4 BASIC TIPS TO INCREASE TRAFFIC ON YOUR WEBSITE WITHOUT SPENDING ON ADVERTISING
Since this is one of the most frequent questions I receive from my clients, I want to share some tips for increasing traffic to your website without spending on advertising. This is clearly more of an introduction for those who have just created their own website and are wondering how to attract more traffic so that their efforts are not in vain... (since even creating a website can take a long time , and it would be a waste not to get results afterwards). So you have to take it as a simple guide (also because to write a complete article on the topic you would need at least 1000 pages...)
​
​
Tip 1: Optimize your SEO (Search Engine Optimization).
In the end, Google always rules (social networks change, fashions change, but there is one constant over the last 20 years: everyone uses Google as the main search engine), so not meeting its expectations would be like giving up a considerable part of your potential audience.
SEO is the art of strategically writing and designing your website to get more traffic from search engines.
SEO is crucial to the success of your business, as good visibility in search engines can make all the difference. Although it is a complex and constantly evolving subject, it is essential to understand some basic concepts.
Google uses changing algorithms to evaluate websites and decide which ones deserve to appear in the top search results; and it does so based on several factors:
Website speed: how quickly the pages and content load (the choice of hosting and image format is very important here).
Quality content: if the contents of your website are valuable, original, fresh, easy to read and answer the real questions that people search for on Google itself (there are several tools to know exactly what the search trends are and how use them to your advantage).
User experience: how user-friendly the design is for visitors (how much your website adapts to the mobile version plays a key role here, since most browsing today takes place via mobile).
External links or references: how many other websites link to yours (here it is important to know that it is a question related to the quality of the content and that it is not just the number of websites that redirect to yours that matters, but rather the quality of these originating sites ).
Now that we know the important factors (there are many others) everything is much easier, because the rule is logical: the better you rank in these aspects, the more likely your website is to appear in search results. If you want to be found by people organically (for free), it is essential to optimize your website for SEO.
​
​
​
Tip 2: do quality content marketing
The content you create on your website is essential for attracting visitors, as it is the reason they should visit it and, among other things, it represents your differentiator from others.
Every day, millions of people search online for answers to questions and solutions to problems, and your goal should be to offer answers and solutions to a specific group of these people: I'm talking about those who represent your target audience.
​
While it may seem very complicated and time-consuming, writing an SEO-optimized blog or drafting something similar is still an extremely effective way to drive organic (free) traffic to your website. The trick is to write posts and articles that answer specific questions from your audience (don't stick to the general). The article you are reading right now on my site could be an example, although it is a fairly general topic, and it is always best to make them as specific as possible.
Obviously it is almost impossible for Consulting Ad Hoc (my website) to appear on the first page for generic searches like "marketing strategies" or "SEO" or "increase your web traffic", but surely this article can help me appear more high in Google results for more specific keywords (so-called "longtail" keywords). Furthermore, writing a blog is not the only way to create quality content on your website (although it is probably still the best in my opinion), because there are also other content formats such as videos (another format that certainly in has increased its influence in recent years) and audio (think podcasts). The only important thing is to understand where your target audience is and try to answer their questions so that they see you as a reference in your sector.
​
Quality content is what will attract people to your site, build trust in you or your business, motivate them to sign up for more information, and ideally, make a purchase of your services or the product you sell.
​
Tip 3: Get your own referrals and guest content
Another way to increase relevant traffic to your website is to seek visibility through third parties who have a larger audience than yours. This can be achieved in several ways:
​
One of these is being mentioned in other media, such as YouTube videos, interviews in podcasts related to your niche or complementary; The truth is that it is not that simple, because normally you have to already be little known for someone to agree to interview you on their channel (whatever it is), but perhaps if you have someone you know who is better positioned than you in this aspect, you could ask them for a favor and, why not, offer him a form of collaboration that could also be beneficial to him in the future
Another way is participation in public events and seminars: even if we live in a world that works remotely and communicates online, do not underestimate the power of talking to people face to face, precisely because it will be one of the few opportunities you will have to make them remember you. Meeting someone in person is not the same as talking to them on the phone or in a video call. The human touch is very powerful, so take advantage of it.
Finally, you could guest write for larger websites that appeal to your target audience and talk about a more specific topic that you feel very strongly about and where your contribution could be seen as valuable.
​​
In the end, it's not about appearing in every possible media, but rather appearing in those that could bring you ideal traffic. So the important thing is to do it, even if little by little. And remember that these people or channels that invite you will also have to share the link to your website or it won't do you much good.
​
Tip 4: Take advantage of social media
It is certainly a fairly broad topic (like all the ones we talked about in this article), but as far as social media is concerned we will only write some guidelines, given that there are different rules for each platform (they are complete worlds and mostly more independent); so, without further ado:
​
Use relevant hashtags related to your target audience.
Participate actively in communities (for example Facebook groups, although it is better to check before you can share links and "sell" your services and skills, otherwise you could waste time unnecessarily).
Use all the social networks available if your target audience is there: Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok and Youtube are undoubtedly the most famous, but there are also Pinterest, Quora, Reddit, Medium, WhatsApp and new applications come out every day which could be essential for your niche and not to be missed.
And another thing to keep in mind is the issue of metrics: don't get obsessed with low-value metrics like Like or Follow. It's not about quantity but quality. You can create a post that only 10 people like, but if you find one within them that hires you, that post will be worth as much as one that 10k people like and that only brings you one client.
​
We are already done with the advice, but remember: if you want someone to guide you to bring more traffic to your website, you can also hire someone who knows more than you on the subject, or pay for a course that gives you the elements to be independent and do it efficiently.