You created a website to share your knowledge and experience. You develop great content for it. Traffic trickles in but you expected a lot more.
Where are all the people and why aren’t they coming to my site? you say, clicking refresh on your Google Analytics page.
Don’t be discouraged. You just entered a new stage of your business development. It’s time to direct and drive traffic to your site.
However, you don’t want just any traffic. You want targeted traffic. This post will show you how to increase website traffic that is also targeted.
What is targeted traffic?
Targeted traffic is the portion of traffic that is a part of your target market and arrives at your site due to marketing strategies and offers crafted specifically to grab their attention. These pre-qualified visitors can turn into leads, which can turn into buyers, then become repeat buyers, and ultimately turn into loyal customers.
With millions of websites on the internet vying for your target market’s attention, you need to actively attract and convert your ideal clients. Of course, before you started your online business venture, you created a persona of your ideal customer and developed a niche and perhaps a sub-niche, as well.
To refresh your memory a little, an example of a broad target audience could be women. Niching that down further, an example could be middle-aged women. Going one-step further, you could target single, middle-aged, women. As you can see, you can continue niching your audience down as needed. When you know your target audience well, you can successfully market to them by providing the information and solutions they need.
While knowledge of online technology and marketing is very helpful, you don’t have to be an expert.
You can learn as you go.
Implementing what you learn, as you learn it, can make a real difference to your bottom line.
Consider beginning with Search Engine Optimization (SEO). It’s not as scary as it sounds. In fact, it’s one of the easiest technology/marketing strategies to learn and implement. With a little knowledge about how to use keywords and a keyword research tool, you can get started right away. Just place the keywords in prominent places such as in your headlines, links, categories, descriptions, etc., in order to encourage your viewers to click, read more, and take action.
Once you have keywords in place throughout your site, make certain you create engaging content, including posts, images, and other items. Ask pertinent questions in the title or in the first paragraph to keep your audience engaged.
Learn the difference between writing for your audience and writing at them.
It isn’t enough to have great website content and targeted traffic. If you want to make money, you need to sell something. While your website draws in traffic, it’s up to you to make the experience personal for your readers and profitable for your business. The best way to do both of those is by creating an email list where you can get to know your readers better and promote items they want and need. Once you have your email list set up, you’ll need to convert website visitors into email subscribers.
How do you get visitors to become email subscribers? Offer visitors something they just can’t turn down, in exchange for joining your list. This is often efficiently done with a “pop-up” reminder, which offers the reader something that is free only when they join by adding their email address in the email capture portion, below the offer. An email capture, marketing strategy works well on your site as well as on many social media platforms.
Social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Reddit, Pinterest, and others can help you gain targeted traffic. Once you discover the social media sites that your readers favor, share post teasers, and other info on those sites to bring more targeted traffic to you.
Each social media platform caters and appeals to a slightly different group of people. For you, this means that some social media sites will be a better fit for your business and its goals than other social media sites are. Make note of the social media platforms that bring you the most traffic and try out new social sites to help you stay ahead of your competition.
Getting traffic to your website isn’t difficult. Search engines can do a lot of the work for you. However, the key to getting the right traffic is to make effective use of search engines and other options available to you. Here are 50+ ideas to increase website traffic, to help you reach your target market and your goals.
50+ Ideas to Increase Website Traffic
Learn SEO basics
Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the art of raising your position on search engine results pages (SERPs) by using specific strategies, techniques, and tactics. The higher you are on the results page, the higher your ranking is and the more targeted leads you’ll get.
Create engaging blog posts
Content is king, queen, and everything else royal these days. Your content needs to be engaging. Ask questions that allude to a problem and its solution. For example, a mindset coach that wants to find readers who need more money and a positive mindset could create a blog post asking something like, “How Are Negative Thoughts Limiting Your Paycheck?” Readers who can relate, that is those that have negative thoughts and want more money will click through to find out more.
Create your own Facebook group
When you create a Facebook group related to your business niche, you essentially create a community where people with similar interests can interact with you and each other. We all talk about how busy our lives are but we often find time to “wind down” or “start the day” with social media interaction. A Facebook group can be a great way to find new leads and connect with existing customers.
