How to drive traffic to your website
To be successful online it takes a lot more than simply
building a website. With the ever increasing number of sites on the web,
even if you have a great looking site, unless you work hard at
attracting people to your site it will go unnoticed or be quickly
forgotten. Driving traffic to your site is the key to success, but how
can this be done? Here are a few handful of hints to help you get
started.
Hint no.1: Produce tons of content
Create compelling content that people want to spend time with. If you
don't think that your organisation has anything interesting to say than
start by thinking of all the different territories or associations that
your brand can be linked with. Once you have these in mind you have a
starting points to think about for new content.
Hint no.2: Put the content everywhere
'Build it and they will come' may have worked in the field of dreams,
but it won't work for your website. You need to shout about your
website! Everytime you post new content or have something to offer make
sure that it appears everywhere on the web. You never know what might
catch someone's attention. Don't just focus on getting content put on
the popular sites like facebook, youtube, etc., but push it out to all
the less popular sites as well - people are everywhere on the web and
not just using mainstream channels.
Hint no.3: Capture your audience
Every time someone comes to your site you need to capture information
from them. The most useful information is their email address. Although
measuring hits on a website was deemed a great way to see if your site
was doing well, what good is it to you if you don't know how to get in
touch with these people again. Make sure that people are encouraged to
provide information, but use this information wisely.
Hint no.4: Mobilize your audience
If people have provided you with information it means that they are
interested in your organisation. So use these people to spread the word
even further. Find out what they follow on the web, what groups or blogs
they take part in. Communicate in a personal way with them so that they
feel like they are important to your organisation and then encourage
them to spread the word about your site.
Hint no.5: Talk and listen
The one-way dialogue that organisations used to participate in is over.
Consumers are now more interested in hearing what their peers say about a
certain organisation or product than from hearing directly from the
organisation itself. Provide your consumers with the ability to give
their opinions and monitor what they are saying about you online.