‘How do I get more hits on my website?’ This has to be the question I am asked the most (by far!) from my community. Chances are it’s passed your mind at least 20,000 times this month alone.
All exaggerations aside, high quality, consistent traffic is the basic goal of any website. It’s the whole reason we make such incredible websites, so they can be seen! But attracting those all-important eyes on your site after it’s been created isn’t always straightforward.
The relationship between your website traffic and search engines is pretty high maintenance: you have to jump through all sorts of content hoops, rankings always play hard to get and a lot of the time it can seem more effort than it’s worth. But play the game just right and it’s a match made in heaven for your business.
Because the more high quality website traffic you generate, the more Google (or any search engine) sits up and thinks ‘hey, people are loving this website, it must be exactly what they were looking for!’. So, Google pushes your site up higher in the rankings, and pats itself on the back for doing such a good job. Then, because your website is higher in the rankings, its visibility increases and so does the traffic. Which impresses Google even more and… well, you can see where this is going! It’s a self perpetuating cycle, with the end goal always being that coveted first place ranking.
A successful website all comes down to the traffic: it quite literally makes the online world go round. But if you’re not sure where to start, scroll on down for our favourite ways to give your website traffic a much needed boost.
The importance of website traffic is rooted in your end goal. Whether you’re an eCommerce site and your goal is sales, an interior designer who is looking for leads, or a charity looking for people to sign up to your next fundraiser; the more people you can reach, the more likely you are to achieve your goal.
But the internet is a VERY big pond – more like an ocean actually – and in order for the search engines to sit up and take notice, first we have to drive visitors to the site. Preferably visitors that are likely to stick around and browse, maybe even make a purchase or sign up to your newsletter! The more engaged they are in your website the more amazing search engines will realise your site is.
And climbing up those rankings isn’t just about increasing visibility (although that’s definitely our number one): your website is your online store front, which, in this day and age, is arguably more important than your actual brick and mortar one. You need to make sure if someone is looking for you online, they can find you easily… which means being on page 2 is not an option!
It seems simple on paper: the more people on your website the higher the chance of a conversion. And the more conversions, the better! But where are we plucking these people from? There are two ways to bring traffic to your website; we can push or we can pull.
Push marketing is a targeted ad, pushing people to click through to the site, it’s a link to buy in your instagram stories, it’s a mailer promoting a new product or service. It’s trying to sell directly.
Pull marketing is a little more subtle. It’s got the class and it’s more concerned with the long term consumer relationship than push marketing is. It’s a value-adding blog post, it’s content on a website Google ranks highly, it’s interesting enough to draw people to the website. It’s pulling them with its own worth.
Both have their merits (both generate website traffic) and no way is right or wrong; but which style is right for you? We’re going to talk about both types of marketing in our tips below, notepads at the ready!
Content can make or break your website! There, I said it, and I stand by it. I could design the most amazing looking website in the world (that’s not hypothetical, I really could 😉 ), but if the content just isn’t there, a search engine is never going to take it seriously. So how can you make sure your content strategy is polished to perfection? Keep scrolling…
Blogs are so important for adding extra value to your website. They’re great content to add into your mailer and social media schedule. But more importantly they give search engines more to crawl, more to index, more to love! They’re also a great way to rank for important search terms, search terms potential leads might be typing in as we speak. Not to mention backlinks! 41% of SEO experts say link building is the most challenging part of search optimisation, and blog posts are invaluable in any backlink strategy.
‘If you’re not using evergreen content to deliver ongoing growth, there is a good chance you’re missing out on valuable search traffic’.
Evergreen content is essentially content that won’t ‘age’, so whenever a visitor comes across your post on search, it will still seem relevant, even if they find it a few years down the line. It’s the opposite of flash-in-the-pan ‘trending’ content. Evergreen content will be searched for consistently throughout the year, making it the backbone of any content strategy!
Make sure you have plenty users can consume on your site. Whether it’s a blog post, free downloads, podcasts, videos; anything that will add value to their visit and engage them to stick around. Website resources like these are prime examples of pull marketing.
Every single social post, every blog post, every mailer, every advert, should have some kind of CTA (call to action). Whether it’s to ask a question, or share an experience on a social post, or to buy a product on a paid ad. Remember to direct your potential visitors with a very simple ‘hey, do this’, because honestly, a lot of the time that’s all it takes to convert that click or lose it.
