How to drive traffic to your website – DIY style
Launching a new website (or marketing campaign for an existing website) can be incredibly exciting. Seeing all of your hard work come to life in bright, vivid online colors is definitely deserving of a little pat on the back. And it’s also fitting to let others see the fruits of your labor. Because after all, the website is just the beginning of what could be a long and successful eCommerce endeavor.
When it comes to getting your website in front of the right people – or any people, for that matter – there are a few tactics to employ to make it happen. Chris Bolton, editor at The HostBaby Blog offered up five tips to get you through the stages of a website’s growing pains. Check it out:
1. Post Content Regularly
“Not everything on your site will appeal to everybody,” Bolton admits. “Sometimes your content will flop. Heck, it might flop most of the time. But getting traffic to your site is all about ‘failing until you succeed.’ The only way to do this is by posting content consistently.”
Bolton goes on to say that you don’t always have to post your own original writing. He suggests mixing in songs, pictures and videos. It keeps audiences always wondering as to what’s next on the agenda. And to keep them abreast of your content variety, he stresses the importance of announcing it on your social networks, like Facebook, Twitter and Google+. Even if you don’t get flooded with traffic right out of the gates, “don’t be disheartened.” Just keep at it.
When something does resonate, however, try to find out why. Look into the comments visitors are leaving or look for a pattern within your analytics tools and then adjust your strategy accordingly.
2. Encourage Your Audience to Share and Participate
Point blank: “You need to tell your audience what to do,” says Bolton. “Teach them how to interact with your website. You need to be clear. Ask your audience a question in every blog post and encourage them to answer in the comments section. Show your audience where your share buttons are. Ask them to share your content on their social networks. Sometimes people just need a nudge.”
3. Get Involved in Online Communities
The great thing is that you are one of many charged with the task of driving traffic. Therefore, look for online communities with a similar focus and reach out to them. Bolton says to “seek out good blogs and then follow the writers on Facebook and Twitter.” But don’t stop there. Join their e-mail lists and subscribe to their newsletters.
“Once you have joined a community, first listen and learn, then ask questions and participate,” Bolton explains. “Don’t try to drive traffic to your site right away. It will come naturally as you get more involved. Promoting yourself too quickly can turn people off.”
4. Promote Your Site in the Real World
This is where things get old school because as Bolton writes, “Believe it or not, we don’t all live and breathe online.” Therefore, it’s beneficial to have your promotional materials in hard-copy form. That way, when you’re at a networking event or just out and about, you’ll be able to not only mention your website but you’ll also have something to offer as a takeaway.
5. Get Links to Your Site
In addition to hitting the pavement, you’ll need to climb the online search ladder. This can be accomplished by getting people to link to your site. And this is where your participation in online communities can come into play. As you cultivate these relationships, ask to trade links. Again, you’re not the only one who needs this type of coverage. In that effort, take Bolton’s link-building ideas to heart:
- Offer to do a guest post on another site that contains a link back to your own website.
- Give a blogger’s audience a 30% discount on your new album or eBook as a limited-time promotion.
- Do a Facebook trade where you promote someone’s site, and in exchange, they promote yours.
- Offer a video contest and then post all the videos on your website. Contestants will undoubtedly share and link to that page.
- Weigh in on forums and in blog comments and link back to your own site when the conversation is relevant.
So clearly, the more you invest in the online community, the more it will pay off in terms of your own website. So get out there and do it.
And if you’re already making strides, we’d love to hear about the tactics that have worked – or even the ones that have failed. So add a few comments here, link back to your own site and get the ball rolling in the direction that leads to more traffic for your website.
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