Without regular incoming traffic, a website becomes nothing more than a glorified business card. The true value of a website lies in its ability to attract and engage the target audience. This, however, is easier said than done. Driving traffic to a website is especially challenging for smaller businesses because, in most cases, they don’t have enough capital to start a massive marketing campaign. Fortunately, there are a few simple ways to ensure your website attracts the right audience, even if you’re on a tight budget. Here are 4 affordable yet effective ways to boost traffic to your small business website.
1. Focus on Mobile Usability
Recent statistics show that approximately 50% of internet traffic worldwide comes from mobile devices. Plus, as the marketing gurus at Beanstalk Web Solutions explain, mobile usability is one of the main ranking factors Google and other search engines use to prioritize websites on their results pages. This means that mobile-friendly websites have a better chance of appearing on the first search results pages, so make sure that yours is responsive and adaptable to various devices.
2. Build High-Quality Backlinks
Backlinks are links on other websites that direct the readers to your site. There are several ways to earn backlinks, but the most effective approach is to match them with relevant topics or services. So, make sure the websites you choose to partner with are of interest to your audience. Featuring your website in a guest article on an authority website that also serves some of your target audience is perhaps the smartest way to build high-quality SEO friendly backlinks.
3. Leverage Social Media
Social media is easily the most popular, free marketing tool we have today. Leverage the platforms that your target audience uses by posting interesting and engaging content that will pique their interest. The trick is to share enough of the content on your page to leave your followers wanting to learn more so they would have to head to your website for more information. Besides the written content, you should also create appealing visuals, including videos, photos, GIFs, and infographics, to attract more viewers. It’s not enough to just be present on social media, though; you have to actively interact with your audience to expand your customer base and direct more traffic to your website.
4. Learn from Your Analytics
You have to regularly monitor your website’s performance using the right marketing metrics or else, all the effort you put into it will have been in vain. Using tools such as Google Analytics will alert you to any problems with your website and give you a deep understanding of its day-to-day performance. This will enable you to identify which strategies and types of content work, and which ones need improvement. You can use then these insights to make the necessary adjustments to your content, layout, and marketing strategies to drive further traffic to your website.
The main purpose of having a company website is to increase business exposure, attract qualified leads, then convert those leads into paying customers to generate more profit. But none of that would be possible without regular website traffic. Fortunately, there are several effective ways to drive traffic to your small business website without having to spend a fortune on a marketing campaign. Start with these 4 strategies, and you’ll be well on your way to expanding your business and achieving your long-term goals.