8 Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Website

So you want to increase website traffic to your site? Don’t get me wrong everybody wants traffic but remember that all traffic is useless if your site is like a mirror and you can’t convert it. A better understanding of success comes from reporting how frequently your traffic converts into business and your website goals.

I wanted to tell you that there is no quick fix to your traffic worries but you don’t want to hear that right? I want to tell you that your best opportunity for success is to stay dedicated and stick to a content strategy but you don’t have time right? Sure, it’s relatively simple to spike your traffic overnight just take Reddit for example. If you can create something that is click worthy you can easily generate 1000 hits overnight but there is always a catch, right?

• Traffic tends to bounce, people read and leave.
• Does it target the audience you want?
• Are the visitors from your location and will they want to do business with you?

You might say that your traffic strategy is similar to exercise and weight loss. “What in the wide wide world of sports does exercise have to do with traffic Byron?”

Look at it like this, if you want to get fit then you’re going to have to work hard for it. There are no overnight tricks where you wake up with a stunning six-pack or bulging biceps. That kind of dedication comes from months or years of working your ass off every.single.day….and then some more. Think of increasing website traffic as something very similar and anybody that is offering you a quick fix just wants your money and false hopes. Don’t be the fool.

So how can you generate traffic? You have to say to yourself:
“This is something I’m going to do, and this is something I’m going to keep doing.”

It’s simple, create content that doesn’t suck as frequently as possible.

8 Ways to Increase Website Traffic

1. Optimise – Humans first.

Your first step to increasing website traffic is to optimise your website. Optimising is typically associated with search engines however what we’re really trying to do is optimise for humans and by doing so we can also target search engines. So what can you do to optimise your website

• Get rid of the crap, anything that is unnecessary remove it.
• Create a strong call to action encouraging visitors to complete your desired actions.
• Keep it simple, what makes you money? If it doesn’t make money after a period of time then get rid of it.
• Understand the basics of SEO and modify your site accordingly, See my SEO 101: Search Engine Optimisation Tips
• Don’t stuff your pages with keywords, keep your content natural.
• Remove huge images and create web friendly images.
• Hire a SEO professional to help

Other than content, what else can you do:

• Is your website fast? – Faster websites achieve better rankings.
• Does your website provide a good mobile experience? ie. responsive web design. Is your website viewable on mobile and tablet platforms.

What tools can you use to test your website:

• Google PageSpeed Insights
• Pingdom speed test
• GTMetrix

2. Blogging – like a Boss!

Let me say that blogging isn’t for everyone but it’s HIGHLY effective when done well.

If you can create content that doesn’t suck on a regular basis, have a basic understanding of SEO, and your content doesn’t suck (did I mentioned that already) then you’ll reap the long term success. Many businesses I work with have competitors in their industries that are completely stagnant in terms of website content, take advantage of it.

No new content has been generated on their sites since Dinosaurs roamed the earth. If you went to their website I’m sure you’d sneeze as you disturbed the dust and cobwebs. Blogging can be a great platform for creating killer content and can also keep you in favour with Google who will love you more with each post. Most business owners have a burst of motivation, crack out three posts, and then they’re done. It’s much the same as a new years resolution to lose weight.

Know your audience and stick to the schedule. Understand what your customers are searching for and continue to develop highly valuable content that provides answers and information that resonates with your visitors. You’ll see ongoing success that won’t be affected by the latest Google “Angry Panda” Update or whatever they call it next.

3. Social – I’m socially “active”

“Social media is a load of bull” or “is social media worth my time”

At the end of the day social media is just another way of bringing visitors to your website. Depending on your following you’ll see different experiences and different platforms will provide better results for your industry. Don’t worry about how many Likes, Shares or tweets you receive, just use it as an opportunity to share your information and reach a greater audience.

Social media is generally a more personal experience. The people I see that are having success are the ones that make you feel like they care for their visitor and can connect with you on a more personal level. Don’t be afraid to provide facts, stories and experiences from your life that can help people connect more easily with you.

Remember that conversions are key, so start tracking them so you can understand how frequently traffic converts via each platform. By doing so you’ll know where to spend more of your time. Fortunately for us there are some tools that we can use to quickly send out content to multiple social platforms at once.