Are you sending blanket mailers out to your whole list of subscribers? If you find your open rate is falling as fast as your CTR (click through rate), it might be time for a rethink. Segment your subscribers based on interests and website analytics, then tailor emails for those specific segments. Start personalising your mailers and your CTR will thank you.
Optimising your site for search, is a sure fire way to get in Google’s good books, and to increase your traffic. There are lots of little things you can do that will add up to a big difference in ranking:
A slow website is an SEO killer! Speed is a verified ranking factor for Google so it can’t be overlooked. You can check your page speed using Google’s page speed insights and head over to my web speed blog for 10 top tips on how to improve a slow site.
Make sure your images are engaging visually and optimised in the back end. Website visuals are the one of the main reasons for people bouncing off a page. Low resolution, or just plain dull imagery is never going to entice the visitor to stay. And a bounce is a big red flag to Google! Find out more about using images to boost your SEO ranking over on this post.
A good keyword strategy is vital in getting your website seen by the right audience. Find out how to identify the right keywords for your business and stay ahead of your competition, over on this post.
Metadata is a little less obvious than other content strategies, simply because you can’t ‘see’ it in the front end of the website. But it’s just as important as it helps Google index and rank your website. If you’re not sure what metadata is, or how to ‘complete’ it, this post has everything you need to become a metadata expert.
Google indexes mobile first, which means your website needs to look, and function, as amazingly on mobile as it does on desktop. You just can’t afford to have a site that isn’t responsive!
Good quality backlinks are such an important part of any search strategy; whether you write a guest post for a high ranking website that links back to your own, or link youtube videos or podcasts back to your website. Fundamentally any site with good domain authority that provides a link to your website, is a great ranking signal for Google.
Internal links are vital to help Google map and index your website. They’re an important way of helping Google understand the structure and content of your website, and when used strategically can help give priority pages authority, helping them rank more highly in search.
An updated website is a happy website! Whether you have a WordPress site or a custom build, there are so many reasons to keep your site updated. From keeping the bugs at bay to providing fresh content for Google to crawl. If you let your website go stagnant, odds are your traffic will too!
Every single marketing channel makes a difference when it comes to generating traffic. Some are more instantaneous, like a story link that disappears after 24hrs. Some are more long lived, like a well placed Pinterest pin that will drive traffic for years to come.
Don’t be afraid to toot your own horn! Add those Instagram story links, links in Facebook posts, Twitter, Pinterest, LinkedIn, TikTok; so many high traffic platforms are just waiting for you to hop on board. Don’t overload yourself though, pick your platforms wisely, some are better for B2B and some are more suited for B2C, do a little research before you commit.
Link in bio guys! Until Instagram does us all a favour and lets us link in the comments, links in social bios are super important to drive traffic to your site. And you can even use third party apps that enable you to put multiple targeted links in your bio: every little helps!
Google Business Profiles aren’t just important for localised businesses, they’re where your reviews live and they’re full of images and content that reflect your business…or do they? Making sure your profile looks polished, pretty and full of up to date information is so important. After all, we all Google a brand before we click on the website don’t we?
‘LinkedIn is one of the most popular sites in the world based on domain authority’, its authority score is 98/100! Because of this if you’re publishing articles on LinkedIn they’ll often rank above your own website. But that’s not a bad thing, because that all important link you’re popping in your LinkedIn article, will be directing high quality traffic to your site from a site that’s well ranked by Google. It’s a win win!
Webinars are a really popular way to engage your audience, and find an even wider one. Your webinar can be tailored around the content you specialise in, and can be as long or short as you want. Webinars are a great way to raise awareness and the perfect example of ‘top of funnel’ pull marketing. Although webinars are being used more and more at every stage of the traditional sales funnel now!
This blog has some great tips on how to optimise your webinar to maximise traffic.
Facebook ads can be really effective at driving traffic when targeted correctly. BUT, the cost of Facebook ads have risen by 30% in the past 2 years, so I’d recommend consulting with a social ad specialist, to get the results you want without costing you the earth.
If it was easy to measure on Google Analytics, I can almost guarantee ‘word of mouth’ would have the highest conversion rate of any ‘source’! You really can’t beat social proof when it comes to marketing can you? If you’re not sure where to start building your offline network, check out networking events at your local co-working space, or a social instagram group. Seek out your business family, and network your heart out, your business will thank you!
Absolutely we can! If your website is feeling lonely, wondering why no one is visiting, you might just need our SEO glow up. Or if you have a brand new website project in mind, we can make sure it launches, fully optimised and ready to attract that all important traffic.
Get in touch for a chat about how we can help make your website Google’s bff!
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