Regardless if you have a storefront or not, your website is going to be your primary means of drawing business to you. You can’t make sales without customers and getting more traffic to your website is vital to your business being successful. Here are seven proven ways from TopTenSocialMedia.com that work for businesses of all types, shapes and sizes.
1. SEO, or Search Engine Optimization, is a blanket term used to describe the act of making your website seem active and appealing to the search engine spiders (an Internet bot that systematically browses the Web for the purpose of indexing for search engines like Google, Ask Jeeves, MSN, and Yahoo!). This may include social media, press releases, guest posting and some media outreach. As search engines become more advanced, SEO is becoming more about quality than quantity. However, the more content you have the more traffic you will have on your website.
2. Press Releases. The general public rarely reads them but members of the press do so daily. If you can catch the interest of a reporter or popular blogger, you may be able to land a link in their publication, which can drive traffic back to your website.Â
3. Guest Posting. Gone are the days when you could post low-quality articles on any old website and benefit. These days, it’s important to get visibility on a website that people actually want to frequent. Write articles or columns for posting on other websites. The benefit is twofold. You’ll walk away with a high-quality link, and you’ll get your company mentioned in front of a (hopefully) relevant audience.
4. Product Registrations. If you sell a product, consider suggesting online registration. Not only are you likely to get more email addresses this way, but you can also get more eyes on your website. The registration page is a good place to market a complementary product or service too. Just be sure that there’s some incentive for people to go through the trouble of registering. Maybe they’ll get a coupon. Decide what makes the most sense for your business and run with it.
5. Contests. This is a great way to gain brand exposure for one simple reason: people like free
stuff and it is a sure way to get people to your website! These days, many contests are run through social sites like Facebook or Instagram, but that doesn’t mean you can’t link back to your own site. You may even require that people visit the site to register (or do something else) as part of their entry. Of course, this will depend on your local laws. Check with your state and country legislature if you have any questions or concerns.6. Media Outreach. Sometimes, writing a stellar press release is enough to garner major media attention. And sometimes, even the best press releases get buried in a sea of online clutter. That’s why it helps to reach out to members of the media personally to share your story or offer your expertise. This can be a tricky one, though. Remember that reporters get hundreds of requests daily, so don’t take rejection personally.
7. Email Marketing. If you have a list of current customers’ email addresses, you should be using them. Keep your email marketing campaign relevant and useful to your customers. Make their happiness priority and your sales message secondary. It may seem counter intuitive, but it’s a good way to build trust. No one likes the brand that does nothing but sing its own praises and ask for sales. Email marketing will help get more traffic to your website.