The Internet opens your business and your brand to hundreds of millions of people worldwide. With just a simple website, you have the potential to reach more consumers today than at any time in human history. The world is at your virtual doorstep, waiting to see what you have to offer.
If they can find you.

The Internet can connect you and your business with anyone in the world, but that also means you’re now competing with businesses of all kinds, also all over the world. With so many potential customers on the Internet, it’s all but certain that you provide exactly what someone is looking for at this very moment.

But will they be able to find you?

The key to connecting with customers and potential customers is to increase traffic on your website among people most likely to be your customers. That’s one of the key goals of digital marketing, and there are many tactics available to help make that happen.

Most people will not type your website directly into a web browser and head straight there. Most people find brands or companies on the Internet through searches. So your job is to be where your customers are, make it easier for them to find you.

All traffic is good, but some traffic is better than others. The best visitors to your site are the people who already are interested in what you have to offer and are looking to buy or find out more.
That’s one of the key goals of digital marketing: connecting people with the brands and businesses they’re looking for.

Here are 9 steps to help get your message in front of potential customers and increase the traffic on your website.

1. Measure first. The first step in boosting your Internet traffic is knowing how much traffic you have now. Use Google Analytics or another analytics platform to see how many people are visiting your site now. A good analytics program also will show you how long people are spending on your site, what they’re looking at and how they ended up on your site in the first place. Knowing this information can help you target your effort to increase traffic, and it also helps you know what efforts work and what don’t.

2. Be mobile. Most web surfing now is completed on cell phones and other mobile devices. It’s likely consumers will continue to use mobile devices even more often in the future. Make sure your website and posts are designed to look good on mobile browsers.

3. Be fast. Make sure your site loads quickly. Too many large images can slow the page.

4. Search Engine Optimization. Research the keywords that attract people to your site. What are your customers and potential customers looking for? What words are your competitors using? Sprinkle those keywords throughout your website, and be sure to use them in blogs and social media posts.

5. Be an expert. You know your business, your industry and your customers. Find out what your customers and potential customers want to know about, and become an expert on that topic. Create blog posts, social media posts or videos that answer common questions and provide your viewers with information that is useful and helpful to them. That will give them a reason to visit your website regularly.

6. Be social. Post regularly to social media, and direct people back to your website for more information. Different social media platforms have different audiences. Be on several platforms to attract a broader audience. But be sure to tailor your messages to those channels and their readers, using the proper writing style and tone for each platform.

7. Be interactive. Ask questions, and answer questions that are posed to you. Reply to other people’s social media and blog posts about topics you and your customers are interested in. Answer questions on sites like Quora.

8. Use strong headlines. Consumers often will see only the headline of your blog or the first few words of your social media posts before deciding whether to click and see the rest of the information. Make sure those first few words catch people’s attention and draws them in for more.

9. Advertise. The above suggestions are organic. They can be slower to develop, but they are less expensive. And their results tend to last longer. Paid advertising can compliment or boost an organic strategy by providing a quick jump in the number of people who see your message. Pay-Per-Click advertising can move your listing to the top of a search engine results page. Banner advertisements can help people see your message and have the opportunity to click for more information. Paid boosts to social media posts can make sure many more people see what you’re sharing. Paid advertising also allows you to target specific locations and demographics, allowing you to better reach customers and potential customers.

If you would like help developing a plan to boost your website traffic or you’re looking for an evaluation of your existing efforts, we’d love to help. Contact us for a free consultation, which includes a free digital marketing health checkup. We’ll help you see what’s working and how it could be working better. You can reach AdEdge at info@adedgemarketing.com or at (203) 682-4585.