How To Get More Email Subscribers Through Organic Search Traffic
The number one question I hear from Mailchimp customers?
“How do I get more email subscribers?”
My number one recommendation for list growth?
“Capitalize on your existing inbound traffic.”
I’m biased. I run a SEO company. But think about it. Your website has people visiting every day. They are most likely reading your content and then leaving.
That’s a missed opportunity.
So how do you convert some of that inbound traffic into email subscribers?
Here are five tips on how to get more email subscribers through your organic search traffic.
Add a Pop Up Signup Form To Your Website
Pop-up signup forms are annoying, but they work better than any tactic I’ve seen.
The purpose of a pop-up signup form is to connect your email list with the people who visit your site. Mailchimp offers users the ability to design a pop-up form and display it on popular CMS platforms like WordPress, Shopify, and more.
The cool thing about pop-up forms is that you can customize the call-to action depending on the page of your website.
For example, taking a look at our Google Analytics shows that our Banned Instagram Hashtag blog post generates about 100 visitors per day:
Since we are a few months out from 2020, now would be a perfect time to design a pop-up incentivizing people to sign up for our “Banned Instagram Hashtag 2020” guide. Then when people read the 2019 guide, they can make the decision to get an email when we release the new guide (and, other social content afterwards).
By analyzing Google Analytics and customizing pop-up forms, you will be able to grow your email list in a highly segmented and sustainable way.
Action Item: Design and publish a pop-up form. Mailchimp will automatically push the form code to your connected site, or provide the code you need to embed it on your site if it’s not connected.
Add a Sidebar Sign Up Form
Most blogs – especially WordPress blogs – have a customizable sidebar.
This is prime real estate to insert a sign up form with a call to action. (ie – “Get Advice!”)
Mailchimp does have a few ways for you to add a sign up form to the sidebar. The most reliable way is to copy and paste the Mailchimp code into a HTML widget. However, check out the link and follow the instructions Mailchimp provides.
By installing a sidebar sign up form, you’ll be casting a wide net out to every visitor who reads a blog post.
Include Calls To Action Within Text
Text links are another great way to capitalize on organic search traffic to grow your list.
What’s a text link? It is the visible, clickable form of text in a hyperlink like this.
If a reader is really into an article, these text link calls to action are a less intrustive way of converting website visitors into subscribers.
To take action, grab your sign up form URL from Mailchimp:
Then, include the URL in your text links – preferably on your most popular blog posts.
These text links can be included at the top, bottom, and within a blog post. The result are readers clicking on the link, going to your sign up form, and subscribing to receive more content.
Give Something Away For Free
Giving something away for free in exchange for an email address is something people have become accustomed to on the internet.
But, if there is real value on the other side of the offer, users have shown they are more than willing to input their email address.
For company, that free valuable item is an SEO audit.
When a user inputs their url, keyword, and email, they provide us with their information for possible future communication.
Admittedly, we do not add these audit takers to our email list. From time to time we will reach out to them individually. But for the most part, we respect the inbox and error on the side of safety.
Regardless, free giveaways can be a nice way to increase the quantity (although sometimes not “quality”) of an email list.
Add a Signup Form in the Footer
Last but not least, the real estate in your website footer is a nice place for a sign up form.
People have reached the end of your content on a given page. They’re met with the question, “What now?” A sign up form gives them light at the end of the tunnel.
Again, you can utilize Mailchimp’s Signup Form code to accomplish this with your website CMS system.
What now?
Here’s a recap of how to get more email subscribers through organic search traffic:
- Add a pop up sign up form to your website
- Add a sign up form to your sidebar
- Include calls to action within text of popular blog posts
- Give something away for free in exchange for an email address
- Add a sign up form to your footer
Take these actions, and your email subscribers will grow in a very sustainable, predictable way (if you have inbound organic search traffic).
About the Author
Brett Farmiloe is the Founder & CEO of a digital marketing company named a Best Place To Work 3 years in a row. He has been listed as a Mailchimp Expert since 2015, and has completed 100+ Mailchimp projects for customers in 8 countries and 4 continents. But, he no longer offers email marketing services and refers all email marketing work over to Lucky Red Pixel. For email questions, ask the experts.