Benefits of Generating Website Traffic
We ask our client’s what the goal of their website is. Most often it is to increase their sales and leads. In order to meet their goals, they need to increase their website traffic. We do this organically through search engine optimization and other digital marketing channels.
Our Generating Website Traffic Email
We send an email to our customers after we launch their new or updated website. We’re sharing this letter on our blog to help you generate website traffic. Let us know which information you find helpful or like some more information. If you don’t have the time to act on these steps, we’re available for hire.
Here is the email:
We’ve worked hard perfecting your website’s look and adding the right content to attract your typical customer and encourage existing customers to visit your new or revised website.
Since your website is now live, it helps to understand your site’s activity to generate website traffic. However, it’s important to understand customer behavior before you can take steps to increase website activity.
Are people spending a few seconds on your home page and leaving (referred to as your bounce rate)? If that is true, then people are not finding what they’re searching for or give up on looking at your website.
Are they digging deeper into your website to learn about your company and your products or services? If so, which pages do they view, and what calls to action are working? If you know the answer to these questions, you can improve your conversion rate and increase your sales.
First, we’ll review the features of Google’s toolbox, and then we’ll provide some tips on increasing your local search results and wrap up with some basic digital marketing strategies.
4 Free Steps to Generate Website Traffic
Step 1 – GoogleToolbox
Google Analytics
We created a Google Analytics account to track your website activity when we launched your website. You should have received an email from Google with instructions on accessing your Analytics. If you didn’t receive an email, please reach out to us – you will need a google email address to view the activity.
Google Analytics is a great tool to understand better who visits your website, how they discover your website, and where they go on your website. It also provides some insight to generating website traffic. The reports section includes – Audience, Acquisition, and Behavior.
Google Analytics can be an extremely effective way to track your website’s performance. By becoming familiar with the interface, you can understand what the data tells you to make informed decisions on improving your WordPress website. Please read this Google Analytics beginner’s guide for a better understanding.
Google Search Console
This free service by Google helps you monitor, maintain, and troubleshoot your site’s presence in Google Search results. It confirms that Google can find your website, and new pages will be indexed. It also views Google Search traffic data for your site: how often your site appears in Google Search, which searches queries show your site, how often searchers click through for those queries, and more.
Even if you won’t be using Search Console yourself, you should be aware of it, become familiar with the basics of optimizing your site for search engines, and know what features are available in Google Search. Here is a great article to help you understand the Search Console.
Step 2 – Local SEO
Claim Google Business Listing Profile to Generate Website Traffic
Since Google drives most website traffic, the first thing you want to do is create your Google Business Listing. You want to add your business information, including your business name, address (it’s essential to verify your address and use the same address for other listing websites), phone number, website, hours, etc… Fill out as much information as you possibly can to help generate more website traffic.
Google Reviews
Once Google verifies your listing, encourage your customers to post reviews to your listing by sharing your link to your reviews. Follow these instructions to share your Google Review link . You will be alerted once a review posts, so be sure to reply to the review and personally thank the customer.
Pro Tip – don’t create a generic thank you. Learn how to optimize your reviews. For an example of how to optimize your reviews, check out our Google Reviews.
If you maintain and nurture your Google Business Listing, this will help people find your business when they search locally or use the term “near me.”
Add your information to local listing websites
Add your business name, address, website address, and phone number to relevant websites related to your business. For example, if you’re in the tourism industry, add your listing to tripadvisor.com, yelp.com, yellowpages.com, bing.com, and foursquare.com. If you’re a chamber member, be sure to double-check your current listing information, including your website address.
Pro Tip – Double check your business information is correct and ensure it is in the same format everywhere.
Step 3 – Spread the Word on Social Media
Announce your new/ revised website on your social media platforms – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Youtube, Linkedin, etc..… Let people know why you launched the website and the benefits they’ll get.
If you’ve set up a Constant Contact sign-up form, let folks know they’ll be the first to know about your new products/services, sales, etc..… Better yet, run a new website launch contest – 1st xx amount of people to sign up receive a coupon!
Step 4 – Digital Marketing
Google Pay Per Click Ads
If your domain name is brand new, it might take Google a while to index your website and rank your new website on its search engine. If you’re eager to drive traffic to your website, you might be interested in their Pay Per Click Program. They will place an ad on the search term you want and charge you every time somebody clicks on your website. The cost for your click depends upon the search term. You can use their Keyword Planner to discover the price and discover the best keywords. To start your ad campaign, go to https://ads.google.com/home and sign in with your Google account. It is best to set up a daily maximum budget. You can set up your ad to target a specific geographical area.
Facebook Ads
Facebook is great for targeting your customers and your target audience. Besides targeting a geographical area, you can target people by traits and personal information. For example, suppose you’re a contractor in Barnstable. In that case, you can create an audience in a geographical area for Barnstable and narrow it down to homeowners within a certain age making a certain income. Be aware that Facebook users are browsing their feed and do not necessarily have a contractor project in mind. In contrast, a Google Ad results for people searching for a specific project.
If you go with Facebook ads, set a daily budget and limit the number of days to run your ad. You will see a lot of views, but it’s the number of people who visit your website, and you convert that is important.
Email Marketing
Email still is one of the best marketing tools available to gain new customers and keep existing customers informed about your business. As partners with Constant Contact, we can offer you a free trial for your small business by partnering with Constant Contact. Besides sending out a newsletter about new products and services, you can set up email campaigns for birthdays and special offers for joining your mailing list. If you don’t have the time to manage your email campaign, reach out to us for our email marketing special offer for new customers.
At Acorn Digital Marketing, the leading web design company in Cape Cod, we wish you much success with your website, and we appreciate you gave us your business. Remember, we support the functioning of your website for 60 days from the launch date at no charge. You can purchase any additional support for changes or content additions at our hourly rate of $95 or a contact rate of $75 per hour with a minimum charge of six hours per year.
