Ten Tips on How to Increase Traffic
Unless you have built a website in order to showcase your collection of salt and pepper shakers, you will probably want to attract some visitors. If your business does depend on your site attracting visitors, as well as soliciting sales, then web traffic is essential for you.
It is not enough to simply submit your site to search engines. You should also work to implement the following 10 tips for increasing the level of web traffic to your site. Here they are:
Increase Traffic Tip #1: Content, content, content
First and foremost, you should make sure that your site is informative. You should not only list your services but also elaborate on what you do and do it well. The more details you include on your website, the better your search engine results will be.
Increase Traffic Tip #2: Classified Ads
You should take advantage of the variety of free online classified ad websites and get the word out about your new site. Be sure to always post a working link to your website.
Increase Traffic Tip #3: Articles
One of the best ways and steps that you can take in order to promote your site is to write and publish articles, just like this one.
First of all, an informative article can help you in establishing that you are an expert in your particular field. When the reader finishes reading the article, they may be inclined to follow a link to your website. This way they’ll learn more about you and your business.
More importantly, once you have distributed your article to some of the many online article directories, you will have some additional links back to the website which search engines will see and count as well.
Increase Traffic Tip #4: Local directories
There are actually two basic kinds of directories which should interest you. First of all, there are regional directories, perhaps for the local metropolitan area and the second ones are industry-specific directories.
These are quite similar to search engines in the way that they list other websites. But they are also compiled and organized in a different way. Additionally, a lot of directories allow you to create an online profile which will include information about your business, rather than just a link to the website.
You should take a few minutes in order to do some searches for directories in your area, as well as your industry. Submit your site to any that you find appropriate.
Increase Traffic Tip #5: Newsletters
An excellent way to keep your exciting and potential clients aware of the news or changes within your business is online Newsletters. If your business model can support a regular newsletter, you should encourage visitors to sign up to your website. You can also offer them a free copy of one of the great articles that you have written already, as a reward for signing up.
When you are writing for your newsletter, you should make sure that each of your topics has its own title, a teaser, as well as a link back to your website in order to read the rest of the topic. If you have interesting and timely topics, then you will ensure repeat visits to your site.
Increase Traffic Tip #6: Forums and newsgroups
There is also another way of attracting visitors and it is by participating in online forums and discussions. Take the time to understand what the forum or newsgroup is about. Be respectful of the other members. Simply just posting ads or links to your website will likely get you banned.
Post comments or questions which are on point, including a simple link to your site in your signature. You will be rewarded with interesting responses and visitors to your site.
Increase Traffic Tip #7: Press releases
There are a lot of businesses which forget the power of a press release. When you have something that is newsworthy, like the opening of some business, you should let the press know about that. They will be happy to print your release if they think that it will be interesting to their readers.
When distributing a press release, you should make sure to look for online PR distributors, as well as for the local news media. There are some sites where you can post your release for free. Also, there are some that will distribute your release for a nominal fee.
Increase Traffic Tip #8: Blogs, social networking and social bookmarking
Blogs are actually online journals and there are a lot of websites which offer free blogging accounts. With having an online journal, you can post a few tips or even full-fledged articles. If you consistently submit new posts and the topics are interesting as well, you will start attracting a variety of visitors.
There is also a great number of networking sites, both the social and professional. They allow you to create an online profile for yourself and for your business. These are all referred to collectively as Social Media, and marketing to them is also often referred to as SMM.
Finally, you should also look into creating accounts on several of the social bookmarking sites that have cropped up. These are all sites which allow you to simply bookmark and comment on other websites.
Increase Traffic Tip #9: Reciprocal links
Another thing which is also very important is to find other websites willing to put a link on their site to yours. Some of the methods we mentioned above will help you in accomplishing this.
For example, you may see if your website, and if they do, make sure you have a link by your membership name. You can also consider some other businesses which will compliment yours. When you are approaching these businesses, you would offer them to put a link on your site to their business, in exchange for a link on their site to your own business.
In this way, not only the visitors to these other sites will see the link to your site and follow, but as we previously discussed these additional links to your site will also help you to search engine ranking tremendously. Each link on a non-directory website is actually like the vote of a confidence in you and your website.
Increase Traffic Tip #10: Email and letters
There are also a lot of other different ways of promoting your website. For example, every piece of communication which comes from your business should include your web address. Your email can also have it in the signature and your letterhead can have it in the address area. Certainly, it should be included on business cards.
You should also make sure that your email address is from your website, and not from the internet service provider. Why advertise for ABC.net when you can be advertising for YourCompany.com?
So, we hope that you have gained some ideas on how you can promote your website and also note that none of the above-mentioned methods has to cost you a lot of money —just a little time and effort, that’s it.