Every business would like more people to visit their website. Whether you’re selling products, services, or a local business, traffic is the first step towards growth. But traffic doesn’t happen by accident or magic or ads. It takes the right strategy and consistent work.
I have had the opportunity to work with clients across various industries over the past couple of years and help them drive more traffic. In this blog, I’ll share the simple steps I took to guide them. If you’re a business owner who wants actual results, this guide is for you.
1.Beginning with a good foundation
I spend hours on something before I give advice, making sure I understand the client’s business. What do they sell? Who are their customers? How are they different from the rest?
One of my clients was a mom-and-pop organic skincare brand. The quality of their products was good and their website was getting very little traffic. After looking at the posts themselves I realized it was garbage. It didn’t talk to any particular customer or solve any one problem. We rewrote the content to be about real skin problems with simple solutions. The new pages resonated more with the audience. Within three months, traffic began increasing steadily.
2.Upgrading the Foundation of Our Site
And if the site is slow or confusing, you can’t build traffic. Some enterprises invest in ads or content marketing, and never consider basic website performance.
Their website was slow to load and difficult for a retail client to use. I helped them increase page speed, fix broken links and ensure content was coherent and well-organized. As the user experience improved, visitors began to linger and browse multiple pages. This in and of itself made major changes in their traffic and converting website action.
3.Choosing the Right Keywords
Some businesses attempt to rank for the most general keywords possible, such as “shoes” or “furniture”. These are too competitive and produce not so great results. I worked my clients to zero in on the exact keywords aligning with what their real customers were typing in search terms.
For instance, instead of bidding on “face cream”, we aimed at “organic face cream for dry skin”. These longer keywords were less competitive but drew people more predisposed to make a purchase. This clever use of keywords led to more traffic and higher sales.
4.Producing Useful, Relevant Content
Products aren’t what bring people to websites. They want answers and advice and ideas. I always like the idea of generating valuable content that addresses the concerns of the customer.
One education client had a minimal site, with almost no content. I was helping to build for them a blog that they used to share tips for exams, study methods and career advice. Their blog alone, in four months, was pulling in thousands of visitors. And it helped them gain the trust and entice more students to their services.
5.Unfailing Social Networking Efforts
Most business owners post sporadically to social media and hope for the best. But it doesn’t work so well without a plan. I developed content calendars for my clients and assisted them in posting consistently.
At a fitness center we posted workouts, client spotlights and quick videos. We paired straightforward captions with compelling imagery. They explained their side, attracted more followers and most likely got more visitors to their website. Social media, when done right, can generate serious traffic.
6.Getting the most of Google Business Profile
For local businesses, however, it’s one of the most powerful free tools out there: Google Business Profile. I assisted a home service business to refresh their profile with correct details, real photos and customer reviews.
It wasn’t long before they began showing up in local searches such as “AC repair near me”. They got more traffic to their website and started getting more calls right from the listing. If your business has a physical location, you must do this.
6.How to Generate Backlinks for Authority
Backlinks are simply links from other websites that direct back towards yours. They let search engines know that your site is reliable. I helped clients build quality backlinks by writing guest articles, appearing in directories and being cited on local news sites.
We produced content that industry blogs wanted to share, for a software company. These links boosted their search rankings and provided a consistent source of referral traffic.
8.Recapturing Visitors Using Email
New visitors are good, but returning visitors are just better. I taught customers how to build basic email campaigns to help them stay in touch with their audience.
One fashion client issued weekly style tips and product features. The emails were popular, and people clicked back to the site. This consistent follow-up generated repeat visits and sales.
9.Strategies for monitoring and modifying
Simply putting these tools in place and moving on is not enough. I measure my performance using tools such as Google Analytics and Search Console. These instruments help demonstrate what’s working and where changes are needed.
In one instance, we observed that certain pages were receiving hardly any traffic. We rewrote those pages with stronger copy and headlines. They began ranking, and over the course of a few weeks, they began to send more visitors. Frequent checks, as well as minor updates, kept us on course.
Final Thoughts
The secret to help clients grow their traffic isn’t tricks or overnight success. It requires planning, patience and a genuine effort. Each of my clients were unique in their needs, but it always began with understanding their goals and putting the customer first.
If your business is not seeing the traffic that you would like, consider a few simple questions. Does your site make a clear and fast impression? Is your content being made for your audience? Are you taking advantage of the tools you already have?
Traffic increases when you stop chasing shortcuts and begin to bring about value. That is the strategy I use. And it works.