Understanding where your website traffic comes from is a crucial part of a strong SEO and digital marketing strategy. By analyzing paid traffic and organic traffic, you can make smarter decisions about your keywords and create content that attracts the right audience. Let's break down how to analyze these traffic sources, do keyword research with these insights, and apply them to your content strategy.
Understanding Paid vs. Organic Traffic
What is Organic Traffic?
Organic traffic consists of visitors who find your website naturally through search engines, without paid promotions. This happens when your pages rank well in Google, Bing, or other search engines based on factors like keyword relevance, quality content, and backlinks. The biggest advantage of organic traffic is that it’s sustainable and cost-effective over the long term. However, it takes time and effort to build.
What is Paid Traffic?
Paid traffic, on the other hand, comes from advertising campaigns like Google Ads, Facebook Ads, and other digital ads. These visitors click on promoted search results or display ads, meaning businesses pay for each visit. The main benefits of paid traffic include immediate visibility and precise audience targeting, but it requires careful budgeting to ensure a positive return on investment (ROI).
A well-rounded strategy should balance both organic and paid efforts, and Ubersuggest now help you analyze both types of traffic in one place.
How to Analyze Paid and Organic Traffic
To optimize your keyword strategy, you first need to understand how your traffic is distributed. The Ubersuggest Traffic Overview feature now includes a dual graph that shows the proportion of organic vs. paid traffic for any website. This helps you identify whether a competitor relies more on SEO or paid ads to get visitors.
Key Metrics to Look At
Traffic Overview provides a detailed analysis of a website’s estimated traffic and keyword performance. Here are the key metrics to focus on:
- Estimated Organic and Paid Traffic: Get insights into how much of a website’s traffic comes from organic search versus paid campaigns. This helps you assess the effectiveness of both strategies.
- Number of Organic and Paid Keywords: See how many keywords a website ranks for naturally and how many they bid on in paid search. This helps you gauge where competitors invest their efforts.
- Domain Authority: Measures the strength of a website’s backlink profile and its potential to rank in search results. Higher domain authority typically means better organic visibility.
- Number of Backlinks: Track how many sites link back to a competitor’s domain. More backlinks often correlate with higher organic rankings and domain authority.
With these insights, you can make informed decisions about whether to invest more in paid ads, refine your SEO strategy, or combine both approaches.
How to Do Keyword Research Considering Traffic Sources
Now that you understand traffic patterns, let’s talk about how to choose the right keywords for both organic and paid strategies.
Organic Keyword Research
When targeting organic traffic, you should look for high-volume, relevant keywords that align with user intent.
- Use Keyword Ideas feature to explore different categories: suggestions, related terms, questions, prepositions, and comparisons.
- Identify long-tail keywords (e.g., “best electrical supplies for home renovation”) to rank more easily.
- Prioritize low-competition keywords if your domain authority is still growing.
- Analyze search intent using the Keyword Overview section. Understanding whether a keyword reflects informational, navigational, transactional, or commercial intent helps you optimize content accordingly.
- Optimize content accordingly: If a keyword has informational intent, create educational blog posts or guides. If it’s transactional, optimize product pages or landing pages to drive conversions.
Paid Keyword Research
For paid traffic, keyword selection is different because you’re bidding on search terms rather than waiting to rank organically.
- Use high-converting keywords (not just high-traffic ones) to maximize ROI.
- Monitor cost-per-click (CPC) and ensure your ad spend aligns with potential profits.
- Consider branded vs. non-branded keywords—branded keywords (e.g., “Nike running shoes”) tend to have higher conversion rates, while non-branded ones (e.g., “best running shoes”) reach a broader audience.
By blending organic and paid keyword insights, you can build a strategy that targets both immediate and long-term growth.
Applying These Insights to Your Content Strategy
Once you have your keywords, it’s time to apply them effectively in your content.
Organic Content Approach
For organic traffic, your content should be educational, informative, and optimized for search engines. Here’s how:
- Create in-depth blog posts, guides, and FAQs that target your selected organic keywords.
- Structure content with headings and subheadings that include primary and secondary keywords.
- Use internal linking to guide readers to related content and keep them on your site longer.
- Optimize meta descriptions and title tags to improve click-through rates.
Paid Content Approach
For paid traffic, you want content that drives immediate action. Consider:
- Landing pages that directly match your paid keywords.
- Compelling ad copy with strong calls to action.
- A/B testing different ad creatives and landing page designs to maximize conversions.
Final Thoughts
A well-rounded keyword strategy considers both organic and paid traffic insights. By analyzing your competitors, researching the right keywords, and applying them effectively, you can drive consistent traffic and conversions to your website.