One of the harder realities for business owners to face is that simply having a website online doesn’t guarantee that anyone will visit it. With over one billion sites available online today, what makes you think your particular site is so unique it will automatically draw in tons of readers?
The hard truth is you have to offer something unique that will draw readers to your website, and you should always be adding unique content that your customers or target audience are interested in to keep them coming back.
And, don’t assume that just because you are adding web content, they will automatically come either. You have to actively market your website to get people there in the first place.
Once you have committed to adding this content on a regular basis, you then need to work on getting the readers over to your site. You can do this in a variety of ways, but we will start with some of the more fundamental and less costly ideas.
1.) Promote your website on everything you put out.
Be sure you are adding your URL to every piece of printed or electronic material you put out there. Include it in all your email correspondence by adding it to your signature. Be sure to print it on all materials that are sent or given to people including letterhead, business cards, brochures, company vehicles, and promotional items you may give away.
2.) Add your website to your social media profiles.
Make sure that you have included your website on all of your social media profiles including Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and anywhere else your company is found online. Doing this gives people an easy way to click directly to your actual website from them. Don’t forget to check any local directory listings you may be in and make sure they have the correct website URL too.
3.) Promote your content on social media.
When you post something new to your website or blog, be sure to promote it on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, or wherever your target clients are. If you have a WordPress website, look into a plugin that will automatically post your new blog posts to your social media profiles when you publish them to cut down on the amount of work you have to do to get them out there.
4.) Do some paid social media advertising.
Social media advertising is a great low-cost way to dip your toe into the paid advertising market. Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and YouTube all are good options to delve into paid advertising at a lower cost. They also allow you to target your audience more precisely so you aren’t wasting ad dollars on blanketing ads to people who might not need your goods or services. Check out Neil Patel & Aaron Aguis’ Complete Guide to Building Your Blog Audience.
5.) Try paid search ads.
Google AdWords and Bing Ads are a good place to start with paid advertising. With their programs, you pay per click (PPC) to send traffic to your website based on keyword searches. However, when trying this option think long and hard about keywords and keyword terms that people would be searching for to find your business. You may even want to do some keyword research before delving into it, to be sure you are getting the best bang for your buck and not wasting money on terms that are doing nothing for you.
6.) Take time to target keywords better.
Speaking of keywords, when writing the content on your website, be sure you are using the right keywords to attract visitors to your page via search. You also need to consider what people are searching for to help reduce the competition in search rankings and drive more qualified leads to your site. I suggest going for long-tail keywords, or more highly targeted keyword phrases, so you reduce the competition you will face with the highly competitive broader keywords. In the long term, this is a better strategy to take with keywords and keyword phrases. Use the Google Keyword Planner to help you come up with better keywords for your website.
7.) Guest blog for industry sites.
Offer to become a guest contributor to blogs in your industry. Guest blogging can help you become an “expert” in your fields in the eyes of the readers, which can parlay itself into more visits to your website.
8.) Start a YouTube channel.
YouTube has taken off in unimaginable ways. Starting a YouTube channel, where you offer free advice that potential clients or customers could use to solve their problems, is a great way to move them from your videos over to your website. Be sure to include a link to your site in your YouTube profile, as well as in the description of each of your videos.
9.) Answer questions on Quora, Yahoo!Answers or sign up with HARO.
HARO (Help A Reporter Out) is an email list that notifies you of journalists who are looking for sources for their stories. Sign up and look over the list for the type of sources they need. If you find some relevant to your business, put yourself out there to be a source for answers. You may just end up with some added visibility and links on major news organization sites. Likewise, answering questions on Quora or Yahoo!Answers can help you become a perceived expert in your field. Freely share your knowledge with others.
10.) Repurpose your content.
There is no sense in reinventing the wheel. Take your excellent content and repurpose it for other uses. Did you write a particularly well-received blog post that others found useful? Use that same content and create a slideshow or video for YouTube. This can help you gain more exposure by utilizing content that has already proven to be a winner for you.
Hopefully, some of these ideas will help kickstart some ways you can start working to drive more traffic to your website. But, be aware that building a following online takes time and patience, so stay motivated and don’t give up!
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