Five Tips for Driving Free Website Traffic

What do you think is easier — getting visitors to your website, or keeping them there? Anyone with a checkbook can buy website traffic. The bigger challenge is engaging with your audience in a way that keeps them coming back for more, and sharing your content across their network.

Having a great business isn’t enough to succeed online — you need an exceptional website. And the key factor in determining the success of your website is the quality of your content. Captivate your visitors, and they become readers. Engage with your readers, and they become clients.

Some small business owners love tackling this on their own, but if you’re pressed for time (and who isn’t these days!), hire a content marketing agency to do the work for you. But for all you DIYers (do it yourselfers), here are:

1. Create Original Material

Great content for your website starts with you. Copying material from other sites isn’t just bad ethics — it’s also bad business practice. Google, for example, punishes unoriginal content in its search rankings, and rewards original content.

But it’s not just about writing your own words; it’s also about bringing your own ideas. What makes your small business unique? The answer is the basis for great, original content.

2. Tell Compelling Stories

Great content should sell your visitors on your small business. But don’t try the hard sell. That might work in a car dealership, but it definitely won’t work on your website!

Instead, use narrative to clearly define what your business does and how it can benefit clients. Tell visitors the story of how your business came to be. And tell stories about how you gave great value to past clients. Did you help Mary design the perfect nursery? Did John’s business triple in value after he hired you as a marketer?

Even when sharing how-to articles and lists, incorporate personality, anecdotes, and quotes into your writing. The more people connect with your brand, the more engaged they will become in your success.

Whatever your business does, help visitors imagine themselves as successful clients.

3. Use Great Visuals

The Web 2.0 is a multimedia paradise, and you can take advantage of its visual splendor to market your business. Photos, infographics, and videos are all great ways to deliver your message in a visually appealing and exciting format.

The rule of thumb is to include an image with every 300 words of text. Of course, depending on the type of business you operate, this may be more or less. (I know, I know, I should have added another picture or graphic here!)

4. Layer Your Content

Remember the last time you looked out an airplane window and noticed how your focus sharpened as you got closer to landing? Think about how your website can replicate that zoom.

A first-time visitor needs to see the big picture on your “home” and “about us” pages; don’t use too much detail! Link from the “home” page to other pages with more detailed content. On those pages, provide both brief “snapshots” of the page’s purpose, and longer blocks of text for those who truly want to go in-depth.

If a reader comes across one of your blog posts through social media or search, can they easily discover what you are all about? And once they know what you’re all about, is it easy for them to take the next step — whether that’s signing up for an email list, making a phone call, or coming in for a visit?

5. Value is Key

You don’t want people to visit your site just once and forget about it. Give them information that is genuinely valuable and entertaining, and they’ll keep coming back.

You want to become a hub for your customers — where they come to learn, connect, and grow in their knowledge of your industry.

One of the best ways to do this is through a regularly updated blog that might include a tip of the week, a recipe, a Q&A with a client, or the latest strategies for success in your field. Anything that can educate, benefit, and entertain your clients has potential to become a killer blog post.

So get creative, but keep your focus on providing value to your visitors. Give them something worth their time and they’ll keep coming back for more!

If you liked this post, make sure to like it below :). Also, we’d love to hear your thoughts about our post. Please feel free to drop a comment below and let us know some of your tips for driving free website traffic to your site.

Originally published at www.beastmodeprospecting.com.