Struggling to get visits to your website? You are not alone. It’s a challenge many small businesses face. With squeezed budgets and lack of knowledge about online marketing, it can be a challenge.
Unfortunately having a shiny website with all the bells and whistles isn’t the answer to getting more sales and enquiries. You need to put in ongoing work to gain traffic and steadily improve your lead generation.
The good news is, you don’t need the budget of Amazon to succeed online. A few simple tasks and an investment of your time each month your dream of website visits turning into sales and leads is within your reach.
1 // Utilise Social Media
Using your social media accounts to promote and market your website is an easy way to get more traffic. Find the social media platforms that suit you and your target audience then start posting.
Whether you’re posting behind the scenes on Instagram or articles on Facebook use it as an opportunity to direct people to visit your website.
- Share links to your blog articles
- Feature your portfolio with a link to find out more
- Share link to your review page
- Give a link to your booking or contact page
2 // Create Content
Producing content is a simple way to show your expertise and gives you a regular supply of things to share on social media. A blog is the best way to add content to your website. Try to write content that is fun, interesting or useful to encourage people to share it on their own social media profiles. If you have a WordPress website, you can be posting blogs in minutes.
Use your blog to:
- Announce your latest products and services
- Tips and how tos on topics related to your business
- Advice on using your products
- Benefits of using your services
You can also try guest posting on another website which has a similar audience. Guest posts can help you reach new people and generate traffic back to your website. Reach out to other bloggers to ask if they would be up for a post exchange.
3 // Work on SEO
A website without search engine optimisation is going to have a hard time being found on Google. Many small business owners think that SEO is Gobbledegook. It doesn’t have too. There are a ton of easy things you can do to optimisation your website.
Tips for optimising your website:
- Write for humans (not search engines) – Gone are the days of keyword stuffed gibberish. Search engines today look for engaging content that humans find interesting and useful.
- Add meta titles and descriptions – Every page and post on your website needs a unique title and description. The titles and descriptions are used to entice people to click onto your website from search engines. The more clicks the better your site looks to Google.
- Produce relevant content – As mentioned above add relevant content to help you reach more people.
- Add internal links – Where possible add links to other pages on your site. Internal linking can help Google find and rank more of your website.
4 // Develop a marketing strategy
A plan with ways to market your website is invaluable for getting traffic. Think about who your audience is, where to find them and what they expect from your website. Armed with this knowledge you can formulate a plan for creating content that speaks to them.
If you are struggling to find ways to promote your business or how to tell your story, hire a professional who can take care of that for you.
5 // Promote offline
Add your website address to your business cards, flyers, vehicle decals and adverts to direct people to your website. Never miss an opportunity to advertise your website and raise awareness that it is open for business 24/7.
6 // Email marketing
Email lists are an engaged audience already interested in your business. Dropping into their mailboxes on a regular basis can keep you on their radar and visiting your website.
- promoting new blog posts
- your latest product and service launches
- provide exclusive help and advice on topics related to what you offer
If you don’t have an email signup on your website you can start collecting subscribers using MailChimp or Mailerlite. Both offer free email newsletters for at least 1,000 subscribers.
7 // Get interviewed
Seeking out opportunities to get yourself more visible in your local community and online is a good way of gaining exposure. Interviews and features can help raise your profile and get you a link back to your website.
- Contact your local papers to pitch a story about your business
- Find places to be interviewed for articles, podcasts or on social media
- Ask for a feature in local magazines and publications
8 // Submit to Online Directories
Add your business details to online directories. You can usually add basic information for free. Local directories may be available in most towns and cities and can also look for directories for your type of service or product.
All small businesses should set up a Google My Business. It is a completely free profile from Google where you can add all your business details, photos, links and posts. You’ll also be added to the map when someone does a local search.
9 // Email Signature
Every email you send is an opportunity to share your website by adding it to your signature. You can even use an email signature generator like Hubspot to create one for you with all your contact info and links.
10 // Track, Analyse and Tweak
All that work promoting and marketing your website means nothing if you aren’t tracking progress. Use Google Analytics and Search Console to monitor your website visits and get a clear idea about what is working and what isn’t.
Armed with the data you can find out what content is popular, where your traffic is coming from and what actions people are taking. You’ll then know where to focus your energy.
Got a website but struggling to get traffic? You are not alone. It's a challenge many small businesses face. Check out these 10 ways to promote your website.
