Websites used to be seen as online brochures, you just needed a presence. No need to really drive people there, they’ll find you. After more than ten years of websites like that, and the more recent socialization of the internet we now know how important it is to be found. Would you build a big, beautiful building in the wilds of the Greater Toronto Area and expect people to just stumble in? There’s a lot of competition out there and visitors want to be engaged. You need to give them a reason to go to your site.

Five Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Site

Get Found in Google:
We all know that Google dominates and is the place to be found. It doesn’t hurt to work on getting seen on other search engines, but Google is the benchmark. Web surfers use Google for everything – most people don’t type in your URL even if they know it, they start with Google. They use it to quickly find info more than specific sites.

If your site can’t be found being Googled by your company name, you’re in serious trouble. But, you could also be missing opportunities with all those people who are looking for your services or simply information that brings them to you.

Social Media
Google values social relevance, so having profiles connected to your URL helps. Being socially active helps even more. Use content from your site to generate activity: tweet a status update about your latest blog post, or a case study you’ve just added. It’s best to do so in a social manner, like asking people’s opinions and such, but your ultimate goal can be to drive people to your website. Maybe not in every post, but one in four is fine.

Email Marketing
This can include everything from newsletters, to simple text-based announcements, to ads. It’s a great way to keep in touch with your database, even if they don’t open it. But if they do, make sure there are plenty of links to your site with reasons to click. The secondary reason email marketing is great is it makes it easy to refer you. People can forward it on and say ‘this is that great firm I told you about.’

Traditional Marketing
You probably put your URL on everything you print, at least a part of your contact info. However, this’ll be more effective if you make them a call to action. Give them a reason to go there, like a contest, special offer or a free something. It’s an opportunity to create unique landing pages to better connect to the offline piece and track conversion.

Promise Something Great
The main thing is people aren’t going to visit your site just because it exists. Visitors want to know they’ll be engaged and offered substance, something useful. Develop special content to accomplish this and use it to encourage people to come.

Your website is a big investment and carries a lot of weight in your marketing map. Learn more about how to make it work harder for you once they get there in my next post.