10 Ways to Increase Targeted Traffic to Your Website [Back]
Do you have a website that isn't bringing the level of customer response you had hoped for? While increasing traffic to a website is an art as well as a science, below are 10 proven techniques to help let your audience know that you're out there:
1. Research can be done to determine the most popular key phrases used by your target audience when they search for your service or product. These phrases need to be incorporated within the site's copy and tags, and pages should be developed around them.
2. You'll want to have relevant, quality content for your visitors. Giving tips or providing the latest findings in your industry can benefit both your customers and your organization's ranking in the search engines.
3. Inbound links (links from other sites) to your site, (especially from sites that are highly ranked in the search results and are significant in your industry), will boost your search rankings. It's important to have inbound links go to interior pages that are more relevant to customers' needs (rather then just linking to the home page). Take into consideration the anchor text that is used when developing these links; they should incorporate your key phrases as much as possible.
4. Pages must be search engine optimized with unique titles, descriptions, and addresses for every page. Also, make sure that all of your site's pages are accessible within 3 clicks from the home page.
5. To help with listings in search engines such as Google, you need to be able to provide both HTML and XML sitemaps for your site. Also, using tools such as Google's Webmaster Tools and Google Analytics can help fine-tune pages and content for Google.
6. Demonstrate your organization's expertise with the writing and provision of articles to various online article directories. Consider the use of blogs and RSS feeds in article distribution, as well as communication vehicles like Squidoo and Hubpages to help demonstrate expertise to your customers.
7. A website might be an online traffic "hub" where sections of the site are developed to provide information related to the site's main theme. For instance, a website for a realtor might provide information about how to obtain favorable loans from a lending institution. These areas need to be developed with keywords and information that help the target audience (and search engines) see you as an expert in your field. A directory should be devoted to each section so that your site's web addresses reflect the availability of such information.
8. Blogs can be developed with keyword "tagging" and the ability to automatically "ping" blogging services whenever updates are made to the site. Whether a blog or regular website structure (or both) are used for your organization's site, social bookmark buttons on your pages will help visitors easily bookmark your content and spread the word about your site.
9. Strive to develop a relationship with your customers and make sure you obtain your targeted traffic's contact information. In exchange for offerings such as a free report, newsletter, or promotional deal, your target audience may agree to provide contact information such as their email address and name.
10. Through search engine advertising vehicles such as Google AdWords, advertising budgets can be set and changed quickly, ads can be targeted geographically, and results can be measured in real time.
These are just some of the methods used to increase targeted traffic to your site. Search Engine Optimization and Search Engine Marketing encompass a wealth of tools and techniques to help target your customers. If you need further information, or would like to know how Imagine might be able to help your organization, give us a call at 574-233-9903.
Related article: Developing Your Website As An Effective Marketing Tool