It can be easy to feel like a small fish in a big pond online. You’ll more than likely be up against bigger, more established competitors, and may feel you lack the knowledge, tools, and employees to effectively compete. Yet, it is possible to stand out online. Here’s how to attract traffic to your small business website.
Develop an Aesthetically-Pleasing Website
Consumers are looking for brands they can trust, and a professional looking website can encourage confidence in your business. It’s essential to develop and maintain an aesthetically-pleasing website that is easy to navigate and features clear information, so you can quickly and easily assist your visitors. As a result, they will be more likely to explore your site and make a purchase. What’s more, a pleasant online experience can encourage them to return in the future and refer your website to their loved ones, which can increase traffic.
Optimize Your Website
A search engine optimization (SEO) campaign will ultimately make or break your success online. It is the process of increasing your site’s visibility in the search engines, so you can enjoy a considerable amount of organic traffic to your landing pages, which can increase your conversion rate. You should, therefore, focus on optimizing your website with the appropriate keywords, title tags, header tags and meta tags.
Focus on Local SEO
Do you run a small business in a town or city? Want to connect with residents online? You must focus on local SEO to do so. According to Google, 4 out of 5 consumers use search engines to identify the best local businesses, which can considerably increase a company’s footfall to their physical store, agency, or practice. So, whatever your business or industry, consult with a leading local SEO expert who can help you rank online for your city or town.
Blog Regularly on Your Website
Many websites foolishly do not make time to write and publish regular blog posts. Drive a substantial amount of traffic to your small company’s site by consistently publishing well-written, informative, and entertaining blog posts, which relate to your industry and will answer your target audience’s questions. Think about your target market every time you write a blog post, so you can produce content that answers their questions, solves their problems, and increases their knowledge. Aim to write a minimum of two articles on your website per week to enjoy consistent traffic, which can result in increased online sales and physical footfall to your online store. Keeping your content current can actively help in boosting your numbers, purely due to the fact you are posting consistently, as opposed to getting lost due to the date of your last post.
Use the Power of Social Media
Social media allows small companies to connect with a considerable number of users in an instant. Leverage the many different platforms and find out the favorite channels of your target demographic. For example, B2B clients are more likely to hang out on LinkedIn, whilst B2C companies must have a presence on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter to engage with their target audience.
Focus on developing unique yet engaging social media blog posts that will capture your target market’s attention, and will ultimately make them want to learn more about your brand and visit your website. However, you must not use social media to purely promote your company, as you should aim to become a trusted, entertaining resource. So, share other people’s content, ask your followers various questions, and run exciting contests that will capture users’ attention.
Promote Your Website In-Store
Do you have plenty of footfall to your store, but limited website traffic? Promote your site in-store. If consumers do not know a website exists then they may never visit, so you should encourage them to visit your website. Add your URL to your retail bags, business cards, and gift cards. As a result, they may visit your website to make a purchase when they cannot make it to your store, and it will provide another opportunity to promote your new product ranges, company news, and upcoming in-store events.
Routinely Review Your Web Traffic
If you want to maximize your success online, you need to identify where the best referral traffic is coming from each day. For example, reviewing your website’s Google Analytics report will help you to discover if your SEO efforts are paying off, and how many people are visiting your website via social media, third-party URLs, and PPC campaigns. It can also help you to spot traffic drops and identify where you have wasted your time, so you can focus on more profitable marketing avenues. Also, review the most popular content on your website, so you can provide your target audience with similar articles that complement their interests.
Run a PPC Campaign
Struggling to compete with more established rivals online? Give yourself a fighting chance with a PPC advertising campaign. This will allow you to rank at the top of the search engines for select keywords, so you can drive a flurry of traffic back to your website. After initial testing, you should roll out a PPC campaign on a grand scale to enjoy cheap and quick traffic to your website from genuine users, which could help you experience a fantastic return on your investment. Use Google AdWords to enjoy instant traffic to your site with no queuing, as your ad will go live as soon as you pay for your chosen keywords.
Conclusion
Running a website is like running a second business if you sell products both offline and online. You, therefore, need to embark on different marketing campaigns to promote your brand online and compete with your large and small competitors. You must also consistently review your traffic reports, so you can learn from your mistakes and move forward. By doing so, you will soon drive a considerable amount of traffic to your small business website, which can help your brand compete with more established industry rivals.
