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Creating a website is just the beginning. Once you have picked a domain name, chosen a website builder and got your website up and running, the next step is to attract visitors to it. How?
There are a variety of methods you can use to drive traffic to your website, ranging from organic methods such as search engine optimisation (SEO) to paid advertising and social media marketing. Let’s explore some of the most effective ways to get people to visit your website.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO):
I know I promised you no jargon, and this is a super jargon term. So what actually is SEO? The truth is it is a dark art that very few people fully understand! The idea of SEO is to ‘optimise’ your website so that it ranks higher in search engine results pages (or ‘SERPs’ if you want some more jargon!) for specific keywords. The goal is to increase your visibility in search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo, which can lead to more traffic to your site. So, how do you actually ‘optimise’ your site? Again, nobody truly knows what algorythm Google, Bing and Yahoo use to determine the order of search results, but if we consider their main aim is to display the results they believe to be the most important to the searcher, we can start to consider how we can assist them in making us visible. To calculate our ‘relevance’ the search engines must use factors that they can quantify, such as how strong the match to a search word is and how reputable the website is. Reputation can be ‘scored’ based on things like how many people are linking to or talking about your website and how many visitors you are actually getting, how long they are staying and if they are coming back etc.
Some tips for improving your SEO include:
Conduct keyword research to determine the keywords and phrases your target audience is searching for. Try Wordtracker – a free tool which shows you the volume of searches for your chosen keyword and a list of other relevant searches connected to your keyword.
Optimize your website content with relevant keywords and phrases. Now you’ve got your list, make sure your content has lots of references to those keywords! Most importantly create high-quality, engaging content that encourages visitors to stay on your website.
Build backlinks to your website from other reputable websites in your industry. If people are linking to your website, it is a good sign for the search engine that it is relevant. Consider ways you could create more links to your content, such are forums and discussions pages, industry websites etc.
Paid Advertising:
If you are struggling to get eyes on your website, the other optin is to pay! Paid advertising involves paying for ads on search engines and social media platforms to drive traffic to your website. There are several types of paid advertising options, including:
- Pay-per-click (PPC) ads: These are ads that appear at the top of search engine results pages when users search for specific keywords. You pay each time someone clicks on your ad.
- Display ads: These are visual ads that appear on websites and social media platforms. They can be targeted to specific demographics and interests.
- Social media ads: These are ads that appear on social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn. You can target your ads to specific demographics, interests, and behaviors.
Social Media Marketing:
- Social media marketing involves using social media platforms to drive traffic to your website. Some tips for effective social media marketing include:
- Choose the right social media platforms for your business. For example, if you’re a B2B company, LinkedIn may be more effective than Instagram.
- Create engaging content that encourages users to click through to your website.
- Use hashtags to increase the visibility of your content.
- Engage with your audience by responding to comments and messages.
Email Marketing:
Email marketing involves sending newsletters, promotional emails, and other marketing messages to your email list. There are many options to help you with this but Mailchimp is a good place to start.
Some tips for effective email marketing include:
- Build a high-quality email list by offering incentives for people to sign up.
- Create engaging content that encourages users to click through to your website.
- Use segmentation to target specific groups within your email list.
- Optimise your emails for mobile devices.
Conclusion:
There are many ways to drive traffic to your website, ranging from organic methods such as SEO to paid advertising and social media marketing. The key is to experiment with different methods to see what works best for your business. By using a combination of these methods, you can attract more visitors to your website and grow your online presence.
