Get more visitors to your website they said. It’ll help you gain more business they said.
Yes, getting more eyes on your content can lead to sales. But how are you supposed to get that started?
While paid ads are the quickest way to get more traffic, we’re focusing on free options. Read on for quick free ways to drive traffic to your website in 2020.
Pin for the win
Pinterest may have dropped on the popularity scale, but it’s still alive and well and is also considered THE best social media platform to drive traffic to a website.
It has this power because it’s used as a visual search engine. A staggering two billion searches take place on Pinterest every month. And this search ability benefits local businesses too. Here are some tips from SimplePinMedia.com on how to go after local audiences on Pinterest.
Promote articles on LinkedIn
LinkedIn is seeing a surge in popularity lately and that’s because of its many options to promote content. Not only can you post links to your articles, you can also post full articles on your LinkedIn blog. Yes, you have a blog there. Just click the “write an article” link in the box where you normally write status posts.
It’s OK to use existing or older content here too. Just check the articles you already have and pick the ones you think would be most interesting for a business audience. Make sure it has a nice-looking image and a clear headline and copy/paste it into the LinkedIn blog or share it as a status post.
Pro tip: Videos work well here too. Try filming a short clip about your article topic and share it with a link to your site. Let us know how it goes.
Offer “upside-down” guest posts
This tactic, popularized by Backlinko.com, is about offering your articles as guest posts on other websites as a way to get links back to your site.
This is not a new idea. What IS new is the idea that you should include the most important information, with your link, near the top of the article (this is the upside-down part). Normally, your link is at the bottom of the page in an author box, but that section is too easily ignored.
To do this, write your article in an educational way, with links to resources near the top, one of them being to your site (i.e., “For additional resources on xyz, visit…”). This will be more effective in leading people to your site compared to the author bio link.
Don’t want to contact other websites to pitch your guest articles?
Another option is to start a satellite blog on Medium.com. It’s a content syndication platform where you can post whatever you want.
Shop your content closet
In the fashion industry, stylists tell you to “shop your closet” before buying new clothes. In other words, take a fresh look at your wardrobe to find new combinations to wear, instead of buying new.
Well, we’re telling you to shop your content for new opportunities to update and refresh. They’re there. It’s just a matter of finding them. And it’s very rare that we DON’T find opportunities to update. Here are a few ways to do that.
- Give it a factual refresh. Do you have articles from a couple years ago that could use a refresh? See if you can add new trends or remove outdated steps. Then add a note that it was “Updated March 2020.” Readers like newer content and an update can revive readership and traffic to a page from Google.
- Boost it for Google. The Google brain is a lot more sophisticated now and one of the things it looks for is related keywords that give it a better picture of your overall topic. So instead of focusing on one phrase in each article (“kitchen remodeling,” for example), use related keywords as well. “Cabinet makeover” and “kitchen design ideas” are options in this example. A tool like com can help you find those keywords and give you new ideas as well.
- Dress it in a different format. Everyone has a favorite way to consume content. I like to read, while you might prefer video. So why not offer different formats to reach different people? If your site is set up for readers, turn a couple of posts into graphic images, infographics, slide presentations, or videos to reach your customers who are visually inclined.
Speed up (and mobilize) your website
If you’ve read our article on the top reasons to redesign your website, you already know that site speed and mobile friendliness are major ranking factors for Google. And we mean major.
If your site’s too slow, Google’s not sending traffic your way. How are you going to increase traffic if Google is throttling your ability to rank in search results?
Do your business a favor and update your website for better speed and mobile viewing.
How good is your HQ at handling traffic?
OK, you’ve got some ideas started and might be bringing in new visitors. What happens to them then? Even the best ideas won’t work if your online HQ (your website) isn’t doing its job.
Remember, your site should encourage prospects to call or buy. So before you get started, update your site with current information and make sure it works well on mobile for the best results.
We hope these ideas help. If you need a helping hand or a friendly critique, send us a note!
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