How do you increase website traffic? It’s an age-old question every marketing team faces every day, and it’s challenging to find the answers you need. Here are ten tips to help you do just that!
Write Shareable Content
Posting content is not enough. The content needs to be memorable. You can do that by writing content that’s easy to share on social media (think infographics, slideshows, GIFs, etc.). When you post quality content, people are more likely to share it with their followers. As they do, your post becomes visible in their followers’ social feeds—which means more traffic for you. You can even encourage people to share your content by including a share-count metric on your page or asking readers to tweet a specific sentence from one of your posts.
Other ways to get readers to interact with your content include asking questions in headlines, inserting famous quotes, and embedding images. Remember, these are little tricks that will help draw people into your posts—but if there’s no substance behind them, they won’t do you any good. If you want people to engage with your posts more often, be sure they offer value; otherwise, no one will continue reading past their first glance.
Build Trust by Being Honest
Building trust with your audience is easier when you are honest. Honesty can pay off, but one way it pays off is in traffic. Your visitors are more likely to share your content if they feel they can trust you. If you want to increase website traffic, build trust by being honest about yourself and what you do.
Showing your honesty in content can be tricky. Believe what you are saying for it to come through on paper. For example, if you write about pets, talk about pets as if they were human babies. If you write about health, use words such as “I feel” or “we” instead of “you should.” We recommend that because such language makes it appear you are telling people what they should do instead of just talking with them about what works for you and why it might work for them too.
Marketing Through Connecting Offline & Online
Social media can be an excellent tool for increasing traffic, but it’s not ideal for every business. The key is finding an audience and using social media to boost brand awareness and boost traffic (and conversions) on your website. Social media has changed everything; you must integrate online and offline tactics if you want more traffic.
You can also try building website traffic by connecting with people offline. For example, attend networking events, network on LinkedIn, or speak at conferences. The key is to have a goal in mind for each opportunity you take advantage of—every connection you make should get directed toward driving more traffic to your site.
Go Beyond Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
If you do everything right with SEO (or, at least, everything Google will let you get away with), your site should be able to make it into search results reasonably easily. But if you want visitors other than web spiders and actual people who find your site through an ad or another website, there are other things you can do. Building links from high-quality sites is one of them; running content relevant to your topic on social media sites like Facebook and Twitter is another. Both tactics signal Google that someone thinks your site is essential—and thus more likely to deserve a top ranking in SERPs.
Remember: with traffic, getting listed in search results isn’t enough—you need people looking at those listings and deciding they want to read what you have to say. SEO alone won’t get them there; using tools like social media will help make sure you get your content in front of eyeballs interested in whatever you have to say.
Add Video & Podcasts
Video and podcasting are growing in popularity. As these media gain more exposure, you can bet that your customers will increasingly want to consume content in these formats. Video and podcasting offer a unique way for consumers to engage with your brand—besides displaying content, you’ll be able to use videos and podcasts as an avenue for communicating messages about your business.
However, if you’re looking into video or podcasting, navigating through all of your options can be tricky. The first question that comes up is: What kind of camera do I need? It helps to consider what you want to do with your videos and podcasts before jumping in and spending a lot of money on equipment. That said, there are ways for business owners to create engaging videos and podcasts without breaking their budget.
Be Targeted With Guest Posting
If you’re looking for a way to boost your website traffic, one great place to start is tapping into an existing audience. People naturally flock toward topics they’re already interested in, and it’s easy to build content around something you’re passionate about. If you know someone who blogs about your niche, ask them if they would feature a guest post from you.
Guest posting is a great way to establish yourself as an expert in your niche. Guest posting creates additional content for your website and helps build your credibility with other people’s audiences. When you guest post on another blogger’s site, it’s easier for people who read their posts to find your work. You can also tap into a pre-existing audience that may not yet know about you or your business.
Get Press Coverage
Getting coverage from bloggers and news sites can be a great way to boost your website traffic, but it’s not always easy. Try pitching press stories about your products or services. If you’re having trouble getting noticed, try creating a list of news outlets with contact information on your website. Just make sure you follow up with every outlet after they mention you—and that you respond immediately if someone needs more information or has questions. Building relationships is vital in both your personal and professional life.