• User Buffer or Hoot Suite – update content across multiple platforms
• Connect your social media accounts –  i.e facebook updates twitter
• Use a WordPress plugin –  that tweets your posts on a regular basis
• Create a schedule for the week – so that you can let it run itself.

4. Videos – “Look ma, i’m on tv”

YouTube, Vimeo and many other platforms are great for finding an audience and developing content. YouTube subscribers are typically more active with your content and it can be more rewarding seeing a greater number of comments on your content. Video has a number advantages in that  it has three types of content that can be generated from it and it ranks really well:

1. Video – you can put it on YouTube, Vimeo and many other video websites
2. Transcribe – you can transcribe the video into a written blog post
3. Podcast – you can use the audio from the video and use it as a podcast

That’s three different forms of content that you can use across an unlimited amount of platforms and websites, although the blog post you’re better of just leaving on your own to avoid duplicate issues. Video is not as hard as you think, you can easily create screen captures with free tools, a basic camera or even your web cam. Some tools you might want to look at are

• Camtasia – screen capture and video editing
• Audacity – for audio capture and mp3 creation.
• Transcribe services – there are many websites that will transcribe your video for you, for a small fee, saving you time and money.

5. Podcasts – The internet version of radio.

Podcasts are growing in popularity and have seen huge success in recent years. If you don’t know what a podcast is basically it’s like radio for the internet. Visitors can subscribe and listen to your “show” on a regular basis.

Podcasts are incredibly value and research has show that it sends a larger amount of “warm traffic” to your business. As people listen to you and you provide them with valuable information, personal experiences and stories you’ll develop a relationship and build trust. This relationship, and the traffic it sends to your site, can have higher conversion rates (warm traffic) and target people more ready to buy your services.

Again tools you might want to look at are:

• Audacity – for recording audio
• Skype – for recording interviews, you’ll also need some plugins.

6. Forums – It’s all about networking.

Forums are a great way to highlight your experience in your industry. You can provide valuable responses to businesses and people by answering and responding to their questions in a way that highlights your knowledge. In many cases their cry for help can be turned into an opportunity to work together if you provide them with a response that resonates.

Ensure you place your website into your signature on the forum and check back regularly to answer new questions or respond to feedback from others. You should alway be aware of your tone and never personally attack others, especially in your own industry. Keep it cool, calm and collected and make sure that your advice stands out.

If you’re looking for Australian business forums you can get started at http://www.flyingsolo.com.au.

7. Rich Snippets – Dazzle me with bling.

Rich Snippets are fairly recent addition to Google search results but many people don’t know what they are. Ever seen the following in Google search results?

• Author image
• Rating or review
• Recipe or image
• Video thumbnails
• and more

Ah….now you know it don’t you. Rich snippets can be a great way to focus the attention, of people searching, to your content It can generate higher click through rates because of it. The click rates were so effective in fact that Google has since removed author photos as they were reducing the number of clicks received on advertisements that generate the big G money. Find any way you can to generate rich snippets for your content and leverage off the additional opportunity you have to get eyes on you.

8. Paid Advertising – Show me the money.

Probably the least enticing option out of all of them is paid advertising. You have to be really careful with this and ensure that you’re doing everything else right with your site before you get started. Paid advertising allows you to show advertising within Google, or other forms, which allows your content to be seen more frequently (for a price). It might be the first page of Google or front page on a major website in your industry.

I have seen in the past some Google adverts that will generate traffic to your website however you don’t pay for the click, this scenario is unlikely but it does happen. In saying that if you have a marketing budget and you can afford to pay for visitors to your website this is definitely a method you can take.

Paid advertising typically works better for business services and driving traffic to an area of your business that can provide with a return. If you take the paid advertising approach you should look at tracking your conversions so that you can understand which keywords make your business money.

Conclusion

If you want to increase website traffic then don’t go for quick wins. Chances are if someone is offering you overnight success then you’ll be doing more damage to your business than good. I’m not going to lie, the amount of hours you’ll sink into creating content will almost equal your actual work but eventually you’ll improve and get faster at it.

This is why we offer monthly seo packages that can take the hassle out of online marketing and content creation for your business. If you don’t have the money for monthly seo then get some mentoring so that you ensure that the work you are doing will be successful.  Content creation doesn’t have to be expensive however you need to evalute your time vs the money and return you receive from someone doing it for you.