How to Drive Website Traffic

With every passing day, our shift to the internet is only being cemented. Users are here, businesses are here. Hopefully, you are here too. However, being online and being found online are two very different things.

What is website traffic and why does it matter?

Website traffic refers to the number of ‘visits’ a website receives. It is an important metric in understanding the popularity and reach of your website, and subsequently your business. As Half A Bubble Out succinctly puts it, every visit is an opportunity. In the long term, good quality website traffic leads to increased brand awareness, growing sales and deep customer relationships.

Your website shows users who you are, what you do, and what you believe in. It is often the first step in building a relationship with a prospective customer. If they like your site, they are more willing to trust you, engage with you, and return to you. Website means data. And data is everything. With it, you can make better marketing decisions and strategic alterations.

So here are some tried and tested ways to help increase your web traffic. The three broad topics are SEO methods, paid methods and social media.

(A) SEO Methods to drive website traffic

Search Engine Optimisation

Let’s be honest, how many pages of Google search results do you explore? If a site is not on the first page, chances are you haven’t seen it. Search Engine Optimisation – boosts your ranking by shaping your content in a way that Google recommends it to users. SEO invites natural, passive traffic to your website which allows for your website to be chosen over competitors who are ranked below you.

That being said, this is a tricky game. Google uses up to 200 factors in deciding website ranking for any search result. This includes the search words, the location of the user, the relevance and credibility of the pages, and the newness of content.

On-page SEO refers to what you can do with your website directly, for a higher ranking on Google.

1. Keyword Research: Keywords research in and of itself is a continuous effort. Choose relevant topics to write content on. Use resources like Google Keyword Planner and Keywords Everywhere. Keep up with the relevance of your topic through Google Trends.

2. Types of Keywords: : Keywords come in many lengths (and corresponding competitiveness). Rather than using shorter keywords (called short-tail), long-tail keywords (e.g. “How to drive website traffic”) offer specific search intent and are usually much less competitive.

3. Integrate Keywords: Use up to 2-5% of keywords in your content, headings, subheadings, etc. Do not force them into your content, as they should sound natural.

4. Use synonyms: Incorporating slightly different versions of your keywords can help increase your ranking.

5. Internal Links: Internal links (links from one of your web pages to another) lets Google know that these web pages exist and are important. As with keywords, the idea is to create organic internal links.

6. Quality content: Amidst all the technical stuff, it’s important to remember that nothing can replace quality content. Google wants to deliver the best quality results to its users, and no keyword or internal link can substitute engaging, relevant and useful content.

7. Quality website: Ensure that your website is user-friendly and mobile-friendly. Google optimises fast-loading websites, and most users do not have the patience to tolerate a buffering website.

8. Long-form over short-form: Surprising as it seems, Google optimises longer articles. However, piece up the information so readers can even skim through it and understand the gist.

Off-page SEO refers to ways you can improve your search ranking that does not directly relate to your website.

1. Quality Backlinks: Backlinks are links that other pages make to yours. It helps Google know you are a trusted source with authority.

2. Anchor text: Anchor text is the part of the text that has a hyperlink. Accurate, naturally integrated anchor texts are preferred as compared to spammy, endless linking. Use the same principles for your internal links

3. Create media-worth content: Neil Patel advises creating content that media outlets will want to feature. Don’t limit yourself to written content. Experiment with images, infographics, videos, and GIFs. Consistently putting out good content can help you as a thought leader.

4. Guest blog: Guest blogging is one of the most recommended ways of increasing off-page SEO. Make sure to pitch relevant content for multiple sites.

(B) Paid methods to get website traffic

You may not be able to depend on Google’s complicated algorithm alone to get you visitors. Consider paid methods. There are two types of payment methods – Pay Per Click (PPC) and Pay Per Impression (PPI). The latter refers to how much you have to pay for an ad to be displayed a thousand times.

1. Google Adwords: Through a bidding system, you can get your site at the top of the page for certain keywords. You pay for every click you get. Adwords have the option of marketing to a specific demography, retargeting users who have already visited your site, and Dynamic Search Ad options.

2. Social Media Ads: Social Media Ads are as varied as the platforms. On Facebook, you can attach text and image for PPC ads. It allows you to target very specific demographics. LinkedIn is more useful for B2B advertisements. Instagram allows for multiple marketing objectives to be fulfilled through story ads, photo ads, video ads etc. Consumers lead very tangible lives on social media nowadays, and social media ads are one of the best ways to reach your target market directly.

3.Influencer Marketing: Influencers are those with a substantial online following, usually because of their work – writing, photography, fashion, travel, etc. Identifying influencers in your industry most often means that you have also found your target market in their audience.

(C) Social Media & increasing web traffic

1. Share your links: When you have content worth sharing, share it everywhere. Make a bite-size tweet with the link to your article, share it on Facebook, redirect users from Instagram through a link in your bio.

2.Each platform is unique: Make content according to the platform you are using. Images work better on Instagram, bite-sized content on Twitter, etc.

3.Interaction: Interacting with customers on social media by replying to comments, initiating discussions, etc., is more likely to drive them to your website.

4. Use hashtags: Hashtags increase the likelihood of being found by people who haven’t chanced upon your profile. Create your own hashtag if you would like certain categories of your posts to be available together.

5. Stay relevant: Post regularly and relevantly. Understand what is trending both inside and outside your industry.

In closing, be genuine. Users encounter enough content every day to know what holds value and what doesn’t. Stay true to your self, put up quality content, and sit back as crowds flock to your website.