In order to reap more benefits from your website it pays to try and increase traffic. It’s a numbers game: The more people that visit your site the more sales you’ll achieve and the more money you’ll earn. Here are five proven tactics to drive more traffic to your website.
1. Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
This is something that is extremely important for any website as it increases your visibility in the search engines, resulting in more organic traffic. First, identify your keywords–the words that people use to search for the kind of products and services that you offer. An important key to successful SEO is to target so called “long tail” keywords–such as a specific make of digital camera rather than the phrase digital camera. The longer tailed keywords are less competitive and easier to rank for. While there are many companies able to optimize your website, in the fist instance focus on learning the basics for yourself. For example, after identifying your keywords, you need to know where to place them in your website copy. Even if you opt to work with an SEO company, knowing the basics will help prevent you getting ripped off.
2. Leverage The Power of Social Media
Surprisingly, many website owners haven’t linked their profiles on social media networks to their primary site. Think in terms of your own website being the hub of your social media activity. Your Facebook page, Twitter stream, You Tube channel, etc should link back to your “hub.” This is such a simple task, so go ahead and do this as quickly as possible to increase the chances of people clicking through from your various profiles to your actual website.
3. Target Relevant Niche Directories
Search for relevant niche directories, i.e. directories showcasing websites within your industry. Check your Google analytics to identify which directories are sending you the most traffic. Then consider splashing out some money in order to get a high profile advertisement on these directories just be sure to monitor your return on investment.
4. Work on marketing to your specific niche
This is an, often overlooked, key to online success. By focusing on your actual niche it means you will not only see an increase in the traffic, but also an increase in the quality of your visitors. It stands to reason that, if your website is about a specific industry, then you are better off having more traffic from targeted sources.
5. Build your reputation as an expert
Take time to build your reputation as a niche expert. Join online groups that discuss your areas of expertise and be generous with your time and insights. Being an active member of a forum community can really help to gain you some traction. Your generosity will be repaid tenfold as the number of visitors to your website spikes and you build ‘buzz’ around your product or service. Important point: Make sure you add a link to your website or blog in the signature part of your forum profile.
How much time should you spend generating traffic for your website? Start small by joining forums and getting active in social media, and let your small wins build into a successful online business. Sitting there thinking they will come to you will just not do it, so make a plan and put it into action. Do it now!
The author drives traffic to a leadership speaker website and contributes to Great Conferences.