Answering one of the most common questions every digital marketer is asking and identifying where the areas of focus for better quality traffic are.
At a certain point last year, not one day would go by without somebody asking me:
“How do I get more traffic to my offer?”
It’s a million-dollar question.
It’s the final bit of the puzzle, but it’s one that bears the most weight.
So to be honest, I don’t blame those people who are concerned about their traffic.
Just do a quick search on Google, and you’ll see that there are tons of articles, blog posts, eBooks and infographics on boosting the traffic that hits your websites.
Most of them are just mediocre, and others even worse than that.
So in this post, I’ll briefly touch on the areas of focus that will increase the traffic to your website.
And these are real practical stuff that you can get started with right away and see results fast.
#1 Content. You already know this, but just by creating good quality content (often) you’ll bring in more natural visitors. Make sure this content is optimized with relevant keywords, headlines, photos, tags, meta descriptions, with plenty of links and trackbacks to other blogs. These guys will take notice and may even return the favour.
#2 Interaction. Another simple tool to increase traffic is via comments. Leave comments on other blogs – this is a daily task that doesn’t take long. Those blogs will, in turn, take note of your website, or alternatively, if you drop your URL in the comments, the other readers will also stop by too. This can also be done within industry-specific forums and social groups. Just remember to reply to every comment!
#3 Social Media. Not only should you be sharing your pages and content on your social profiles (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn etc.) but you should also use social bookmarking websites to share (StumbleUpon, Digg, Reddit etc.), and also target the lesser-known networks (Quora, Tumblr, Technorati etc.) You should look to reciprocate and interact here and build your community.
#4 Directories. There are literally hundreds (if not thousands) of web directories online. You should look to list your website/business on all of the big directories, including all of those related to your business and niche. Purchasing feature listings on each will drive even more traffic your way if you have a small budget.
#5 Search Engines. It’s been at the forefront for digital marketers for years and will be there for years to come. Do your keyword research, get your pages and posts SEO friendly and seek backlinks. Just make sure you keep an eye on them algorithm changes which Google announce from time to time so you don’t get caught out. This is more important than you think.
#6 Pay-Per-Click. Use Google AdWords and Bing Ads to create text or display ads that’ll really get you the targeted visitor that you want. You can also do this (and I highly recommend that you do) on Facebook and other social media platforms, it’s a great way to laser target as they offer valuable demographic information that’s virtually impossible to access elsewhere so accurately.
#7 Video. You can use Vine to upload 6-second looping video shots to your posts or YouTube if you post more in-depth videos to your profiles. People can access these from anywhere and are more likely to take notice of what you’re saying as it’s a great way to get up close and personal. It’s exactly the same principle with images – it increases interest and interaction.
#8 Friends. I’m not talking about your online buddies, I’m talking about your real-life friends now. Encourage them to read your stuff and discuss in person with them what you’re saying and thinking. Seeing you passionately talk about this stuff will encourage them to talk to somebody else about your website which can generate even more traffic.
#9 Joint Venture Partners. So powerful I cannot even begin to describe. If you build relationships with the key players in your industry or niche, they can mail their list, blog about you, place a banner on their website, share on their social media profiles, the list goes on. Seriously, you can get a ton of responsive traffic this way because you can actually pay them a commission if a visitor converts. Everyone is happy. What are you waiting for? Start building relationships.
#10 Be Unique… and don’t be shy. Everything you should be doing should be unique. Just standing out from the crowd of usual bloggers will get you traffic by itself – so get out there and stand out!
And there you have it.
My top 10 traffic generators that have served me and others well in the past, and still do to this day.
You’ll need to look into each one in more detail (there’s a possibility that this is something I could expand on in the future) and really get to grips with them.
Once you’ll unleash the power they possess you’ll find yourself swamped with visitors and will need to focus on other areas such as conversions thereafter to deal with this traffic.
Not a bad place to be, huh?
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Gareth Roberts 
Amazing, this is a significant listing. I actually will most likely not have one cause some of their levels of competition provide more value. Or it could be they’ll increase it over period.
Thanks!
I could have sworn I’ve been to this site before but after going through the articles I realized it’s new to me! Anyhow, I’m definitely delighted I stumbled upon it and I’ll be back!
And you are most welcome Daniella
You’ve made some decent points there Gareth. I looked on the web to learn more about traffic and
found most people will agree with your views on this website. thanks
Angelia
Glad you were able to take something out of it Angelia
I’m not that much of an online reader to be honest but your sites really nice, keep it up! I’ll go ahead and bookmark your website.
Many thanks
Appreciated Cindy!
First of all I want to say wonderful blog! I was curious to find out how you center yourself and
clear your thoughts before writing. I have had a difficult time clearing my thoughts
in getting my ideas out. I truly do take pleasure in writing but it just seems like the
first 10 to 15 minutes tend to be lost simply just trying to figure
out how to begin. Any recommendations or hints? Thank you!
Take a walk in the park, or get away from your computer for 15 mins before you begin writing. See what happens…
Hi Gareth! Someone in my Facebook group shared this website with us so I came to check it out. I’m definitely enjoying the information. Fantastic blog and excellent style and design.
Thanks Karen
Can I just say what a relief to uncover somebody who really knows what they are discussing online. You actually know how to bring a problem to light – I always struggle with traffic! i need to start building relationships online with partners in my sector. Thanks!
Thanks! I would certainly recommend that you do so Geraldine. Check out the first section on Networking in my free eBook Unorthodox Marketing for more on this.
Bookmarked!! I really like your site!
Appreciated Stephanie!
Very energetic post, I loved that about it. Will there be a part 2?
The next time you use Social Media it’s important remember it’s potential power and always be on the lookout for ways you can use it to your advantage. Your presence online is what a majority of your customers will base their opinion off of, so spend extra time and money on cleaning up your name, if it’s been damaged by negative reviews or unhappy customers. Submitting articles is an excellent way to market your website.
Touche. Sound arguments. Keep up the good work.
And you know what they say: “once on the internet, stays on the internet”.
Constantly run 2 ads on Adwords for every ad group.
There are many different features like your own profile, blogging updates, Street Talk, the ability to comment and like Street Articles Facebook page, Street Articles Google + page, Street Articles
Twitter Page, and the ability to interact with the owners
(not to a great extent, they are quite busy).
Very true Harold… very true.
But now, with the prevalence of social media accounts, caretakers
must now tackle the hurdle that is their loved one’s online presence.
Your presence online is what a majority of your customers will base their opinion off of, so
spend extra time and money on cleaning up your name,
if it’s been damaged by negative reviews or unhappy customers.
After so much spent or so many visits, offer a free product
or percent off.
But now, with the prevalence of social media accounts,
caretakers must now tackle the hurdle that is their loved one’s online presence.
Promote multiple affiliate programs in your website but
don’t promote every little thing the world has to offer.
To learn more about meta keywords and search engine optimization, read
up here: Optimizing Search Engine Results with Meta Keywords.
I’ve learn several good stuff here. Definitely value bookmarking for
revisiting. Im surprised how much attempt you place to create one of these excellent informative website.