8 Easy Ways to Get More Website Traffic

Written by: Claire Couch

Driving traffic to your website is an essential element in the success of your business.

Whether you are cutting the tape on your new site or giving your existing site a face-lift, these eight tips can go a long way toward increasing your volume of visitors.

1. OPTIMIZE YOUR BLOG’S CONTENT

Using a blog on your website can be a great way to develop strong content. But, using the blog simply to increase the amount of content you have doesn’t help you much. You need to make sure that you have employed SEO tactics within the content. This can help drive traffic to your site. Make sure you use your keyword:

  • In the title of your blog post
  • Somewhere in the first 100 words of your blog post
  • In your blog post meta description
  • As a bolded word 1-2 times in your blog post
  • 2. MAKE YOUR CONTENT RELEVANT

    This one may seem like an obvious point. But, with so much emphasis geared toward producing content, relevance can get lost along the way. If you understand who your audience is, what they want to see, and tailor your content to meet those goals, you can easily position yourself as a thought leader.

    One additional way you can accomplish this goal is by linking to other thought leaders in your industry.Cross-promotion can work in your favor, if done correctly. This tactic can sometimes gain you a whole new audience. However, it’s usually wise to play nice. You may have to do some work to build these partnerships or use a service like Outbrain to help you cross-promote your content.

    3. PROMOTE YOUR WEBSITE ON ALL MATERIAL

    Here is another tactic that seems obvious. However, the real integration of your website into all of your material can be more difficult than it seems. For example, your website should be a part of your email signature. Think about the large volume of emails you send out on a daily basis. Right there, you have the opportunity to increase traffic simply by sending an email. Need some help? Companies like Sigstr can help you make more of your email signature.

    4. LEVERAGE SOCIAL NETWORKS

    Social media is an excellent opportunity to get your brand out in front of your target audience. If you don’t already have a social media presence, check out LinkedIn , Facebook , Twitter , or similar sites and get signed up. As an added bonus, these platforms offer lots of great advertising options and analytics tools to monitor engagement. Check out our post for more information on the five social media giants and who they attract .

    5. OPTIMIZE YOUR SITE FOR MOBILE DEVICES

    One of the easiest ways to lose a visitor and potential client is by making your website difficult to access. According to Pew Research Center, approximately 70% of Americans own a cell phone and 85% of young adults own a smartphone. As technology continues to surge forward, these numbers will only increase and making sure your site is optimized for mobile will ensure that you get found.

    6. CONSISTENCY IS KEY

    Build a community on your website with consistent messaging . If you launch a blog campaign, you need to stick with it, however difficult it may prove to be. Loyal readers will continue to view you as a trusted brand and will return for compelling content. But remember, inconsistent messaging can turn off even the most loyal of your customers.

    7. USE ANALYTICS TO IDENTIFY SUCCESSES AND FAILURES

    There are so many tools available to help you measure the success of you website. One of the greatest challenges facing marketers is determining the ROI on your content investment. Using metrics to identify site activity and the reach of a recent campaign will help you make better decisions about your marketing strategy.

    Many of these tools are free. You can use GoogleAnalytics or SumoMe . If you use a CMS like WordPress, you will likely have a ton of free plug-ins that can help you analyze your site.

    8. ENCOURAGE SITE VISITORS TO SHARE AND ENGAGE WITH YOUR CONTENT

    Everyone likes to be heard. If you truly want visitors to become repeat visitors, make your website open to feedback and discussion. Offer a comment section on your blog so that visitors can ask questions or suggest feedback. Tools like Disqus are helpful for managing comments and encouraging ongoing engagement. Don’t forget a call to action on your social network posts. Ask followers what they think of your latest feature or newest release.