It is important for businesses to have a website — and one that works on all devices. Once you have your website for your business in place, it's time to think about how it can be used to grow your business.
Think of your website as a billboard advertising your business and spreading your message. A website with zero traffic is like having a billboard that is not seen by anyone. So read on to know how to get your website in front of as many relevant visitors as possible, so it can help you grow your business.
Relevance
The first step is to understand the difference between traffic and relevant traffic. This means you want visitors to your website who actually care about your business and can turn into a sales lead or become a long-term customer.
Getting relevant traffic means focusing on precise targeting into your method of getting that traffic. The best way to do that is by generating high-quality, shareable content.
There's a reason for the phrase "content is king." Adding lots of content to your website helps you build a presence on search engines (Google, Yahoo, etc.) and enables you to spread awareness of your business via social media as well (Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, etc.)
Content marketing should be the foundation of your marketing, not just online — PPC, SEO and SMO — but also offline.
Organic SEO vs paid traffic
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the fastest way to get organic search traffic. This happens because your website shows up on Google for a particular keyword or phrase your prospect uses to look for information.
Pay-per-click (PPC) gets your website to page one of search engines instantly — you just have to pay for it (and do a little optimization work, too). Click costs will vary from industry to industry, your optimization and how much competition exists in your marketplace.
It really depends on your industry and competition to figure out if SEO is better than PPC. For some, PPC can be an effective way to get great results quickly. That being said, SEO does tend to create the most lasting long-term results with higher-quality customers who are more likely to trust your website and thus your business than PPC visitors.
For both SEO and PPC, the results are dependent on how good your content is. Strong landing pages and lots of blog posts with interesting and relevant content are essential.
Social media
Another strategy to attract relevant traffic to your website is being present and active on social networking sites like Facebook, Twitter, Linkedin, Pinterest, etc. Here's what to keep in mind:
- Just being "present" is not enough. Your brand will have to be active, regularly and consistently.
- Find out what is considered "shareable" content within your industry and target audience. Share your blog posts on social media.
- Being "spammy" and trying to hard-sell does not usually work. Your brand needs to be subtle and consider an "indirect" approach.
- Social media is social. It has to be a two-way conversation between you and your customers.
- For some kinds of businesses, this will all come naturally. For others, external help might be required.
Track your traffic
Be sure to use Google Analytics or Omniture to view and measure the traffic your website is attracting, and from which sources. For those who need help with this, Google offers free online courses to improve your analytics skills.
