During the dot com boom, just having a website was enough to make money. Now more than a decade later, website owners have learned just how hard it is to make their website a success. In a world of more than a billion websites, it isn’t enough to just have a domain. Instead, you’ll need to find ways to drive traffic to your website so that you can increase your visibility.
No matter if you’re a blogger looking to monetize your website or a business owner who needs traffic to increase conversions and sales, you’ve come to the right place. Here are 5 tips you’ll want to know about so that you can increase your website traffic.
1. Use On-Page SEO
Search engine optimization (SEO) involves creating content that will boost your website’s ratings in search engine results. The higher your website appears on a results page, the more likely you are to get visitors. In fact, websites listed on the first page of search results receive 91.5% of all Google traffic.
So how can you get your website listed on higher in the rankings? It starts with using SEO techniques when creating content. Some of the most effective techniques include:
- Optimizing your site
- Using popular and relevant keywords
- Creating catchy titles and description tags
- Focusing on content shareability
- Networking with authority sites
- Creating video and image-based content
With these simple SEO tactics, you’ll find that your content is able to draw interest, which inevitably increase the amount of traffic that your website receives. Remember, the more quality content you create, the more traffic you can expect.
2. Get Social
Once you’ve created awesome content, instead of hoping that someone just so happens to stumble upon it, you’ll want to be proactive and find ways to draw traffic to your website. One of the best ways to do this is by using social media sites. By signing up for Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and other popular networking sites, you open the door to targeting thousands of potential visitors.
Post tempting links and fun hashtags on Twitter. Share daily updates on Facebook with links and pictures. Intrigue your audience on Instagram with videos and quality images. It’s also important to get involved in trending conversations, answering messages from customers, and sharing viral content to draw even more viewers to your pages.
By using social media to promote your content, you have a much better chance of drawing traffic to your website.
3. Stay Connected
Social media marketing is just one piece in building your reputation with consumers. What’s most important is that you stay connected outside of social media sites as well. For example, sending emails every week with company updates or product releases will not only keep your name relevant, but it will also increase website traffic.
You can also use other methods, such as surveys, to open a line of communication with consumers. Using a survey form for WordPress, you can ask customers their opinion so that you can receive feedback. In turn, you can make improvements and better serve your customers. By hosting surveys, live Q & A sessions, and similar events on your website, you’ll see an uptick in daily visitors.
4. Guest Blog
Despite what you may have heard, guest blogging is far from being dead. If you’re able to have a guest post published on a highly-visible and reputable site, you’re not only able to drive more traffic to your website, you’re also able to start building a reputation for your brand.
When writing guest blogs, avoid being spammy and obvious with your links back to your website. Any links and keywords should flow nicely into the content. Guest posts that are too “salesy” aren’t likely to get the views you want.
On the flip side, you can also invite well-known bloggers and authoritative names in your industry to write as guest bloggers on your site. By sharing links to a guest blog on social media or via email, you can create interest and buzz.
5. Focus on User Experience
Having great content is one thing, but what if your content isn’t viewable for a visitor who is browsing on their iPhone? User experience and website usability are two vital factors in not only drawing traffic to your website, but maintaining it as well. There’s nothing worse than landing on a website that doesn’t load or is completely unusable.
Before releasing your website, ensure it’s designed with user experience in mind. Partner with a top UX design company to make sure that you have useful pages, readable content, and most importantly, responsiveness. Your website should work on a normal computer monitor and an iPod. With responsive design, you can create a tailored experience for each user, ensuring they get the most out of your site.
Conclusion
Without website traffic, your website doesn’t exactly serve its purpose. Be sure to use these 5 tips to make your website more than just a domain on the World Wide Web.
How do you increase website traffic? Share your tips below!