The content you create is one of the most important aspects when starting a blog, new website, or online business. However, at the end of the day, promoting your content and driving traffic to your site is the most crucial element in converting your visitors into customers.
With over a billion active websites on the internet today, the competition is fierce and it’s basically a numbers game. Which means that the more traffic you have, the better your chances of surviving and thriving online.
To compete in this arena, you need to create better content, provide more value compared to your competition, and ultimately ensure your content is found by your audience by having a clear marketing strategy. Focusing only on great content will get you nowhere.
However, spending a massive budget each month to get traffic flowing to a site is not something everyone can afford. Fortunately, people can increase exposure, increase backlinks, and increase traffic for free using a variety of methods.
However, most people have said that it is impossible to do so. Also, very few people have the correct answer to this impossible quiz.
12 different internet entrepreneurs from the YEC community were asked questions on how to increase traffic without a budget and here are some of their tips.
1. Step up your social media game.
In recent years, social media has come to play a pivotal role when it comes to branding and marketing. Also, if you’ve spent any time on the internet, you’ll notice that big businesses have embraced it, small and medium-sized businesses have embraced it, and entrepreneurs as well.
It is essential that you take advantage of the reach of the audience that comes from social networks. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ are some of the social media channels you should really focus on. They provide a platform to engage and interact with your customers, as well as share the latest content with them and increase traffic without a budget.
How to promote website content on social media.
Make sure your follow buttons are visible somewhere on your site. This will also make it easier for people to follow your business. This is a great way to keep in touch with your customers and learn about their behavior and needs.
Be sure to post often and be consistent in creating high-quality custom images. Also, ask your customers to share the content to increase reach. This can be improved by adding a share button. Sharing your content online can start a chain reaction and can be used to start an organic campaign that might even go viral.
Follow the one in seven rule.
This rule has been applied by various companies over time and is still valid even if it sounds like a cliché. This rule states that one out of every seven posts must be a promotional post. The rest of the six posts should focus on valuable content and aim to inform your audience about your niche.
Get feedback from your customers.
It has been shown that most people like to talk about themselves, whether they like to admit it or not. You can use this fact to your advantage by having your audience express their opinions about your products. You should try to make the questions attractive and interesting. This will allow you to identify the needs and preferences of the market. This will help you target your content to provide solutions to these needs.
Say “No” to syndicated status updates.
Using timed and synchronized publishing software can cause your audience to lose interest in your content, as they think it lacks authenticity. This is because your customers vary from platform to platform and you shouldn’t use generic content to appeal to all of them. In the long run, customers may move to a different platform and end up leaving you when they find out you’re not genuine.
2. Respond to comments.
Engaging with customers and website readers is important, but most businesses often ignore this. This is because the lack of interaction between customers and the business will cause customers to ignore blog posts and most social media updates. Responding to comments will get more people to post to your blog, thereby increasing your blog’s or website’s standing as a trusted and authoritative source of valuable content.
3. Create a blog.
According to a HubSpot survey, 60% of businesses with blogs attract more customers than those without blogs. A blog allows your customers to see the human side of your business and connect with you on a human level. This will also help improve your search engine rankings due to the volume of pages indexed.
4. Learn SEO.
Learn search engine optimization to increase your site’s search engine ranking. This is because most people use search engines to find the services they may need. That’s why you need to take search engine optimization seriously.
The basics of SEO.
Always use keywords appropriately, but avoid stuffing them into your post. This is because when people search for something online, they usually type in the keywords. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or Long tail Pro can be used to help you use keywords appropriately. However, Google will mark your site as spam if you use too many keywords in your content.
Always update your content because sites with new content always rank higher compared to sites with older posts.
Get quality links by having your website URL on other trusted sites. This will cause search engines to identify your site as an authoritative site. This will lead to your site being promoted and appearing higher in search engine results. To get these links, you need to provide great content as well as giveaways and also ask for a link from people who have used your product.
5. Have a quality website.
Today, you can get a professional looking website without spending a fortune which wasn’t possible in the past. Squarespace and WordPress provide amazing templates and themes that can be used to make your site compete with professionally designed custom websites.
An informative ‘about page’ is essential to guide anyone who stumbles upon your page. This will increase the chances of conversion.
Using testimonials can also increase trust among users who are new to your website. Make sure your site is easy to navigate, as users often reject a site that has a difficult interface.
final thoughts
As you continue to look for ways to increase traffic without a budget, be sure to use the information above consistently, you can learn more as you go. The tips above can be used as a point of reference when formulating your strategy. Remember to constantly update your content and soon you will be an expert.