potential leads would be interested in learning more about. 

Keep in mind the information needs to be valuable, and provide a tangible benefit to their business. Hiding the secret sauce doesn't generate interest, instead it drives potential leads to your competitor, who are answering their questions.

Other steps you can take include the following:

• Have the most potent CTA above the ‘fold-line,’ the top ⅓ or ½ of your webpage, to expose them to your form before they click away. This way, the visitor is immediately provided with the offer, the pitch, and a method to contact your sales department when they hit the page. If this is their third or fourth time visiting your website, your call to action increases the chance they will complete the form this time.

• Include internal links to relative or related service pages. Few people searching for MSP services are impulse buyers. By allowing them to visit other service pages of your site, you reinforce that you offer various services to resolve their concerns. Moreover, internal links drive them deeper into your website, and the longer you keep them on the site, the better your chances are to convert them.

• Provide a closing statement to prompt them again. As we mentioned, successful conversions happen over time and via multiple touchpoints. By having a closing statement that includes an additional call to action, a second option for a deliverable, and your contact information before they leave the page, you can give them another opportunity to consider reaching out to you..

If you’re receiving high-quality traffic to your website but still make no conversions, the problem isn’t with your SEO but with your closing arguments. Now is the time to take a moment to speak with your marketing department and ask some questions about developing a plan to help you close the deal.  

Need Help? We’re Here!

If you’re ready to use all the tools in your toolbox but haven’t found a craftsman to use them, we always have the right tool for the right job. For more information on using email marketing and many other marketing tools to their full potential, call us at 888-546-4384.