Having a website without enough traffic to turn a profit is like renting retail space at a mall that very few people visit. Sooner rather than later, the lack of traffic will drive the organization out of business. With so many websites on the Internet and so much competition, how does an entrepreneur or small business owner stand out and obtain visitors?
By this point, many turns to digital marketing tactics like search engine optimization (SEO), search engine marketing (SEM), and email marketing, among others. These methods, however, are not immediate and require careful planning so that the site begins to build authority—one of the main ingredients that Google looks for when ranking. If you find your company in a rut, here are three basic ideas to get you started.
- Write About Topics of Interest and Write Often
Content is absolutely the most important concept for websites. Google, for example, looks to provide its users with the best experience. For the company, this means referring to the best sites with the highest quality content. There should be the information of value throughout the webpage and especially on the home page. Additionally, all websites, including e-commerce sites, should have an area for a blog or a place where articles and information of value can be placed. This not only helps the website with ranking but also helps establish the organization as a subject matter expert and someone who can be trusted.
Once users notice that the site has new, updated, and relevant information, they will return. All these behaviors are noticed and tracked by Google; therefore, with time, the website will begin to establish authority and will start ranking higher in search engine results pages (SERPs). Furthermore, if others begin to share the content through backlinks to the page, the authority and subsequent ranking will also receive a boost. For help in this area, businesses should seek the advice of an expert. For example, LinkGraph’s link building services, have been proven to help customers rank time and time again.
- Implement the Basics of SEO
Search Engine Optimization is a topic that has been regularly debated and talked about for years. It is an extensive topic that would require hours of training. Nevertheless, there are basic steps that all website owners can perform to help increase their traffic. The reason is that the simple elements help search engines read the site. Therefore, Google can understand what the page is about and the underlying context. One example is meta tags, including title, description, and keywords. At the very least, all pages within a website should include tags that provide a title to the page, describe the information, and include a list of keywords used. These should align with the content. Using headings (i.e., H1, H2) can also provide context regarding what is important within the same site.
- Be Active on Social Media Platforms
It’s no secret that Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and other platforms provide businesses with a new opportunity to reach potential customers. However, not everyone is successful. The reason is that with so much noise, web users intuitively tune out ads and other forced interactions that seem too commercial. To be successful in any of these platforms, businesses must be unique, engaging, and informative. They must provide visitors with relevant knowledge, experience, or anything that is worth their time.
Be prepared to spend many hours coming up with ideas and testing those ideas. For example, a cosmetology school may try to increase traffic by posting an ad about its beauty classes. This, however, may feel to commercial-like to social media users. Instead, posting video tutorials on topics covered in class may raise interest and interactions given that users sense the post as valuable knowledge and insight worth reviewing. This is the beginning of a sales funnel that will take time and persistence to master. However, it will drive traffic.