If you are a small business entrepreneur who has carefully researched your online marketing needs, then you know that having a great website can be the key to boosting your revenue. So you spend time making sure your website is mobile-friendly, easy on the eye, and informative. The only problem is that prospects still don’t seem to be flocking to it. You can put some money into pay-per-click (PPC) options like Google AdWords, but here are a few other ideas that might help drive more traffic to your site:
• Increase your social media footprint: Social media can often perform a complementary function to your website. If you add a new blog or video, for example, be sure to promote it on all your social media outlets as well. Or you can use social media to raise awareness by asking questions or making bold statements such as, “Looking for…” or “Why you must…” that pique interest and motivate a visit to find answers.
• Offer something your audience wants or needs: You have expertise in your field which provides solutions to a problem that your target customers have. Make an offer to get them interested in the information you can provide such as, “Download our free e-book on how to save money doing…” or “Schedule a complimentary consultation and let us show you how to…” Everyone needs a little help sometimes, and they are very appreciative of those who provide it.
• Use your email: Over the years you have probably built up a pretty good email database, so why not use it to promote your website? Don’t go overboard into spam marketing, but send out short, interesting emails reminding prospects and customers of what you offer and letting them know about what is new on your website.
• Check your analytics: If you know what your website is doing right, then you can keep doing that, or you can also improve on weak areas. The only way to find this out is to check your analytics. Once you know where your best visitors are coming from, you can concentrate more outreach efforts in those areas.
• Keep optimizing: Make sure you stay on top of keywords and items of interest for your customers. If something changes or becomes “hot” in your field, make sure that is reflected in a blog or website page so that your analysis shows up in search engine rankings.
• Go outside your comfort zone: Instead of just writing your own blogs, find a good website or blog that has an audience similar to yours. Contact the owner and present the benefits of swapping blogs to communicate to a totally new audience. Just make sure your content is interesting to that blog’s readers.
Above all, make sure you continually ask prospects and customers for business. Frequently remind your current customers to review your business or make referrals. Word-of-mouth is still the best source of new business and new website traffic.