Your website can do more than attract visitors. It can build your email list too! Learn how to grow your email list by turning search traffic into subscribers.
Jump To:
We’re used to thinking about social media, bundles, summits, and email swaps as some of the best ways to grow an email list.
And they’re great. They work! But what about organic search?
Search Engine Optimization, SEO, lets you tap into a completely different audience: people who are actively searching for the solutions you provide, right in their moment of need.
They aren’t casually scrolling. They’re problem-aware, and they’re actively searching for answers.
With respect to building your email list, your blog does the heavy lifting.
It connects searchers with your solutions, drawing in those top-of-funnel searchers who might not be ready to buy yet but might be ready to take a smaller step: like handing over their email address in exchange for a quick solution.
If your website can be a destination, if it’s findable through search, and if it’s packed with compelling calls-to-action (CTAs) and irresistible opt-ins, it can be a powerful lead generation machine working to support your email marketing efforts.
This post is all about how to make that happen.
1. Your Website Needs to Be a Destination
For your website to grow your email list, it needs to be a destination. A go-to resource.
For you, that means creating a body of work—a deep, focused knowledge base—that answers questions your audience is actively searching for.
Most likely, that knowledge base will be your blog.
Instead of scattering your efforts across dozens of subjects, pick a handful of core areas in which you want to be known as an expert and go all in.
Cover each topic from multiple angles, addressing common challenges and solving real problems.
The more comprehensive your blog content, the more likely people are to mentally bookmark your website as the place to find related information in the future.
When your website feels like a one-stop resource, people stick around longer. They read more. They trust your expertise.
And when you pair this depth of content with smart calls-to-action, you can use your blog as a funnel to build your email list.
Building a destination website takes time and intention, but it’s what separates a forgettable website people from and one they come back to over and over again.
2. Your Website Needs to Be Findable
Creating a destination website is only half the equation. If people can’t find your content, it doesn’t matter how good it is.
SEO is what makes your website visible to the audience you want to reach.
- Start by identifying the keywords and phrases your audience is typing into Google’s search bar.
These words should appear naturally in key places like your blog titles, heading tags, and SEO titles. This helps search engines like Google connect your content to the questions people are asking. - Make sure you’re website’s tech is in order.
Your pages should load quickly, be optimized for mobile devices, and be free of broken links.
When everything runs smoothly, search engines are more likely to rank your website higher and send you relevant traffic.
On the flip side, visitors are more likely to consume your content and subscribe to your content.
3. Give Visitors a Reason to Hand Over Their Email Address
People aren’t going to join your email list just because you asked nicely.
You need to offer something in trade, a so-called lead magnet, that feels worth their while.
A lead magnet, sometimes called an “opt-in” offer, is a free resource offered in exchange for an email address. It should solve a very specific problem or make life easier for your audience.
It could be a downloadable checklist, a free guide, a quiz, or a resource that complements the content they’re already reading. If you’re really clever with how you position your newsletter, you could probably even use your newsletter as an opt-in.
Not every opt-in will work for every audience, so don’t be afraid to experiment.
Create a few different options and test them out. A quick tweak to your offer might make all the difference in your sign-up rates.
Finally, keep it simple.
Don’t bury your opt-in behind a complicated form or multiple steps. Just ask for their first name and their email address.
The easier it is to say yes, the more likely people are to join your email list.
4. Your Website Needs Clear Calls-to-Action (CTAs)
If you want people to subscribe to your email list, make it obvious what they should do next.
Clear, visible CTAs are essential.
A good CTA does two things:
- Clearly invites your visitors to take a next action.
- Stands out on the page.
Pay attention to placement, color, font, and design. Whether it’s a button, a pop-up, or an inline form, make sure it catches their attention.
(Tip: Pay attention to the CTA at the end of this blog post!)
CTAs should feel natural and unobtrusive, but they do need to be visible.
Note, a single sign-up box hidden in your footer likely isn’t enough.
Place them strategically within and/or at the end of a blog post, in the sidebar, or as a scroll-triggered pop-up.
When CTAs are clear, compelling, and easy to spot, you make it more likely that your visitors will subscribe to your list.
5. Optimize High-Traffic Pages for Email Sign-Ups
Not all pages on your website are created equal.
Some pages, like a popular blog post or your home page, naturally get more traffic than others.
These high-traffic pages are prime real estate for growing your email list, so take extra care to make sure they’re doing the job.
Start by identifying your most-visited pages. Tools like Google Search Console or Google Analytics can show you which pages are attracting the most traffic and on which pages people spend the most time.
Once you know which pages are most impactful, evaluate how well they’re working to capture email sign-ups.
Make sure opt-ins and CTAs match the content on these pages, solve the readers “next problem”, and visually stand out.
Essentially, do everything we’ve already talked about—but really double down on your highest-performing pages.
By focusing on pages that already attract attention, you’re maximizing their potential to turn visitors into subscribers.
TL; DR: SEO is the Cheese, Opt-Ins are the Mousetrap
Growing your email list with your website isn’t as easy as throwing up a newsletter sign-up form and hoping for the best.
You have to attract the right people. Give them the right information. Make the next step a no-brainer.
SEO helps you attract people who are already searching for what you offer.
But then, your content has to do the heavy lift. It has to move them toward action.
Finally, you need CTAs that are clear but not pushy, opt-ins that feel relevant instead of random, and a user experience that makes subscribing feel effortless.
None of this replaces other email list-building strategies. It works with them.
An SEO-optimized website amplifies everything else you’re doing, making your efforts on social media, in collaborations, or through paid ads more effective.
When someone lands on your website, whether from search or another source, they should immediately find content worth staying for—and a reason to subscribe.
Ready to turn your website into a list-building machine?
The SEO Kickstart Kit will help you optimize your content so your website attracts the right people and turns them into subscribers. It’s packed with five checklists designed to meet your SEO where it’s at right now, so you can make small but powerful changes that drive real SEO results.
6 Responses
Thank you for this! I’m so glad Google led me to your blog. I feel like so much of the SEO advice is pushy, in your face, and nothing I actually want to read. I’m feeling inspired to restart my blog!
Thanks for your comment Kristin! I’m so thrilled to hear that this advice resonates- Come back and let me know when you get your next blog post up. I’d love to check it out and give it some love!
SEO is the cheese…optins are the mouse trap.
So simple but so powerful.
Thanks for sharing these practical and tactical tips.
This was a mini masterclass in leveraging SEO to build my email list! Incredible actionable info, thank you so much!
Your blog is so pretty and fun to read. I’m so glad I worked with you to help with my website’s SEO!!
Great ideas for gaining traction on my email list. Thanks Laura!!