How To Drive Website Traffic

Hello, Summerville! Spring is here and we can’t wait for the weather to continue getting warmer! We hope you are enjoying the weather and taking advantage of all the Lowcountry has to offer. We’re happy to have you here on the Creative Consulting blog where you’ll find the most relevant information about marketing your small business in the digital sphere. From building an outstanding webpage to graphic design to managing your social media to optimizing SEO to building a cohesive brand identity—Creative Consulting covers everything you could possibly need to know to take your business to the next level. We are accepting new clients at this time, so reach out to learn more about our services and meet our team!

Our last article began our series where we shine a spotlight on local businesses in the Charleston area. The first business we highlighted was Coastal Expeditions, Charleston’s premier outfitter for kayak and paddleboat tours, as well as other excursions. These adventures are breathtaking year-round and allow you to see wildlife and view the Lowcountry from a unique perspective! If you’re interested in learning more about Coastal Expeditions, we encourage you to read our last post and visit their website for more information! 

Today, we’ll be veering in a bit of a different direction to talk about how to drive traffic to your website! Having a website for your business is an important way to establish your brand and build credibility. However, you may feel like having a website is a waste of time if no one views it. After all, the goal of having a website is to get people to actually visit it. Your website allows viewers, or potential customers, to learn about your brand and see what you have to offer, so a visit to your website should be a pleasant experience. Luckily, there are numerous ways you can drive traffic to your website. If you’re interested in finding out more, you’re in the right place! Let’s get right into it.

Content Creation

Arguably one of the most important parts of generating traffic is content creation. This is often done through blogging, which attracts your target audience to your website. But before you start a blog, you’ll need to identify your audience– Who are they? Who do you want to visit your website? To do this, you’ll first want to identify your demographic, which is a particular group or sector of a population. Think about your product or service– Is it geared towards a specific gender or age? Is it geared toward people who have a particular interest or hobby? Once you find your demographic, it’ll be easier to see who your target audience is. 

Then, you’ll want to do some basic research. Ask yourself: What is my audience searching for online? What kinds of questions might they have about my product or service? Answering these questions can help you decide topics for your blog. You’ll probably need to do some SEO research for this in order to find the keywords that your audience is entering into search engines like Google. Writing blogs about topics that appeal to your audience or answer questions they may have is a great start to attract people to your website. You can also promote your blogs on social media platforms. As more people look at your blog post, it will rise higher in results in search engines. You’ll also want to use analytics to see how users are engaging with your content. (Google Analytics is a great way to do this.) This will show you data such as how long people spend on your website on average, unique or new visitors, and dimensions like city and country, age group, and language of your website viewers. This, in turn, will help you determine what content is working and what is not, so you can switch your strategies accordingly. 

Create An Email List

When done correctly, email marketing is one of the most powerful ways to reach your target audience and keep them coming back. (Check out our previous blog all about email marketing!) Consider creating a pop-up on your website asking visitors to enter their email address to receive newsletters, or exclusive access to promotions or sales. After all, people visiting your website are more than likely there because they have interest in your business field or the types of products and services you offer. Enticing them with incentives is a great way to get them to visit your website again and again. You can also create a page exclusively for email sign-up. 

If you create and maintain a blog page, consider adding a section on the page where readers can enter their email address. You can accompany this with something along the lines of, “Be the first notified when a new blog is posted!” You may want to avoid using terms like “sign up” or “subscribe”, as they are overused and tend to make people think they are just adding more junk to their inbox. Instead, opt for words like “exclusive” or “featured”, since this can make the reader feel that they are gaining more than just an email. Chances are, if they enjoyed reading your blog, they’ll sign up to get notifications sent to their inbox whenever a new one is posted. With that being said, make sure you follow through on those notifications. Don’t forget to pitch your email list on social media platforms!

Engagement

We cannot stress the importance of engagement enough. Consumers want to see that there is a person behind your account, and that it’s not completely automated. This helps your brand feel more relatable. Even if you use social media management tools, it’s still important to take time to engage with your audience. If someone took the time to leave a comment on your post, give them a like or a simple reply. The way you engage with your audience also depends on who your audience is. Brands like Domino’s Pizza, Taco Bell, and other fast food chains are notorious for their comedic replies on social media platforms, as well as the way they hop on the latest memes and trends, appealing to a younger audience. 
Consider your target audience when posting or replying to comments, and look for opportunities to create “call-to-action” posts. This can be something as simple as asking a question at the end of your post, or something more engaging like asking your followers to create their own post using a specific hashtag. You can also engage your audience by utilizing certain social media platform features. For example, Instagram stories allow you to create polls, quizzes, or have your audience ask you questions with the use of a question “sticker.” If your budget allows, consider accompanying these posts with giveaways of products or discounts. 

QR Codes

A QR code, or quick response code, is a type of barcode that contains data, like website links. These codes can be scanned with smartphones and will take a person directly to a website. They can be placed on just about any flat surface, which makes them great for advertising. You may consider placing a QR Code with a link to your website on your business card, the outside of your product packaging, on a poster in the window of your business (if you have a physical office), flyers, pamphlets… The possibilities are endless!

QR Codes are great because they generate traffic, but you have to keep in mind that you need to intrigue people to actually scan the code. Simply passing out a business card or pamphlet with the code on it doesn’t mean people will scan it– So get creative, and think of ways that you can engage your customers. You might consider a more mysterious approach, like an advertisement featuring your QR Code and a call-to-action approach that advertises your product or services. For example, if your business sells cosmetics, you might want to say something like, “Ready to look flawless?” or “Up your beauty game now”. (Pro tip: Incorporating catchy or memorable phrases can make people more likely to scan the code.) 

Generating website traffic can seem difficult at first, but once you determine your audience and analyze what marketing strategies are working for your business, it’ll be a breeze! We hope you found this article informative and that you feel more confident when it comes to boosting your website traffic. For more marketing and branding expertise, the Creative Consulting blog has you covered.  Tune back in for our future articles! You won’t want to miss it! Feel free to give us a call and set up a consultation. We are dedicated to helping you determine which marketing strategies will work best for your business or brand. Until next time, thank you for reading.