Creating a website is only the first step in getting your business online. Getting people to visit your site is where things get tricky — and expensive. For some companies, paying for ads is the best way, but that’s not always an option for those on a tight budget.
Fortunately, there are plenty of ways to increase your website traffic without spending a dime. Here are five of them.
1. Identify the Right Keywords
Your website must appear in search results if you want people to find your site. That starts with optimizing your site for the right keywords.
Do some research to determine which keywords are most relevant to your business and include them throughout your site — in your titles, descriptions, and content. Remember not to stuff your keywords in there too much, or Google will penalize you for keyword stuffing.
2. Build Quality Backlinks
A backlink is simply a link from another website to yours. The more high-quality backlinks you have, the better. Google views each backlink as a vote of confidence in the quality of your site. So, the more votes you have, the higher your rank and the more traffic you’ll get.
A few free ways to build backlinks include:
- Submit articles to directories
- Create listings on online directories
- Leave comments on other blogs (with a link back to your site)
- Participate in forums and include a link in your signature
- Submit press releases
- Do guest posts on other blogs
These methods are just as good as paid methods of building backlinks, so there’s no reason not to take advantage of them.
3. Post on Social Media
Social media is a great way to get people to visit your site. But you have to be active on social media for it to work. That means posting links to your articles and blog posts regularly.
You should also post other content that’s not directly related to your business but that would be of interest to your target audiences — like infographics, images, and videos. And don’t forget to interact with others on social media. The more you engage with others, the more likely they will notice you and visit your site.
Finally, add a share button to your site so visitors can easily share your content on their social media accounts. This will help you get even more traffic from social media.
4. Incorporate Email Marketing
Email marketing is a great way to stay in touch with your customers and keep them coming back for more.
Start by building a list of email subscribers. You can do this by offering something for free in exchange for an email address (like a PDF or an e-book). Then, send your subscribers regular emails with updates on your business, new blog posts, and other relevant information.
Make sure to include a link back to your site in every email so that recipients can easily find your site and more of your content.
5. Use Google Analytics
Google Analytics is a free web analytics tool that provides valuable data about your website traffic. It can show you where your visitors are coming from, what they’re doing on your site, and how long they’re staying.
This information is valuable because it allows you to adjust your marketing strategy to get more traffic from places already sending you visitors. It also helps you see the most popular content, so you can create more of it.
SEO doesn’t have to be expensive — or even all that difficult. You only need the correct information to get started. And if you need help, plenty of experts can advise you on the best way to increase your website traffic.
Grow Team is one such expert. We’re a national network of the best digital marketing agencies. We match clients with the best marketing agency for their needs and then manage the relationship to ensure success. Contact us today if you’re looking for help with your website traffic.