I’m surprised this question doesn’t come up more once websites are given the green light. If you’ve just invested in a fancy new website, it’s got to work hard for you.
It sounds easy, more traffic = more leads = more business = more $$.
But, even though your website is looking good and getting it together has no doubt sapped your time, energy and money, does anyone else know it’s out there?
Without some marketing action and promotion, you might be disappointed that you don’t get that burst of new business you were hoping for.
Lucky for you, I’ve put together some helpful tips to help drive traffic to your website. (And yes, they’re all FREE!)
Some tips to drive website traffic
1. Google My Business
This is one of the most important profiles you should set up for your business. Think about it, what is the first thing you do when investigating a product or service? I’ll bet my hat you head straight to Google.
Google My Business will help give your company visibility in the search results. Your listing also shows up in the local search results (read, map with the pins), to help you snag your share of local searches.
Remember to ask your clients and customers to review your business.
2. Local directories
Local directories like Yelp or True Local can help put your name in the mix. Listings generally have free and paid plans so you can give it go and see if it moves the dial for your business.
3. Trip Advisor
If you’re operating in the Tourism industry, get yourself listed on Trip Advisor. As the biggest travel advisor online, TripAdvisor has 490 million monthly active users. That is a lot of people looking for products like yours.
Treat it like a social media channel – join the conversation, be friendly and respond to reviews.
4. Bing places for business
Sure, Bing isn’t leading the charge when it comes to search, but it is still a player and much like Google My Business, Bing Places is free search real estate to be taking advantage of!
5. Social Media
Social media is a great way to connect with your network. The power of community is real and finding the right social media channels for your business can be a great way to drive website traffic.
And no, you don’t need to be on every platform – pick the ones that you’re familiar with and plan on using. If you need to Google what a tweet is, Twitter is probably not the platform for you.
Here are a few quick ways to use your social media channels with your new website:
- Make sure you update your profile bio to include your website link
- Create some posts to shout about your new website. Use language tactically to encourage feedback, comments and sharing to boost engagement.
- Think about the post after and the one after that – what other specifics can you go into? How can you products or services solve problems and answer questions?
- Dig a little deeper see if there are any Facebook or Linked IN groups you’re a member of or could join that might be keen to know about your product or service. It’s a good idea to check the group rules or consult the admins to ensure your post/s adhere to the community guidelines.
- Are there any hot leads or past customers you can direct message with a quick update? It’s all about the spin. You have a product or service, be sure to clarify why it’s relevant for them at this moment.
6. Email Signature
If you’re sending regular business emails, include a link to your website (along with any other relevant contact details) in your signature. There are some great free tools, like this generator from Hubspot that will help you create a sleek, professional email signature.
7. Relevant Industry Directories
Most industries will have some kind of directory or association to include your business listing. A lot will be free, some may involve a small fee. Each link on website like these helps improve your Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) and creates new opportunities for your brand to discovered.
8. Website Links
Reach out to colleagues, partners and friends for a shout out. If they can throw you a link from their website, even better.
9. Start blogging
You’re in this for the long haul and a website is just the beginning. Content marketing is a very effective way to grow traffic over time. Google loves to see fresh, relevant content regularly added to websites – it’s a key metric used to rank your website.
So, where do you start?
Think about the common questions and commentary from your customers and clients. Writing a post with answers, tips and research to answer these enquiries and expand on these ideas is a great place to start.
You can also share industry news, talk about your achievements and evolutions or provide tips and useful information. There are endless possibilities and a good old fashioned brainstorm is sure to yield many interesting ideas.
One or two new posts a month would be the ideal goal, but choose an achievable volume that doesn’t compromise the practicalities of running a business. Outsourcing this work can be an effective way to commit to regular, rich content. For maximum benefit, find a copywriter that knows their SEO stuff.
Now it’s over to you
So there you have it, some helpful ideas to spread the word out about your new website. What are you waiting for?
Yes, some are a little more work than others, the trick is dealing with them one at a time. Pick the easy ones and knock them off the list first.
Committing to a regular blog does require more time and effort, but the payoff will be worth it.
Need some help getting started? Get in touch and I’ll help you dissect the problems and brainstorm ideas to get you on your way.
Now, go and kick some website goals, you’ve got this ?.