If a business builds a website, but no one is around to see it or hear it, then does that site actually exist? Yes, obviously, but if a business sinks a lot of money, time, and effort into building a website that no one is coming to, it has bigger problems than debating philosophy. Internet traffic is the lifeblood of online commerce, and getting the biggest possible stream to flow to your homepage is the stated goal of any business who sets up an online portal. Meeting that goal can sometimes be a lot harder than setting it, though.
Which is why, if you’re looking to turn your traffic stream into more of a traffic river, it’s a good idea to follow some of these tips brought to you by Forbes, Word Stream, and Graph Paper Press.
10 Tips For How to Get Traffic to Your Website
Tip #1: Pay Attention to On-Page SEO
There are plenty of sites out there claiming that search engine optimization is dead, but there’s still plenty of life left in the practice. Using the right keywords, tagging your pages with the right meta tags, and building internal links will all help your website rank higher in search engine results. The higher you rank, the more likely people are to see your site while they’re searching, and the more likely they are to click-through to see what you have to offer.
Tip #2: Choose Eye-Catching Titles
Titles are important, especially if your website functions largely off of content. Just like writing a newspaper, you want a title that people are going to search for, and that will stop them in their tracks when they see it. If you can make someone pause their scrolling long enough to read your title and sample, then you’re already halfway to getting them to click onto your homepage.
Tip #3: Invest in Long-Tail Keywords
Long-tail keywords are something more businesses have been focusing on, and with good reason. Long-tail keywords are more specific than normal keywords, but they have a much higher conversion rate when it comes to turning traffic into a sale. For example, an antique business might never get onto the front page for a keyword as competitive as “furniture,” but a long-tail keyword like “antique hardwood dining table” is both less competitive, and people searching for something that specific already have a clear idea in mind for what they want. Don’t be afraid to seek out viewers who know what they’re looking for.
Tip #4: Guest Posting
Guest posting is something that can generate a lot of traffic, both in the short-term, and over time. The concept is pretty simple; you offer to create a piece of content for a website that has a large audience. That site agrees, and you write a blog post, create a video, or put together some other piece of content about your area of expertise. In that content you mention who you are, and provide a link back to your website for people who want to see more of what you do. This exposes you to a whole new audience, and provides necessary links back to your site.
Tip #5: Get on Social Media
While it might often be ridiculed as, “that thing the kids can never turn off,” social media is a powerful source of traffic. If you build an organic audience on a site like Facebook or Twitter, then you have a huge number of people listening to what you have to say, and telling all of their friends about it. That leads to more people paying attention, which leads to more exposure, and even more traffic. Social media takes work, and it requires more than just putting up links every time you write a new blog entry or add a new item to your catalog, but the rewards can be more than worth it when your numbers rise with your tide of followers.
Tip #6: Use Social Bookmarking Sites
Social bookmarking sites, like Stumble Upon or Digg, are often considered dinosaurs by those at the current forefront of online development. However, it costs you nothing but time to post links to your content on these sites, and the rewards in traffic numbers can be huge. It is, unquestionably, a roll of the dice, but it’s a roll that has no consequences if you don’t win.
Tip #7: Be Active on Forum Sites
Forums are legion on the Internet, and no matter what the topic is, there’s a forum for it. You can get a huge amount of traffic by joining in with these sites, and becoming a part of the community. Reddit, as an example, has a huge number of users. If you post there regularly, then not only will you generate traffic from those who see the post initially, but they might choose to follow you to see what else you post in the future. And, if you’re really lucky, you might get upvoted to the front page where everyone who comes to the site will see your content. Best of all, this costs you nothing but time.
Tip #8: Make Sure Your Site is Fast
In the days of dial-up Internet, you might click a link, then go grab a drink, or go to the bathroom, because you knew that it might take a few minutes for the page to fully load. Today, though, when we have high-speed Internet riding around in our front pockets, browsers are a lot less patient. That’s why it’s a good idea to visit your site from time to time to check on how quickly it loads. Make sure you check from multiple devices, as well, because you don’t want to alienate anyone. You can also use our free web page analyzer to get a speed report for your website.
Tip #9: Mobile-Friendly is The Name of The Game
The smartphone revolution completely changed the way people browse the Internet. In the past, someone would only come to your site while sitting at a desktop, or out in a coffee shop with their laptop. Nowadays, though, you need to have a mobile-friendly website so that people browsing from their phones can see and enjoy your content. If you limit yourself only to people who are browsing from a computer, then you’re cutting off your nose to spite your face.
Tip #10: Engage in Inbound Marketing
Inbound marketing is the idea that you, as a site, are providing something people want. Not goods and services, either. For example, say your site has a blog. You work really hard to make that blog popular, and it develops a following. You now have a relationship with your readership, and you are engaged in dialogue with them. The result is that you’re not just a site on the Internet, but you’re their site, which means they’re more likely to buy from you when they need what you’re selling. All because you created blogs, videos, or other content that they found valuable, and which kept them coming back to your site.
It’s important to remember that, individually, these tips can be a useful way to increase your site’s traffic. Taken as a whole, though, they are more powerful than the sum of their parts. If you’d like more tips and tricks on how you can increase your website’s traffic stream, then contact us today!
