Have you ever searched for a parking spot at the mall for what feels like forever? And, after looping around three times you finally find one in the front. But, when you go to pull in there’s a freaking Prius in the spot. Yea, you were catfished. You drove at a snail’s pace and even turned down your music so you could see better (I can’t be the only one who does this). And, it was all in vain.😩
This happens often when you’re a newbie at traffic building or SEO (search engine optimization). You focus on a strategy and then you don’t get the results that you’re looking for. If this sounds like you. Or, if you’re just starting to drum up organic traffic to your site without coding, then try these out for a spin.
Here are five easy traffic building tips:
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Create a Google My Business page
To create a page you need a Gmail account. If you don’t already have one, it’s definitely worth it. When people search for services you offer using Google, you’ll pop right up. Add photos and keywords into your captions. Be sure to include common keywords and phrases that people use, not just industry jargon. And, don’t be shy with the categories. Add all that apply to the services you offer. Here’s a pro tip. Check out competitor pages and use the same categories they use. That way you pop up right along with them.
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Connect your site to Google Analytics
Google Analytics is the industry standard for tracking your website traffic, behavior flow and activity. You can even see what type of people you’re attracting and their interests. Google gives you “points” for being connected to this. But, it gives you so much insight on what’s going on with your visitors. We typically signup our web design clients for Google Analytics, so they don’t have to worry about it. And, your designer might as well. So, reach out to your designer, maybe they’ve already done it.
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Put your URL on all of your social media profiles
It’s important to have your web address on other websites. It gives you more credibility. Add them to your general profile details and slide it into your posts every now and then. You’ll get more clicks, but you’ll also get a few points.
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Sign up for review sites in your field
Create a simple profile and include those keywords we discussed. This step is easy but time-consuming. Start with Yelp and move on from there. Each website you add your link to will give you more credibility and go towards your SEO efforts. The easiest way to do this is to choose a few core sites. For example, if you’re a childcare facility you want to use Yelp, care.com, and sitter.com. Every week try to add your information to one new review site
One of the most important things is to use the exact same spelling of your business name and address everywhere. This will save you a headache later.
We find that often our client’s competitors haven’t done many of these efforts and it really gives them an advantage. If you’re in an industry where these strategies are standard then you likely need to make a more strategic effort. This is just the tip of the iceberg. We get more into what SEO is all about in our post titled What Is SEO and Does Your Website I Need It?.
What kind of strategies have you tried to drive traffic to your site?