Get a good pop-up for email capture
Having a good pop-up email capture in place can literally make the difference between being forgotten and making multiple sales. Since pop-ups can be annoying, especially if not used properly, it’s important to choose a pop-up plugin that has a variety of options and features. When you have more control of how, when, and where the pop-up appears, you can gently remind your reader to sign up for your offer. Remember, your visitor comes for info. If the pop-up covers up or restricts viewing the info before they know it’s good, they may just leave the page, never to return. Use pop-ups wisely.
Create an appealing lead magnet
A free lead magnet about the most common problems your readers face will likely attract the right traffic. In exchange for signing up and giving you their email addresses, you will give them the free lead magnet. Once they are on the list, you can market to them via email providing more info and relative offers.
Run a contest or sweepstakes
Before you create a contest or run a sweepstakes, be sure to know the difference both professionally and legally. Every state has its own rules when it comes to what differentiates the two. However, a properly run and executed sweepstakes or contest can bring in loads of traffic and plenty of new list sign ups. Consider hosting these several times a year rather just during the traditional “holiday season.”
Create a forum
Creating a forum is a great way to build a sense of community. People can give advice, opinions, and input on your content as well as support each other. This is also a great way for you to get to know your audience. Listen carefully to what they say and what they don’t say. Keep members active and involved by asking open-ended questions and sharing your thoughts.
Include keywords throughout your website
If you are not familiar with keywords, the best place to start is with a good keyword tool. There are many out there. Some website owners prefer Wordtracker or SEO Book. I personally like to use Ubersuggest by Neil Patel. Try out several to decide what features you want and which tool works best for your bottom line.
Be active on social media platforms
If you haven’t jumped on the social media bandwagon, it’s time. The old adage, “Out of sight, out of mind,” applies when it comes to social media. Be active and involved. You need to pay your dues by liking and sharing posts as well as by leaving well thought-out feedback to their posts.
Use StumbleUpon
StumbleUpon is a social network, which acts as a type of search engine called a discovery engine. It uses individual readers’ preferences, likes, and dislikes, etc., to tailor search results by finding or discovering even the more obscure content the reader wants and likes. This network is popular among marketers for a variety of reasons, which include the ability to rate posts, share pictures, and add videos too.
Spread the word in your local communities
Do you belong to a local community group? Word of mouth still counts today, especially when you are socially active. Make it easy for your fellow group members to find and share your business info by giving them a business card or two. Consider creating a special free product or service just for group members. This will help them to get a more personal feel for what you do and they will be more likely to share their “new find” with others.
Send a regular newsletter
Once your email list is set up, it’s time to create a newsletter. You may think these are too time-consuming or you don’t have the right skills. Don’t worry. Your newsletter can be as simple as an update or the notification of a new blog post. MailerLite (free) and ActiveCampaign (paid) are popular email marketing platforms that help you stay connected with your prospects and loyal customers through automated email campaigns, newsletters, and other forms of email correspondence.
Keep in touch with your audience
Email your audience regularly. And not just when you are ‘selling’. By keeping in regular contact, it helps build a relationship with your audience. Email about a good article on a related hot topic. Send a message about your latest blog post. Just keep feeding your readers information they are interested in.
Create a press release
While it may sound old school, it is still effective and can increase website traffic for you. Your press release does not have to be long. You can (and should) create an intriguing headline along with short, concise body information.
Make your website search engine friendly
Your website content should relate to the needs and wants of your target market. While visitors will share website posts and other info, search engines play the most prominent role in your success. Keep them happy by beginning with a quality website theme or template. Poorly coded or outdated themes can do more harm than good. Learn and implement solid Search Engine Optimization practices.
Create engaging headlines
Make sure your blog posts have well-crafted titles and headlines as well as sub-headings, when applicable. Your titles and headlines should be clear, engaging, contain power words to encourage action, pique curiosity, and when possible, allude to the solution of a problem.
Ask questions in your headlines
When you create a headline question, it’s important that your target market can identify with the question. The more your reader can relate to the topic or problem, the more likely he, or she is to click through to find the answer. Here is a good example – “Is Your Morning Coffee Making You Gain Weight?”
