What business owner wouldn’t love getting free traffic to their website? Especially visitors already seeking their specific product or service?
Organic web traffic refers to visitors who find and access a website through search engines or other online channels without paid promotions. Increasing organic traffic is a critical part of online marketing as it drives free, high-quality traffic to a website, which can lead to increased brand exposure, lead generation, and sales.
Though technically free, growing organic website traffic does require time and strategic effort. Below are seven tips to help increase organic traffic:
Get to know your target customer.
Any efforts to attract customers are best rooted in adding real value. Knowing who your target customers are, what they want, and how they shop informs both the content you include and the way you present it on your website. It can also help focus your marketing efforts on other platforms that channel visitors to your site.
Add value even before they are a customer.
Producing high quality content that adds value to your target audience is crucial for increasing organic traffic. Businesses should focus on content that is informative, engaging, and relevant to their target audience. Content can come in various forms such as blog posts, infographics, videos, e-books, case studies, before-and-afters, and webinars. Business owners can also improve technical aspects of a website, such as site speed, mobile-friendliness, and schema markup to enhance the website’s appearance and user experience.
Optimize your website for searchability and shareability.
It’s important to prime your website for search engines. Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of priming a website to rank higher on search engines such as Google, Yahoo, and Bing. Strong headlines and internal links help attract visitors and facilitate sharing. Additionally, businesses should ensure that their website’s content is relevant, high-quality, and optimized for target keywords.
Regarding keywords, many Google search results include a section called Google’s “People also ask,” which shows other relevant queries or questions people enter when searching. Businesses can mine this section for relevant keywords to include in their website content. Additionally, including content on a website that addresses these queries may lead to a site being indexed to the answer, increasing organic traffic.
Hang out in online communities and forums.
Participating in online communities and forums relevant to a business’s niche can drive traffic to their website. By answering questions, providing solutions, and sharing relevant content (that you create and include on your site based on their questions and concerns), businesses can establish themselves as experts in their fields and attract potential customers to their website.
Leverage social media
Social media is an excellent platform for businesses to engage with their target audience and drive traffic back to their website. By consistently posting engaging content and interacting with followers, businesses can build a strong social media presence and attract more followers to their website. Social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and LinkedIn can also be used to promote blog posts, product pages, and other content on the website. Social media can provide opportunities for collaboration and cross promotion which can drive website traffic.
One note: make sure people can easily find your site by linking to it wherever possible and including the URL in your profile.
Use online directories and review sites.
Listing a business with online directories and review sites, such as Yelp, Google My Business, and TripAdvisor, can increase a company’s visibility and help build credibility and trust among potential customers. Encouraging and incentivizing customers to leave reviews is important as positive reviews can drive more traffic to a website.
Email marketing catered to the individual.
Email marketing is an effective way to nurture leads and drive traffic to a website. Businesses can use it to promote new products, share blog posts, and offer exclusive deals to subscribers. To increase open rates, businesses should focus on creating engaging subject lines, personalizing content, and segmenting their email lists based on recipients' interests.
By implementing these strategies, businesses can drive free, high-quality traffic to their website and ultimately boost their business.