Search Engine Optimization (SEO) vs Returning Visitors has been a debate ever since the introduction of SEO. Some say, “as long as I have SEO provides traffic that generates revenue, I am happy”. Some say, “generating revenue while not retaining returning visitors is not the main point of a blog/website”. So what’s the fuss about Search Engine Optimization vs Returning Visitors?

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

What is SEO? Search Engine Optimization, like the name suggests, is basically improving the traffic of a website from search engines. Usually SEO is very closely attached with Google ranking*. Usually webmasters optimize their websites in such a way that search engines like Google or Yahoo can pick up the web content according to the targeted keywords used in the website. If that is done properly, chances that the website would appear earlier in Google or Yahoo search is much higher.

When a website is comes out earlier in any search engine, it can be said that the website has a higher Google Ranking than any other web pages of the same keyword. That way users who search for that particular keyword would enter your website much easier compared to other websites that comes out later in the search.

As a result, SEO works to improve traffic of your website. So, more traffic to your website but traffic does not guarantee returning visitors.

Applying SEO requires a lot of energy to for research. Hiring people to do SEO for you also costs a bomb.

Returning Visitors

Instead of optimizing your website for search engines to attract new visitors. How about optimizing it for returning visitors? There are numerous ways of approach to keeping your visitors. The very best way to have unique, quality posts. You can even organize activities, in your website … like rating something, a poll, some community thing like Facebook. There are just too many ways, however, the aim is to make your visitors coming back for more.

The only downfall for this method is you need some serious web programming language to pull it off. Do note that keeping visitors does not mean you have to target some particular keywords to make them come back.

What’s the fuss?

Of course, having both SEO and keeping returning visitors would be great. But we’re talking about SEO vs Returning visitors, which comes first?

Returning visitors actually understands your website. They have been to your website a couple of times and are actually interested in the articles you published. They would also provide some entertainment in your website if they have the time. Securing returning visitors also means having constant visitors throughout the month without looking at a disappointing low visitors during some days. However, returning visitors are the hardest to obtain, good content is a must to attract new visitors to come back.

Unlike returning visitors, new visitors come and go. Apart from SEO, new visitors can also be obtained by a little promotion of your website from other forums or some community websites like facebook, but this does not mean that they will stay for long. New visitors also tend to bounce* away very quickly if the site content does not matter to him/her. However, if adsense* or other advertising champaign is relevant, you might even earn some good bucks from there.

So which is better? You want entertainment in your website and constant visitors per month? Or do you prefer the cold hard cash but varying visitors per month? It’s all about your own preference. Of course, you can choose to do both, but do keep in mind that doing both requires time and commitment.

*Google Ranking – A method Google use to rank a website. Go search for Google Toolbar and install it in your browser, you will be able to see website’s ranking from the toolbar.

*Adsense – An advertising method Google and many webmasters use to earn money.

*Bounce – Visitors that enters only 1 page of your website and leave after that is called bounce away. In Google Analytics, it’s called “bounce rate”.