So you’ve got your website setup for your small business, but now what? How do you increase website traffic? How do you start to expand your online presence and built that stream of organic traffic? As with most things, there isn’t one simple answer to this question, but we are going to talk about some of the next steps you can take after getting your website setup to start expanding your digital presence.
Social Media
One of the first things you will want to do is get accounts setup on the major social media platforms. Even if you don’t plan to use them all, it’s good to go ahead and reserve your name with at least a basic profile pointing back to your website. That way, someone on that platform could still find you if they are looking for you, and social media changes so fast, you never know what platform may be more suitable for you in the future. If you can, you want to get the same “handle” (the name used to identify your company) on every site. This makes it easier on your customers to find you if your name is the same everywhere.
Having @mybrand claimed on all social media channels is just safeguarding yourself for the future. First off, it’s just more customer-friendly than having @mybrand on Twitter, @mybrandUS on Instagram, and @therealmybrand on TikTok. Secondly, getting control of your handles across social media will prevent potential interference from competitors who might claim the handle otherwise.
Tompkins, Christopher, “4 Things You Need (and One You Don’t) to Form Your Brand’s Digital Identity”, Entrepreneur, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/378303
Share Your Knowledge
No matter what kind of business you run, there is probably some specialized knowledge that goes along with it. Sharing some of that knowledge with your visitors is a great way to build credibility and let your potential clients see that you know what you are talking about. A great way to do this is by adding a blog to your website. This will also create more content on your website, which will help with search results and in turn, increase your website traffic. In fact, that is the exact purpose of what you are reading now. I’m attempting to share some of my knowledge (and others’ knowledge) with you so you can see that I know what I’m talking about and build your trust in me.
A blog not only helps attract more visitors to your website, but once they’re there encourages them to become a customer.
Balkhi, Syed, “How to Make Your Small Business Website Really, Really Effective”, Entrepreneur, https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/331930
Engage With Your Customers Online
This goes hand in hand with sharing your knowledge. Figure out where your potential customers spend their time online and find ways to engage with them there. Are there existing industry related blogs? Share that content in your social media feeds and comment on those articles. Most blogs allow you to create a profile that can include a link back to your website. If it makes sense, include links to your website in your comments. Make sure the content you are linking to does actually relate to the article you are commenting on though, don’t just go dropping a bunch of unrelated links on blog posts. Once you build some credibility on that site, you may even be able to reach out to the owner about doing a guest post or invite him or her to do a guest post on your blog.
Maybe there is an online forum or a channel on Reddit that pertains to your industry, products, or services. Start contributing to the forum. Answer questions, ask questions, engage in conversations within the forum. All of this will work to build credibility with your potential customers and can also build back-links to your website. These links to your website will not only increase website traffic because readers may click on them, but they will also increase your ranking in search results as they increase your reputation score in search engines.
People who already have a vested interested in the topic you’re talking about will be exposed to your brand, website and business, as a whole. As a result, your business will be etched in their mind—much more so than a competitor who doesn’t contribute to the said community.
Dopson, Elise, “5 Ways to Use Online Communities to Promote Your Content”, https://www.sendible.com/insights/online-communities-for-content-promotion
If you find a blog or a forum that you think is very popular among potential customers, you can also consider reaching out to the owner about advertising there. Just be sure you take time to get familiar with the site first and ensure it is a site you want to be associated with from a reputation standpoint as well. Then make sure you understand what your are paying for and have a way to track your results. If the site isn’t generating any additional leads or business for you, then you may want to stop advertising there at a certain point.
Conclusion
So there you have it. Once you get a website setup there are lots of ways you can increase traffic to your site. Some of the first things I would recommend are to get setup on social media, start sharing your knowledge on your site, and engage with potential clients in online communities. All three of these things will increase brand awareness and also work to improve your placement in search results. If you would like to discuss any of these strategies or are looking for help with increasing traffic to your website, give us a call, we would love to help you.
