One of the biggest things people ask me about is how to get traffic to a website. Since that’s what I do, I thought I’d tell you it’s not as hard as you think. There are some easy ways to get traffic to your website that you can totally do yourself. You don’t have to be a marketing expert or an SEO pro to get more traffic You just have to do the work.
I put together a list of the top things I do to get traffic to my website. In fact, I just wrote out a 30 Day Challenge for myself to improve my traffic here at Badass Web Goddess. I’ll be sharing that challenge once I complete it, and show you my results.
Here are 5 easy ways to get traffic to your website.
I call this my Write Share Link Strategy. If you write content for your website, share your content, and add new links to your website consistently, you will start to see big changes in your traffic.
Set up a Google My Business Account
This is my first recommendation for any business owner. It is one of the easiest ways to get traffic to your website. If you don’t have a Google My Business account, this is a must-have for any local business. This is how people find you in Google Maps. I’ve put together a free badass guide to generating more leads from Google. It will walk you through the steps of setting up your Google My Business profile.
Once you have your account set up, use it! Most people just set up a profile for their business, but don’t fill out the information and don’t use it to actually generate traffic.
Post an update on your Google My Business profile at least once a week.
Don’t overcomplicate this. You can post specials, news, or simply repurpose your social media content. The point is to post on it regularly. Here’s why. Google loves when business owners update their website and Google accounts. Posting updates regularly will help you rank better in Google Maps and let your potential customers know you are engaged in your business.
Post on Social Media
I am going to tell you the truth. I am not a big fan of social media. In general, I think social media is overrated and doesn’t drive as much targeted traffic to a website as SEO does. However, if you want more traffic, you can’t rely on one source.
Social media is my second largest source of traffic. Not only do I get visitors directly from my social media pages and posts, but social media signals are also part of how Google ranks a website. Although social signals play a minor role in SEO, Google sees interactions on your social media as a signal that your content or website is popular.
Don’t just use your Facebook or Instagram page. Post regularly in groups where your customers might participate. This doesn’t have to be a 24-7 project. Pick a couple of times a day to look through Facebook groups for opportunities to answer questions or share your link.
Write a Blog
Today I shared a tip on the most underutilized SEO strategy. Blogging is one of the best ways to get more traffic to your website. When I explain this to clients, not all of them understand why. A blog provides you the opportunity to write highly-targeted content that your customers might search for in Google.
Not only that, but Google loves websites that are updated regularly with content. Think about it. Google crawls through websites to update their index with new and relevant content. If your website isn’t updated, they really don’t have a reason to come back to your site and crawl it.
By adding fresh new content and updating your existing content consistently, you give visitors content to read, and you give Google more reasons to visit your website. If there is nothing new to crawl, they will stop visiting your website as frequently.
Create a Newsletter
This is one easy way to keep your customers connected. A newsletter doesn’t have to be complicated. I like MailChimp for sending newsletters because it’s free and easy to use. You can integrate it with WordPress, Squarespace, Wix, and many other website platforms.
You can create a lead magnet on your website to get people to sign up or just add a newsletter sign up to your site. People that sign up are your fans! These are the people that liked your website enough to sign up for your newsletter. Keep them engaged by sending them updates, specials, or links to your new blog posts.
Use HARO
HARO is an excellent tool for getting traffic and backlinks to your website. If you’ve never heard of HARO (or Help a Reporter Out) it’s a source for journalists to get quotes and interviews for articles they are writing. HARO link building is one of my best SEO strategies. I use it regularly and have been featured in a few interviews like this one from Authority Magazine.
To use HARO visit their website at www.helpareporter.com and sign up for an account. You will receive emails three times a day with queries from reporters. To be effective, you need to check your emails quickly and consistently. Don’t get discouraged if you send a ton of pitches and don’t get replies. It takes time and consistency to make HARO work for you, but using HARO can help your website get featured in leading online publications and also build links and credibility to your website.
I am Patty Malowney, the creator of Badass Web Goddess. I am an Albuquerque SEO and digital marketing consultant. I started my first internet business in 2004 with a $40 garage sale computer and a whole lot of determination. I sold my first website, JustMommies.com to the dating company eHarmony.com in 2008. My website was acquired by another company where I worked as a consultant and editor until July, 2019.
After encouragement from friends and family, I decided to branch out on my own and start my own consulting business. I offer advice and services to local businesses on how they can rank better in Google.
In addition to running Badass Web Goddess, I am an avid blogger. I run several blogs including my internet marketing blog here at Badass Web Goddess. If you love my blog, Follow Me on Facebook or Twitter!