Small business owners often put their heart and soul into a website, only to find it does not draw in traffic because of improper SEO practices. Without visitors coming to your site, your business suffers, and you grow frustrated. Before hiring a professional to analyze your site, try the tricks listed below to improve your traffic flow.
Don’t Get Stuck in a Social Media Rut
If your business doesn’t have a presence on social media, start building one now. You cannot afford to lose out on social media markets as your competitors draw consumers away. Some businesses have established a presence on one or two social media sites, but do not explore outside those territories. Regardless of who your target audience is, your business must have a presence on multiple social media sites with properly formatted SEO. Establish content on each of the following:
- YouTube (how-to videos or product features)
- Tumblr
The beauty of social media posts is reusing content or redirecting users back to your primary site. Simply update content on your site and post links with imagery on the social media sites.
Perfect Your SEO
Most web developers try to optimize SEO during the building process. If your site is not receiving the traffic you expected, you may need to make changes. Use specific long-tail keywords, two to five words each. For example, if you own a restaurant in the Bronx, a long-tail keyword can be “best restaurants in the Bronx.” Target keywords to your local area, by imagining what consumers search phrases are being used by consumers.
Write unique titles and descriptions for every page on your website. Duplicating content will result in lower search engine rankings. Place keywords first, in a natural way. These descriptions will also need to target the local area. Make the content descriptive, yet easy to read. Bars are a good method: Best Indian Restaurants | The Bronx | Patel’s Indian Food
Don’t be an SEO Slacker
Provide readers with frequent, high-quality (SEO Optimized) content. Stale websites receive lower rankings in search engines, so keep your website current and relevant. Writing about current events or local festivals can produce traffic results. Work to update your site at least once a week, preferably more. Engage with social media users daily, interacting in conversations and answering questions.
Be Involved in Your Industry
Actively engage in your field and establish a name for yourself. If you have a small business selling organic vegetables, discuss local farmer markets or share recipes. Give readers a reason for an initial visit, then give incentive for their return. Some businesses can also be creative with establishing how-to guides or instructional manuals. For example, a power washing business can post a how-to guide for power washing. The content can then give instruction but encourage the reader to save time and use the company instead.
Switch up Media
Readers dislike sites only containing text. Use various forms of media to spice up your site. High-quality imagery with captions, infographics, videos, and podcasts are all engaging options. This type of content is also attractive and easy to share on social media accounts. Slideshows and YouTube video links on websites can also be popular.
Pay-Per-Click Advertising
To jump-start the traffic on your site, you may want to consider pay-per-click advertising. Advertising with this technique requires the advertiser to pay only if the ad is clicked. Google and Bing have advertising available on an auction basis. The process is in-depth and can take more time than you have available. If you are willing to put in the work, there are online tutorials to help you. Companies are also available for hire to complete the task for you.
Guest Blogging
Guest blogging is an under-utilized method to draw traffic to your site. Find bloggers or other business owners in the same or related fields. You can then exchange guest blog posts, which gives your website fresh content. Post links to the other business on your site and encourage the other business to do the same. Although no one completely understands Google’s algorithms, it is known that backlinks from other sites still improve rankings.
Add Click to Share Buttons to Your Site
If your website does not include buttons to share content on social media sites, you are missing out on potential traffic. Readers may come across your site, find interesting content, and want to share. This is awesome! It means your content is engaging and relevant. Give the reader the option to perform free marketing for your website by offering the share buttons.
Publish Lists Relevant to Your Industry
People perusing the internet love coming across easy to read lists. Ensure the list is relevant to your industry and be creative. Companies that sell clothing may want to create a list of the “Top Ten Trends for Spring.” Bloggers can be more creative with the content, if it fits the target audience’s interests.
Reach out to Imagine Monkey if you need help with Local SEO or just your overall Organic SEO strategies. One of our specialists will be happy to help review your current SEO strategy and formulate a plan to enhance your SEO presence online.
Updated: 3/1/2023
