Every business owner wants to increase website traffic, but the truth is, many of the pages of a website are barely seen by most readers. There’s also a widespread tendency to focus on vanity metrics, such as the number of people visiting your website. What’s most important, however, is getting traffic that converts, rather than visitors who spend a couple of seconds on your page only to leave when they realize your content isn’t relevant to them.
Here are seven proven ways to drive high-quality traffic to your website:
#1. Invest in pay-per-click advertising
Investing in pay-per-click advertising might be one of the more expensive options, but it offers a dependable way to drive qualified traffic to your website without waiting for weeks for search engines to index your content. Around half of website traffic comes from the search engines, and paying for sponsored ads places your website first on the results. Just be sure to get your target audience right and set a strict budget.
#2. Leverage social media marketing
The major social networks, such as Facebook and Twitter, are among the largest advertising platforms in the world, and they have built-in audiences in the hundreds of millions. While you can pay for social media ads as well, the real value lies in social media marketing, where your team actively engages with your customers to build meaningful relationships. While organic reach is dropping in some of the major networks, their huge audiences still offer lots of potential.
#3. Prioritize position zero in search
Getting on the first page of the search results is no longer enough, especially if you operate in a highly competitive industry. Position zero refers to the snippet block at the top of the search results on Google. Although there’s usually only one listing in the featured snippets area, the search engine chooses the content it deems most relevant. To reach position zero, you need highly relevant and unique content that answers the sort of questions people search for.
#4. Target local traffic
If you’re a local business, there’s rarely any point in investing in boosting website visibility to a wider audience. Fortunately, local search engine optimization (SEO) is easier than general SEO, since it’s inherently less competitive. Targeting local traffic will yield more relevant leads and boost conversion rates. You can boost local SEO by including the names of the places you serve in your content and getting listed in local business directories.
#5. Use permission-based email marketing
Contrary to doomsayers’ claims that electronic mail is gradually dying in favor of social media, email remains the favorite way for businesses to keep in touch with consumers. Having an opt-in mailing list that delivers relevant content helps drive traffic to your website and keeps your brand at the forefront of people’s minds. Aside from it being a legal requirement, asking for explicit permission also ensures you get relevant traffic from people who are genuinely interested in your brand.
#6. Tap into the power of influencers
In the old days, companies were largely restricted to investing in celebrity endorsement, which was prohibitively expensive for smaller businesses. Today, however, the internet enables small businesses to tap into so-called micro-influencers specializing in a wide range of niches. Influencers may include bloggers, reviewers, YouTubers, or anyone else who has a substantial enough following that they can shape the purchase decisions of others.
#7. Don’t neglect real-world events
With much of the focus being on digital business these days, it’s sometimes easy to neglect the real world. However, there are some things that the digital world has no equivalent for, and establishing a synergy between the two worlds can greatly improve your brand reach and influence. For example, exchanging business cards and attending, or even organizing, real-world events will give you many opportunities to refer people to your website. The more personal connections you make also means that these people will more likely visit your site and even recommend others do the same.
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