While getting your business's website up and running is a great start, there is still a lot of work to be done. This isn't Field of Dreams. "If you build it, they will come" doesn't apply to the internet. It's up to you to find ways to attract visitors to your site.
Search engine optimization (SEO) is a critical part of the online process, but it's a process that takes time. While you're working on that and waiting for the results to kick in, here are seven tips for driving more traffic to your website in the next 90 days.
Get social.
Hopefully, you are already a member of multiple social media networks and have built up a bit of a following. Even if you haven't, you will want to make sure you start promoting your website across all social media channels right away. It's a quid pro quo relationship as your social followers will visit your site and you're adding some valuable content to those channels.
While it's important to research the right social networks for you based on demographics, business type, and your expectations, it goes without saying that you should be on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. Facebook remains the white whale in terms of social networks that can drive traffic in bunches. LinkedIn is a critical connection for your business to your industry and other professionals. And while Twitter isn't a massive traffic-driver, it's a smart way to start engaging with your audience and integrating yourself into the conversations that your audience is having.
Depending on what you do and who you want to reach, you'll want to figure out if you also need to be on Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest and YouTube. Whichever networks you join, make sure you commit to it and keep giving your followers reasons to click through.
Be a good guest blogger.
Regardless of what kind of company you run, having a blog on your website is a great way to generate content on a continual basis. This will benefit your followers and help with your SEO efforts. While you're waiting for people to find your blog through Google and Bing, you can jumpstart some traffic by offering yourself up as a guest blogger to other sites. When we started our real estate investing company, Nexus Homebuyers, we primarily used guest posts on real estate and local blogs to drive qualified traffic to our site. Over time, this has been our most effective way to drive relevant traffic and increase our search engine visibility.
There are several keys to keep in mind in order to make guest blogging successful. First, make sure you're focusing on sites in your specific field or niche. It's not just about driving traffic back to your site, it's about driving quality traffic to your site. Make sure you are using your real name, real company name and including links to your site since that's the entire point of doing this. Make sure that what you're writing is valuable and gives people a reason to dig further. And make sure you’re citing sources and linking your content to other top players in the field so you’re seen as part of the community.
Invite guests to your blog.
Just like you can spread the word about your website by guest blogging on other sites, you can also host guest bloggers on your site. While you might be concerned about giving up editorial space to someone outside your company, you can be strategic about who you invite to do so based on some very specific criteria.
First, make sure it's not a direct competitor as you don't want to give away customers. But do make sure it's someone who has something worthwhile to say to your audience. You also want to look for guest bloggers who have a strong web and social media presence of their own. They're going to share their guest post with their followers, which means lots of traffic back to your site.
Become a member of the community.
The days of spamming your link to every message board and link network are long over, but there are still ways to get out there and interact with your audience that will generate traffic back to your site. If you're not familiar with Reddit, get up to speed. Then find a subreddit or two that make sense for your business or audience and become a member of the community.
Don't overdo it. Simply create organic conversations and encourage people to check you and your business out. Look for other platforms, blogs, and sites like this in your industry and make it more about establishing yourself authentically than trying to blast your link out over and over. This way you can start generating quality traffic that will build over time.
Build a newsletter.
Another important step in encouraging people to become a part of your community is the creation of a newsletter. A weekly newsletter is a dependable way to ensure that people are coming back to your site and that they're showing up with purpose.
It might be slow going at first as you attract new signups, but that list will only build, especially if you provide valuable information in your newsletter that your followers can't get anywhere else. If you can connect the tease in the newsletter to content on your site, you're creating a circle of influence that will keep people there longer.
Start a podcast.
Podcasting is one of the hottest trends out there and with good reason. According to Podcast Insights, 51% of Americans have listened to a podcast at least once, and 62 million listen to podcasts weekly. While it is a bit of a crowded field, that doesn't mean you can't stand out.
Find an interesting niche that you can own, figure out who to invite on as guests and experts and build a dedicated schedule that subscribers will want to add to their queue. Don't make the podcast about your business, but make sure your business is referenced or sponsoring. This, of course, means including your website in all promotion. As your podcast audience grows, so will traffic to your site as people want to learn more.
Buy some ads.
If you've got a budget to work with, investing in Google Ads or Facebook Ads can be a solid investment when trying to build a new audience and drive site traffic. Pay-per-click (PPC) ads can be a good way to go as you're only paying for people who actually click through. Another option is to pay by impressions to a targeted audience of your choosing.
Either way, you're reaching people who have a potential interest in what you have to offer and are valuable additions to your traffic pool. You can even make the ad about signing up for your newsletter, thereby increasing the possibility they’ll keep coming back to your site again and again.
In the end, it is about incorporating multiple strategies. While you might drive some traffic focusing on just one tactic, you definitely won't gain the type of following you are looking without having a multi-faceted approach.