To get press coverage, start by making a list of local or national news outlets covering your industry. Make sure you find out how they prefer to be contacted and have someone dedicated to fielding PR requests. Sending them an email with information about your product can help get you on their radar. If you’re not getting responses, try sending a physical press kit instead. Follow up with everyone who mentions you, so they know how grateful you are for their coverage!
Have Influencers Talk About You
When a third party mentions a person or company, it makes a significant impact. Even if you don’t have a lot of money, there are still things you can do to get influencers talking about your brand. For instance, it costs absolutely nothing to ask an influencer for feedback on your product and show your appreciation for taking time out of their busy schedules. You might even want to offer exclusive discounts or access to services or events so customers will brag about how they got something great from using your business’ product/service.
Host Webinars
Webinars are a great way to increase your visibility and authority, as well as grow your audience. Remember that webinars are only really valuable if you’re providing value first—and making money off of them can be tricky unless you already have an established following. Start small with one or two webinars on subjects that address to your audience’s pain points if you’re starting.
Here’s how to get started hosting webinars:
Hosting a webinar doesn’t take much time, but remember that most webinar platforms charge you for every attendee after a certain number. Find out if there are any other pre-recorded versions of your webinar available on YouTube or elsewhere so people can check out what you offer before signing up. You’ll also want to develop creative ways to promote your event before actually hosting it.
To get sign-ups from people who aren’t already familiar with you and your brand, try reaching out through one-on-one emails and offering a discount code for a limited time. Be sure to tell attendees how they can register in advance, so they don’t have to scramble at the last minute.
Finally, don’t forget to promote your webinar—you should start by promoting it on your social media accounts. Then, reach out directly to other influencers who may be interested in learning more about your topic and ask them if they can share any of their followers with you so you can see even more people come through.
Hosting a webinar need not be difficult. It’s simply about finding something you feel comfortable doing—then sharing it with others effectively.
Drive Traffic From Email Marketing
Newsletters are a great way to deliver a steady stream of quality content and stay on top-of-mind with your audience. Email newsletters require far less of an investment in time and energy than other methods of reaching your target markets. That’s because you can schedule when they go out—and you don’t have to travel for them! Just shoot off some emails and watch people sign up in droves.
Here’s how to start an email marketing campaign:
1. Create your email autoresponder service – Email marketing services like Aweber, Constant Contact, MailChimp, and Campaign Monitor make it easy to get started by handling inbox management (and deliverability) for you.
2. Write your email content – It’s essential to develop engaging content that will entice people to open and click through your emails. Your marketing team can help you write copy that does just that!
3. Develop your email design – It’s also crucial that your emails are well-designed, so it’s worth investing in some help if you don’t have a designer on staff. Once you’ve designed your email template, test it using Litmus or MailChimp to ensure that it looks good across multiple devices and clients before sending it out into the world.
4. Grow your email list – One of the most critical parts of an email marketing campaign is growing your email list, which means getting people to opt in to receiving future content from you. You’ll need a clear call-to-action that speaks directly to your audience, whether that’s through pop-ups, buttons on relevant landing pages, or other page elements.
5. Maintain and grow – Email marketing doesn’t have to be a one-and-done deal! You can use your autoresponder service to schedule additional emails or send out a newsletter with relevant updates, news, or other valuable content from your business. It might be worth creating separate lists for unique audiences, such as VIP customers or top clients.
Creating an email campaign is one of the easiest ways to get the word out about your website. You’ll get surprised by how quickly you can turn a few well-crafted emails into a powerful source of traffic.
Summary
There are many strategies for increasing website traffic. In today’s post, we looked at ten tried-and-correct methods that can help you improve your website traffic. These tactics included writing great content, advertising your content via social media and other online channels, and search engine optimization. We hope you found our list helpful! If so, share it with someone who could benefit from learning how to increase their website traffic.
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