The amount of traffic visiting a website is crucial for the success of a business. In the majority of cases, the amount of traffic a site gets is directly proportional to the organization’s sales as the company has a greater number of its audience going through the conversion funnel. Webmasters agree on the fact that it is crucial to diversify the number of traffic sources. Even though there is no conflict in this regard, the real question remains: how can you do this?
This article will look into numerous ways in which you can expand the number of sources that direct traffic to your website to prevent it from losing the audience from a single source if anything goes wrong.
Does your website rely too much on Google?
Before we dive into the various other sources that can be used to gain web traffic, it is important to figure out whether or not your online presence has become too reliant on Google. While someone at some point would have encouraged you to make sure that your website shows up in Google’s search results, to which you would have responded by investing considerable resources in securing a decent place in Google’s SERPS.
Even though Google – being the most commonly used search engine – can (and does) direct streams of traffic to a business’s website, a site that is too reliant on Google is actually in the risk zone. How?
Well, a single update in Google’s algorithm or a change in the way Google ranks websites can have devastating effects on a website, as has happened to many websites that were previously heavily using keywords for ranking purposes (Google has shifted from excessive keyword usage as a ranking factor).
Change is imminent. In the year 2013, Google forked out over 15 updates, many of which had negative effects on the traffic of many online businesses. Losing all or most traffic from Google is a very real scenario, and this is among one of the most crucial reasons that make it necessary for you to have multiple traffic sources for your website.
1. Paid Advertising
One of the most obvious ways of getting web traffic is through paid advertising. If you have not looked into investing in other websites to have them direct traffic to your site, then it is about time that you do so. A well-laid out paid advertising strategy can do wonders for your online presence and it should be implemented as a permanent part of any online business’s marketing plan.
2. Email Marketing
There is no other way of getting traffic to your website that is quicker and cheaper than email marketing. Any online business that is not building its email database is wasting a lot of opportunities – and possible customers.
You can include a link to your site in the signature of the email. A well-planned email marketing campaign can do a wonderful job of drawing more and more people to your website. Increase the chances of conversion by offering a freebie – people simply love free things that are of a certain value.
3. Social Media Marketing
Social media is undoubtedly among one of the most effective and tested ways of directing traffic to a certain website. Social media platforms are brimming with users – and the numbers simply continue to increase at unprecedented rates. Even the lesser known networks can generate significant amounts of traffic to a website.
The best way to utilize social media channels is to establish your presence on different platforms, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and so on. A lot of businesses operate accounts on a number of social media platforms, keeping in touch with their audience by providing latest updates and quality content.
Today, businesses need to be more interactive with consumers as the latter demand a more personalized service. Social media networks enable just that by providing a platform for direct communication.
You can post links to articles/blogs and other interesting content that may be hosted on your website. This will lead the user to your website when they click the link.
4. Link Building
Link building is yet another way of drawing website traffic without depending on Google. You can request your partners & vendors to link to your website. Also, enter marketplaces to showcase your range of products and services and include a link to your website in the description area.
Another way of building links is to develop other websites that provide information related to your industry. For instance, you can create an informative website to educate people about your industry. Links can then lead visitors to your main website.
5. Online and Offline PR
‘Any form of publicity is good’ definitely holds true when traffic generation is concerned. Nevertheless, because you are interested in growing your business, it is imperative that you use only positive PR techniques. When done correctly, this marketing technique can yield long term results.
Whenever you launch a new product or a service, or if you expand your outreach, have a professional PR developed for both online and offline publishing. However, with PRs, it is important that they are newsworthy and interesting if they are to draw attention. Such PRs can be submitted online on websites such as PRWeb.
Meetups can also be hosted to draw attention to your company’s activities. Make sure the visitors have a great time – there is nothing more memorable than something that people enjoyed doing. For instance, offer games for children, free food or giveaways with your company logo and website printed on them.
Conclusion
The Internet has become an integral part of our lives. Scores of people get online to search for products, services, and information to digest. The internet offers businesses and marketers immense opportunities to maximize their productivity as well as profits. With so much competition in almost every other industry, it is important that you utilize every possible method for drawing traffic to your website.
Ready to get help implementing a solid traffic strategy? Click here now and contact me so we can talk about what to do next!