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20 Ways to Boost Website Traffic
Ask any business owner what their goal is and they’ll say more sales. And the best way to get more sales is to get more website traffic. There are endless ways to do this and with so many options it’s hard to know which are actually worth your while. Luckily, we have made easy for you. Here are the best 20 ways to boost traffic to your website.
How to Drive Traffic to Your Website
Ready to watch your click count soar? Let’s get into the tips.
1. Advertise
Obvious, right? Yes, but also scary. Paid search, social media advertising, and display advertising are all excellent ways of attracting visitors, building your brand and getting your site in front of people. This method is flexible, and you can adjust your paid strategies to suit your goals. There are pros and cons to each paid method, so choose wisely and carefully consider your objectives.
2. Get Social
Facebook is not just for stalking your friends, folks. And it’s not enough to produce great content in hopes that people find it – you have to be proactive. All. The. Time. One of the best ways to increase traffic to your website is to use social media channels to promote your content. Facebook is our favorite for this.
LinkedIn has become much more than a means of finding another job. The world’s largest professional social network is now a valuable publishing platform in its own right, which means you should be posting content to LinkedIn on a regular basis. Doing so can boost traffic to your site, as well as increase your profile within your industry.
Connect with Courtney Boyer, Inspirational Enthusiast of Charley Grey.
3. Mix It Up
There is no magic formula for content marketing success. It is different for most sectors. And sometimes, timing is key. For this reason, vary the length and format of your content to make it as appealing as possible to different kinds of readers. Sprinkle shorter, news-based blog posts with long-form content – and don’t forget the use of alternative posts such as video, infographics and data-driven pieces (Top Ten Lists) for maximum impact.
4. Write Irresistible Headlines
Headlines are one of the most important parts of your content. Without a compelling headline, even the most comprehensive blog post will go unread. Master the art of headline writing. Check out Courtney’s favorite copywriter, Ray Edwards, and his book “How To Write Copy That Sells.”
5. Pay Attention to On-Page SEO
Think SEO is dead? Think again. Optimizing your content for search engines is still one of the most valuable and worthwhile practices. Are you making the most of image alt text? Are you creating internal links to new content? What about meta descriptions? Optimizing for on-page SEO doesn’t have to take ages, and it could help boost your organic traffic.
6. Target Long-Tail Keywords
Got your high commercial intent keyword bases covered? Then it’s time to target long-tail keywords, too. Long-tail keywords are those three and four keyword phrases which are very, very specific to whatever you are selling and account for a majority of web searches, meaning that if you’re not targeting them as part of your paid search or SEO efforts, you’re missing out.
7. Implement Schema Microdata
Implementing schema (or another microdata format) won’t necessarily increase traffic to your website on its own, but it will make it easier for search engine bots to find and index your pages. Another benefit of using schema for SEO is that it can result in better rich site snippets, which can improve click-through rates.
8. Link Internally
The strength of your link profile isn’t solely determined by how many sites link back to you – it can also be affected by your internal linking structure. When creating and publishing content, be sure to keep an eye out for opportunities for internal links. This not only helps with SEO but also results in a better, more useful experience for the user – the cornerstone of increasing traffic to your website.
9. Start Guest Blogging
Before you say it – no, true guest blogging isn’t dead. Securing a guest post on a reputable site can increase blog traffic to your website and help build your brand into the bargain. Proceed with caution though – standards for guest blogging have changed radically during the past eighteen months, and spammy tactics could result in stiff penalties.
10. Invite Others to Guest Blog on Your Site
Guest blogging is a two-way street. In addition to posting content to other blogs, encourage people in your niche to blog on your site. They’re likely to share and link to their guest article, which could bring new readers to your site. Skip the spammy links and irrelevant content though, because Google is cracking down on low-quality guest blogging.
11. Interview Industry Thought Leaders
Think interviews are only for the big leaguers? You’d be amazed how many people will be willing to talk to you if you just ask them. Send out emails requesting an interview to thought leaders in your industry, and publish the interviews on your blog. Not only will the name recognition boost your credibility and increase traffic to your website, but the interviewee will also probably share the content too, further expanding its reach.
12. Go After Referral Traffic
Create content that begs to be linked to. Like this post, right? :-) Trying to persuade other sites to link back to you is a very tedious and time-intensive process – and therefore costly too. Put all that time and effort into great content instead.
13. Email Marketing
So many businesses are focused on attracting new customers through content marketing that they forget about more traditional methods. Email marketing can be a powerful tool, and even a moderately successful email blast can result in a significant uptick in traffic. Just be careful not to bombard people with relentless emails about every single update in your business. Also, don’t overlook the power of word-of-mouth marketing, especially from people who are already enjoying your products or services. A friendly email reminder about a new service or product can help you boost your traffic, too.
14. Make Sure Your Site is Responsive
The days when internet browsing was done exclusively on desktop PCs are long gone. Today, over 86% of folks are using mobile devices to access the web, and if you force your visitors to pinch and scroll their way around your site, you’re telling them to go elsewhere. Seriously. Ensure that your website is accessible and comfortably viewable across a range of devices, including smaller smartphones.
15. Make Sure Your Site is Fast
Ever found yourself waiting thirty seconds for a webpage to load? Me neither. If your site takes forever to load, your bounce rate will be sky high. Make sure that your pages are as technically optimized as possible, including image file sizes, page structure and the functionality of third-party plugins. The faster your site loads, the better.
If you have a managed website with Charley Grey – we’ve got this covered. Your site was built with precision and is technically optimized in all the ways possible.
16. Foster a Sense of Community
People want to speak their minds and weigh in on subjects they feel passionately about, so building a community on your site is a great way to start a conversation and increase traffic to your website. Implement a robust commenting system through third-party solutions such as Facebook comments or Disqus, or create a dedicated forum where visitors can ask questions. Don’t forget to manage your community to ensure that minimum standards of decorum are met, however.
17. Examine Your Analytics Data
Google Analytics is an invaluable source of data on just about every conceivable aspect of your site, from your most popular pages to visitor demographics. Keep a close eye on your Analytics data, and use this information to inform your promotional and content strategies. Pay attention to what posts and pages are proving the most popular. Inspect visitor data to see how, where and when your site traffic is coming from.
18. Submit Your Content to Aggregator Sites
Content aggregation can be very useful for newer websites trying to get more exposure and traffic to their website or blog. What content aggregation does is collect a list or category of links/posts and resources on a particular niche. The posts are available for all to see and can do wonders for traffic to your website and even provide backlinks.
19. Incorporate Video into Your Content Strategy
Text-based content is all well and good, but video can be a valuable asset in both attracting new visitors and making your site more engaging. Data shows that information retention is significantly higher for visual material than it is for text, meaning that video marketing is an excellent way to grab – and hold – your audience’s attention and boost traffic to your website at the same time.
20. Host Webinars
People love to learn, and webinars are an excellent way to share your knowledge. Combine this with an effective social promotion campaign, and webinars are a great way to increase traffic to your website. Make sure to archive that awesome presentation for later viewing, and promote your webinars widely through social media.
Are You Ready To Increase Website Traffic?
There are countless ways to increase your website’s traffic, and these are just 20 of them. You can use one tip or use them all, but with a little hard work and consistency, your website will be getting more clicks in no time.
Not quite sure how to start getting more website traffic? Let us take care of growing your website so that you can focus on running your business. Check out our managed plans and contact Charley Grey today!