Ask David: “My traffic statistics have grown organically, so SEO is working, but sales are not growing – how do I know I am on the right track or what else should I be doing?“
This is a very common situation, and it’s also one of the most confusing for website owners.
The important thing to understand is that organic traffic growth and sales growth are related – but they are not the same metric.
If your traffic is growing organically, that does mean SEO is working. Search engines are finding, indexing, and ranking your site for real queries. Many websites never reach that point.
However, SEO’s primary job is visibility. Sales depend on what happens after visitors arrive.
1. Look at where the traffic is landing
Start by reviewing which pages are receiving the most visits.
If most of your traffic is landing on:
- Blog posts
- Informational articles
- How-to or research content
Then your SEO may be attracting early-stage visitors who are not ready to buy yet.
That doesn’t mean the traffic is bad – it means your site may need clearer paths from information to action.
2. Make sure traffic has a purpose
Every high-traffic page should answer one question clearly:
What should the visitor do next?
Common issues include:
- No clear call-to-action
- Calls-to-action that are buried or vague
- Pages that educate but never guide
If visitors can’t immediately see the next step, sales will stall even as traffic grows.
3. Evaluate conversion friction, not traffic volume
When sales don’t increase alongside traffic, the issue is often friction, not reach.
Things to review:
- Is your value proposition obvious within a few seconds?
- Are pricing, features, or benefits easy to understand?
- Does the site feel trustworthy and professional?
- Is the checkout or contact process simple?
Small usability or clarity issues can stop conversions long before SEO stops working.
Related: What Makes a Simple Website Feel Trustworthy? (From Real User Experience, Not Theory)
4. Understand that SEO often leads sales, not matches them
Organic growth often follows this pattern:
- Traffic increases
- Engagement improves
- Trust builds
- Conversions follow
If traffic is trending upward, you are usually earlier in the cycle, not off track.
The key is to use this phase to:
- Improve conversion pages
- Capture leads for follow-up
- Refine messaging based on real visitor behavior
Related: What Your Website Visitors Are Secretly Telling You (Through Their Clicks & Bounces)
5. Make sure your platform isn’t limiting conversions
Some website builders make it easy to publish content but limit your ability to:
- Control page layouts
- Optimize funnels
- Adjust user flow
- Improve performance without add-ons
If you can’t freely optimize the pages where traffic already exists, sales growth will lag – no matter how good your SEO is.
Read: How Drag-and-Drop Website Builders Hold You Back (And What to Use Instead)
Final takeaway
If your organic traffic is growing, you are on the right track.
The next step isn’t more SEO – it’s better alignment between traffic, intent, and conversion. When those elements come together, sales usually follow in a much more stable and predictable way.
That’s when organic growth turns into real business growth.
Related: Why Organic Traffic Is the Best Kind of Traffic (And How to Get More of It)
Can You Increase Organic Traffic Without Building Backlinks? Yes – Here’s How
Need a website builder that doesn’t hold you back? Learn more about UltimateWB! We also offer web design packages if you would like your website designed and built for you.
Got a techy/website question? Whether it’s about UltimateWB or another website builder, web hosting, or other aspects of websites, just send in your question in the “Ask David!” form. We will email you when the answer is posted on the UltimateWB “Ask David!” section.