Include links to relevant posts
Links are important, both incoming and outgoing links. Make it a priority to link related posts on your site to each other. This is often referred to as “internal” linking. In addition, occasionally link to related content on expert sites. This is called “external” linking. Linking to expert or authority sites can help to elevate your authority standing. When a website refers to and links to your site, it is referred to as an “incoming” link.
Reward your target audience
Create a special thank gift you for your target audience and post it on social media with a request to share. A little thank you goes a long way. Provide a special link new signups can use to get the item and get on your email list.
Set yourself up as an authority
The topic you chose for your business and your website is one you know a great deal about. People in your circles see you as an “authority” on this subject. To help others see you in this light, share, share, and share some more. Get out there and “be seen” in your local area and online.
Share your knowledge and experiences on your website. Offer to guest post on similar sites. Team up with another authority figure. Host a webinar to teach or mentor others. Mention and quote your favorite authorities. Sponsor events. Stay up to date on your topic to continually increase website traffic. Above all, keep learning and sharing in a variety of ways and places to build your authority reputation.
Make use of Pinterest
No post on getting website traffic would be complete without mentioning Pinterest. It is one of my favourite methods of getting visitors to my sites. If you’ve ever used Pinterest, then you know how easily it can pull you in. With so much content to peruse, it’s easy to find yourself sitting for hours pinning interesting articles, recipes, crafts and more. The platform simply lends itself well to certain types of material – which is great news for you as someone in the health and wellness niche!
Guest post
Offer to make guest posts on related sites. The more visible you make yourself, the more targeted traffic you will receive. Make certain to guest post on a site that is relevant to your topic.
Participate on topic related sites
Make time to interact on similar sites and in groups that discuss topics such as the ones covered on your website. Your visibility and consistently knowledgeable contributions can create curiosity about your website and encourage others to visit. Make sure you add a link to your site in your profile or the website area, when possible. As search engines index these other sites, you may find that your site moves up on search result pages and you get more traffic.
Keep writing fresh, new content
Don’t write a few blog posts or articles and stop. Your readers and search engines are hungry for your information. Add new content on a regular basis to keep them both happy and returning to your website. Remember infographics, blog posts, articles, pictures, audios, and videos are types of content, too.
Tweet often and much
Every time you run a new contest, add a new blog post, post a new video or picture, tweet about it.
Collect and review traffic data
Learn how to collect and use traffic data to analyze your web traffic, marketing endeavors, and advertising campaigns. Keeping track of where your traffic comes from, what actions visitors take, and where they go, enables you to identify what works, what doesn’t work, and what you can do to draw more targeted traffic to your website. Using Google Analytics will be your best source for traffic data.
Network with connections new and old
“Make new friends but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold.” Keeping up with your market and network connections can give you an edge, especially when it comes to traffic. Keep in touch with your existing connections but remember to make and build relationships with new people in your industry. Both new and old connections can be an advantage to your business and send targeted traffic to your website.
Make an infographic
People love visuals and a picture really is worth a thousand words. Using infographics is a great way to explain complex or confusing concepts to your readers. Readers also tend to share these helpful infographics, which can in turn increase website traffic.
Quote yourself on memes
Add one of your own quotes to a post-related image. Share the image on social media sites with a link back to that post or to a related category. This helps to drive traffic to a targeted area of your site while helping to elevate your authority level.
Use your elevator speech
If you want to increase website traffic simply by talking to people, craft and practice your ever-ready elevator speech. The elevator speech lets your prospects know what you do, why you do it, and most importantly, how this could benefit them. Snippets can also be used in various places on your website as part of the descriptions.
Add videos to your site
Use your own videos when possible. You may also want to use YouTube or social media videos that have gone viral (just don’t claim them as your own – give the proper credit). Using multiple types of content encourages a greater range of search engine results and greater traffic.
Create lists
Everyone likes lists. They are short, concise, and save time. Offer “top” lists such as “The Top 7 Reasons to Use Lists.” Create a list of how-tos with specific instructions on how to achieve a goal. Make certain to include a call to action at the end.
Make a top 100 list
Readers love “top 100” lists, especially if they are short and concise. These longer lists are a great choice for “the year in review” type of posts. If 100 seems intimidating, even a 50+ list can provide a very detailed, in-depth post. Is talking about a 50+ list post on a 50+ list post… listception? (Ok cheesy, I know, but I just had to!)
