Attracting ongoing traffic to your website is key to your success online. Without traffic, there is no lead generation, no sales and no business. Most anyone can build a website and begin to generate traffic, but how do you create a steady stream of traffic to your website?
Here’s 10 tips on how to keep online traffic headed your way.
1 – Brand Your Business
Make sure your brand is visible and recognizable across all platforms. Your brand is your identity in the marketplace . . . period. No matter whether it is on the Internet or otherwise, your brand tells people who you are as a company (or as an individual). It tells your visitors what you do, what type of quality they can expect, whether you are trustworthy and more. It should include your logo and tagline. Your brand should be consistent and communicate how your business is different or better.
2 – Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
SEO is for more than just your website. Ensure that any content on the Internet is optimized for your keywords. Don’t forget about your social media content, newsletters, marketing materials, blogs, and more. Having your keywords listed in many places on the Internet besides your website will help search engines recognize your validity and give more credibility to your brand and web presence. One caution – be sure to not overdo this or overload your content just to get ranking. You can’t trick search engines into ranking your site better for the long term. Slow and steady is the best strategy.
3 – Automate Business Processes
Your website is a fantastic tool to use to automate some of your everyday business processes. Develop a great strategy to drive traffic to your website from your Internet marketing content as well as your printed content. Your call to actions can always include a link to your website or your website address to complete a task. You can create posts, ads and marketing content that asks for scheduling an appointment, making payment online, ordering products or services, sign up for mailing list, ask for additional information and then point them to your website to complete it. Give your visitors an incentive by offering a discount or free download or product when the content is complete.
4 – Mailing List
Mailing lists must have an opt-in/opt-out format, meaning your users must sign up for it. Because your users have given their permission for you to contact them directly, this is the perfect opportunity to tell your target market what you want them to know about you or your company. These can be scheduled ahead of time and sent on a regular basis. Some helpful items to include are product and service updates, helpful tips, special offers, announcements, and more. Be sure to make it worth the viewers time and effort or they will opt-out.
5 – Blog or Vlog
Blogging is not easy for many, but it is a great way to add content and depth to your website. You can add relevant, helpful content for your users and may find your posts being shared to help others. Have guest bloggers for your blog and reciprocate. This can give referral links for each of your sites. Blog posts and articles are indexed by search engines and can be a great source for added content to your website.
Vlogging is another option for those that don’t like to write. It gives your audience a chance for visual information and seems more personal. A vlog is video content, but you don’t have to just talk or teach, you can include graphics as content as well, just like a blog.
6 – Helpful Content
Treat your website visitor like you would someone in your storefront. Add value for your viewers by being helpful. Mention helpful tips for your clients. Add a frequently asked questions area. You know your clients best, use your website and social media interactions to further their trust in your business by servicing them online. You will earn their loyalty if they know they can trust you to help them even before (or after) they buy your product or service. Become the expert they go to first.
7 – Online Directories
Directories are online databases that offer a list of businesses and links to their websites. Examples are Yelp, Google Maps, Better Business Bureau, Chambers, etc. They can also be business specific like Expedia, Booking.com, HomeAdvisor, VRBO, AirBnB and more. Online directories will help build the back links or links back to your website. This, in turn, helps your search engine optimization and builds traffic to your website.
8 – Social Media
Social media is a great traffic booster! Valid, relevant content is essential. Ads, posts, images can all generate interest in your brand and your business. It is a great tool to get your voice heard and help your customers (and potential customers) understand who you are and what you do. It’s also a good way to send helpful tips and useful information for them to begin to trust you as an expert and their “go-to” person in your industry.
9 – Share Content
Sharing content across the Internet attracts attention. Creating content that brings interest is great but if the only place to find it is your website, you’re losing the ability to reach a greater market by sharing. Be sure to share your content across your platforms and then ask others to do the same. This can create a chain reaction and increase your reach immensely. Plus, your adding value by creating a sense of community among your potential clients. Sharing can also build backlinks to your website and increases your overall ranking for search engines.
10 – Understand Your Data
Data can be analyzed with Google Analytics for your website and Insights for Facebook, now what? How do you use that data to help your business traffic grow? Did you know you also have actual data from your website on your server also? It may be a little different than your Google Analytics as it will only track data for those using Google Chrome. Analyzing data takes time but is essential to your success online. Creating content is great, but if no one reads it or shares it or comes to your site because of it, then it is worthless. Some data just isn’t necessary and can be over-rated, while other data is exactly what you need to know. Create posts and tweets and stories online and see what happens to the content. Be sure to include your keywords and try some new ideas. Your data will tell you if what you are doing works.
11 – Think Outside the Box
Yes, we only said 10, but another one snuck in here as an added bonus. Sometimes thinking outside the box can create a whole new market you never knew you had. You can capture a market before your competitors find it or before the market share turns in that direction. Here’s an example. In working with a Nightly Rental Condo business near Silver Dollar City and on Table Rock Lake here in the Ozark Mountains, we found some markets by accident. For years, most of the traffic was interested in Branson Shows. While we targeted the Branson market, we also developed a plan to target Silver Dollar City and Table Rock Lake traffic. As the next generation gained a greater share of the market in Branson, the market shifted to amusement, outdoor adventures and the lake. We made a bet that this trend was coming and our bet paid off. Be sure to consider not only where your market is today, but where the trend may be in the future. Try some keywords that may be outside your current market and see what happens.
Creating a flow of online traffic to your website is time-consuming, but well worth the effort! If you step your way through creating valid content, focus on targeting traffic and sharing your content, your data will help you know what works best. Remember to think outside the box once in awhile and you may find something that works for your business you never thought would! Being an entrepreneur is not easy, but it is rewarding. You started your online presence to generate leads, sales and ongoing clients, so keep that in mind no matter how long you’ve been in your marketplace and keep your content fresh. Don’t get overwhelmed with all there is to do and track. Just take it one day at a time and set aside some time each week to work on building your web presence as well as your website traffic.