Wouldn't it be great if once we finished all the work of creating a website, people flocked there of their own accord? I wish it worked that way, but alas, we have to get them to visit.
Here are some quick tips on increasing your traffic:
• Make sure your web URL is on every, and I mean EVERY source of information you send out. (Your URL is the address people type to get to your website, like www.cocacola.com.) That includes your business card, email signature, letterhead, footer of your invoices, direct mail materials, brochures, etc. Gather up all the materials you mail, email and send out in other ways and check to see you haven't missed anything.
• When posting comments online, write your website like this: http://www.yourwebsite.com, not just www.yourwebsite.com. When you include the http stuff it makes your URL a link so people can easily just click and visit you, rather than having to retype or cut and paste.
• Don't have a flash website, have an .html one. You can ask your web programmers to see what kind you have. Flash sites have lots of cool graphics and movement but they are notoriously hard for search engines to find. If you have a flash, start thinking about changing it over to .html in future so that people who are searching for your type of product or service can more easily find you.
• Use Google Analytics. It's a fantastic FREE service Google offers that lets you track and measure your site traffic in amazing detail. I would be lost without it. You can get it at http://www.google.com/analytics/. Once you start driving more traffic to your site you'll want to see how you're doing. Google Analytics will tell you.
• Consider authoring articles and posting them to online article aggregators like http://www.amazines.com and http://www.ezinearticles.com. You can draft a piece of around 450 words about your area of expertise and provide a little bio of you and link to your site. It creates more avenues for people to find you.
• Give people a reason to go to your website. Offer something free for them to claim and then put that offer on your business card
and email signature. I created a 5 part e-course on how to make reporters sit up, say "Wow!" and cover your story. What can you offer that makes use of your expertise?
Implement these tips and watch your web traffic climb upwards.
Barbara Wayman, president of BlueTree Media, LLC, publishes The Stand Out Newsletter, an award-winning ezine for people who want to know how to leverage the power of marketing and public relations. Get your free subscription today at http://BlueTreeMedia.com/ezine.html
This article may be reprinted when the copyright and author bio are included.
©2009 Barbara Wayman, BlueTree Media, LLC.
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