In this guest post: we’ve asked Practical Marketing Expert Stacy Karacostas to share some thoughts on how to drive more traffic to your Web site.
Got a great Website? Congratulations! But as you’ve probably already realized, getting a Website is only half the battle…You still have to get people to visit your site.
In other words, while having a Website is a part of any good marketing plan these days, you also need a plan for marketing your Website. Otherwise it will just sit out there “gathering dust” on the Web instead of helping to grow your business.
So, how do you get site visitors? The first step is to make sure your site is submitted to the major search engines. Ideally you want this to happen on a regular basis—and especially anytime you add new content.
After that it’s time to do a little smart marketing—both online and off.
Below are 5 easy and inexpensive ways to drive more traffic to your Website:
#1 – Make it obvious. Be sure your Web address (your URL) is on everything you do and send out including business cards, invoices, articles, marketing materials, videos etc. And get an email address that’s attached to your Website (IE: yourname@yourwebsite.com). You’ll be amazed how many people will see this and visit your site to find out more about what you do.
#2 – Let the world know. Send an email to all your customers and contacts inviting them to stop by your new site. If you have a nifty free offer they can take advantage of while they’re there, all the better. Also put your Web address on all your social networking profiles. And of course, if you Twitter, Tweet about it.
#3 – Join the conversation. If you have thoughts, ideas or suggestions that might benefit your target market, try participating in online forums. These are Web pages or sites where people can ask questions and you can give answers. Many social networking sites have Q & A forums too.
Find ones your prospects participate in and do your best to be helpful. Don’t ever blatantly pitch your products or services here! Let your good advice be the selling device, and the link to your Website will start driving folks who like what you say back to your site.
#4 – Write about it. If you’re a writer, regularly submitting articles online is a powerful way to get tons of targeted traffic to your site. You can submit articles to directories like www.ezinearticles.com and social networking sites like www.Biznik.com.
Hundreds of these sites exist, so find ones that focus on your area of expertise. Include a bio with a little about you, a special offer (optional but highly recommended) and a link back to your site, and voila.
#5 – Use offline promotions. You can do all kinds of terrific print promotions to drive people to your Website including, but not limited to: postcards, classifieds ads, print ads, sales letters and more.
Again, having a free offer that they can take advantage of on your site gives them a good reason to visit. And it lets you collect their email addresses for future follow ups.
Now it’s time to get busy!
Each of these Website marketing tips is easy and inexpensive to implement. While it may take a bit of time and consistent effort for your Website traffic to really grow, if you keep using these tactics on a regular basis your visitor numbers—and your sales numbers—are sure to start going up!
Practical Marketing Expert Stacy Karacostas helps savvy entrepreneurs take the stress, struggle and confusion out of growing their small businesses. If marketing your Website—or your business—has got you tearing your hair out grab her FREE REPORT on The 7 Deadliest Small Business Marketing Sins right here http://www.7deadliestsins.com.
Have you used any of these tactics with great success?
What other tactics have you used to generate tons of targeted Website traffic?
Please do share your thoughts by leaving a comment below.