Create a guide
Guides are important marketing tools because they offer valuable information in one place. If you can offer information all in one place, you make readers happy and can gain their trust, which makes them want to come back for more.
Learn how to use YouTube
For many website owners, writing keeps them busy. They don’t often think of putting themselves out there on video. Consider learning how to use YouTube and creating your own channel to capture targeted traffic. Web users love videos.
Add text to your website images
The Google bot cannot “see” a photo so add tags, alt text, descriptions, and other meta-data to images along with text for site visitors. This encourages visitors and search engines to come back repeatedly.
Join Facebook groups relevant to your niche
A fun way to increase website traffic in an indirect way, is important to join several different groups on Facebook and become active in them. Once you gain trust, make friends, and gain followers, you can promote your business appropriately in these groups. The bonus is that you also get to make connections – and even friendships – with other members.
Ask experts to write guest posts for your website
Have other experts write guest posts for your site. They will link back to their post on your site so that their readers become your readers as well – instant traffic.
Give interviews
Interviews make it easy for new people to get to know you and discover why you are an expert in your field. Not only will it boost your authority, but it provides the opportunity to share a link back to your website. Make the most of the opportunity and create a special offer for the audience of your host.
Interview others
Request an interview from your own mentors or experts in your field. Helping your readers get to know the people you admire or credit with your own success associates your name with other well-known people and can give your authority level a boost, along with website traffic.
Create a webinar
Offer a webinar that shows or explains how to do something in a different way. You can offer valuable tools, tips, advice, and teachings through your webinar. You can also turn the webinar into a paid product for those who were unable to attend live.
Create a tutorial
Nothing beats a great tutorial to reach your target audience. You can begin with a teaser alert telling your email list readers that you will be working on a tutorial for them. Send another email announcing that in two weeks the tutorial will be ready. Send out emails with dates and times to have readers sign up. Limit the special offer by time or number to create a sense of urgency.
Create plenty of How-to Posts
Millions of people search the internet with the words “How to” in front of their search. How to posts will bring targeted traffic to your website with people searching for that very same query.
Add graphs and pie charts to guides
More technical readers want to find out information but want it in the form of a comprehensive guide. Include graphs and pie charts to squash any fears, doubts, or insecurities they may have.
Post an opinion post/ask for comments
Don’t be afraid to be a little bit controversial in your posts. Leave a comment on your own post that has a strong opinion and is possibly controversial to draw comments from readers who may have a different point of view or angle. Get people talking on your site.
Create a frequently asked questions section
Many readers look for, and actually expect websites to have a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) section. Creating a thorough FAQ encourages these viewers to come back repeatedly because you offer them easy-to-find, accurate information. Since FAQs often contain a question, search engines are also likely to index these sections, making you the “go-to” site on specific topics.
Offer hacks on the topics of interest
People love short cuts or hacks. Create posts on how to use topic related hacks to make life easier for your target market. You may be surprised how many people use the word, “hack” when doing a search for your topics.
Create a free printable worksheet to visitors
Printables are a very popular option for opt-ins. They are useful and quick for the reader to implement. With very little effort on your part, you may find that your free-to-visitor worksheet goes viral and attracts a lot of traffic.
Give homework and request comments
Ask your readers to try a “solution” or “strategy” and let you know how it worked for them. If it worked, ask what they liked best about it. If it didn’t work, ask what they suggest to make it better. Encourage your readers to share their thoughts and opinions. When you actively listen to your audience and people feel that they matter, not only will they come back but also they will bring their friends with them.
Create coupon codes
Everybody loves coupons and deals. They also love to tell others about their good fortune. When a visitor gets a great deal, bragging rights come next. Create coupon codes that members can share with their friends. Don’t forget to make things easy for mobile users by using a QR code too.
Create a top 10 list of most important skills to have on the subject
Create a top 10 list of the most important skills your reader should have on a particular subject. Sometimes they just want a quick fix and need a little hope that there is a solution for what they consider their problem.
Phew – that is quite a list! Don’t feel overwhelmed, you don’t need to implement all of these ideas. Start with one and take it from there.
In order to get the best results, give it some time and be patient. Find what works best for you and most importantly for your customer, the results will follow.
