Getting traffic to your website doesn’t just happen. You’ve got to roll up your sleeves and use different strategies to make it happen. Plus, it’s an ongoing process that needs to be done on a regular process. If you snooze, you lose. Here’s a list of strategies that get and keep that ball rolling.
Publish Engaging Content
When it comes to Google and viewers, content still reigns king. Your content should be relevant, interesting and engaging. It should also establish you as an authority in your niche. Use tools like Google Trends to find out what people are talking about. And sprinkled in the content should be top keywords and phrases that folks are searching for. If you’re unsure about what keywords and phrases to use, use Google, WordTracker and Yahoo to get word suggestions. Being a good writer isn’t easy. Turn to an expert who knows how to use words.
Think Like a Search Engine
Make sure that you all the elements relevant to good SEO. Good SEO will give you visibility in organic traffic from the search engines. You’ve got to ensure that your site is structured in a manner that search engines understand. Keep in mind that the bulk of web traffic is driven by major search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing. If search engines cannot find your site, you’re losing a huge opportunity for traffic. Valuable content, keywords, meta-description, meta-keywords, videos and titles are all elements that make up effective SEO.
Market Content to Both Search Engines and Beyond
Even with good SEO practices in place, take it to the next level with your marketing efforts to drive more traffic. Use the power of submit news, pay-per-click and link currency. Today, there are portals that are sure to drive traffic. Submit your content to portals like Slashdot and Digg using its submit news forms. These portals have a huge audience. Invest in pay-per-click advertising with Google Adwords or Yahoo, and get more traffic that will lead to more sales. Expand your advertising efforts on sites like StumbleUpon. It’s a powerful and affordable way to get others to your site. Take advantage of link currency. Link your content to relevant blogs and Wikipedia to tap into more traffic. Interested readers will want to visit your site.
Establish a Voice in Facebook and Twitter<h/2>
Today, social is where it’s at. Social media platforms like Facebook and Twitter have millions of regular users, and you can target your own audience. Start up a conversation with others on Facebook and establish a voice and presence. Keep it social, yet add info on your specialty and even announce specials. Just add a link back to your site on your posts. Over time, you’ll begin to see an uptick in traffic. Without a doubt, Twitter is hot. Pair a Twitter feed with your site and send out messages to your community. You can promote your content and benefit from other retweeting your posts. Leverage social media platforms and watch your site traffic increase.
Measure and Refine
In order to evaluate and drive more traffic, you need to know what’s working and what’s not working. This way, you can refine and expand traffic. Use a dashboard of key metrics to determine page views, unique visitors, time on site, bounce rate, keyword conversions, community members and conversions. All of these metrics will help you get a clear picture of the effectiveness of your marketing efforts. You can also use Google Analytics and integrate it right into your dashboard. Once you begin tracking your results, you can measure and hone your efforts to improve traffic.
Getting website traffic isn’t anything like real estate. You can’t just build a site and expect viewers to come. It’s going to take planning, strategy and effort. But, it’s worth it in the long run. A little blood, sweat and tears goes a long way with online real estate.
