So, you have decided to finally launch that brainchild that you have been sitting on for a while. Congratulations! Entering the business world as an entrepreneur can be somewhat daunting, but with the right guidance, and the right strategies, you can create sustainable business growth from the outset.
One of the key ways to expand your business is by driving traffic to your site and converting it to sales. But the question on everyone’s mind is just how to do that. Statistics show that 50% of businesses fail in the first year, with another 20% failing after five years. But 2020 has been the year that has seen the biggest move of business to the online world. In fact, one in four companies reported taking operations online to remain relevant since the beginning of the year.
So, if you are one of these companies, or are looking to join the digital world to start your business, we thought we would step in and help with your business growth. One of your main priorities is getting your site seen by customers. Below, we unpack the key ways in which you can start increasing your traffic and heightening your conversion rate.
Concentrate on Your SEO
SEO is most certainly one of the most critical factors in driving organic traffic to your site. Marketers globally have reported that organic traffic makes up 53% of all traffic to sites and getting websites and landing pages ranked on Google is one of the top three priorities of their job.
The challenge with SEO is that it is not only constantly evolving, but there are a plethora of strategies and techniques to implement in order to be highly ranked by the search engines. Pay attention to your keyword research and use of keyword-rich content on your site. From the landing pages to product pages and articles, having the right competitive keywords will allow Google to understand how and where to place your site.
But SEO is more than just keywords. Link building is critical in establishing connections with trusted domains in order for Google to know how to categorize your site. Even vital elements on your site like images, the URL, and meta tags and descriptions will impact your rankings. This can be incredibly resource-intensive, and you will need to have your finger on the pulse of SEO trends constantly. It is highly recommended that you seek out on page SEO services to help you out when you first launch to get you on the right page!
Create Informative, Interesting Content
We touched on it briefly, but content’s role is twofold on your site. Not only does it increase your SEO rankings by containing smart uses of keywords, but it will also attract your customers to your site.
Let’s start off with the keywords. Say, for example, you are a pet food and accessory retailer. Relevant keywords like “dog food” and “cat food” will be popular keywords that your potential customers will be searching for. So, you need to make sure that these, as well as the others that you have found during your keyword research, appear on your pages. Make sure you do not stuff them though as Google will pick this up and penalize you!
The next thing is to create content that will educate and empower your customers. Create content that they will actually want to read and search for. Titles like “5 Reasons Why My Dog Is Getting Fat” or “4 Ways to Keep My Dog Active During Lockdown” will most certainly catch the attention of your avid pet owner. This way, you will become a trusted source of information and a reputable brand that they will go back to.
Remember, in the article, you can include the products that you are selling on your site with great CTAs to increase conversions. So, if you know that there is a new product, or something going on sale, plan your content around that!
Get in the Right Affiliates
The next way for you to get your site in front of a larger audience is by sourcing reputable partners that can help promote your content and brand. We mentioned link building earlier, which is one of the key SEO ingredients. Spend some time sourcing other websites that you can provide your content and site links to for them to include on their site.
Not only will their audience pick up your links, but Google picks this up and categorizes you according to their site. The rule of thumb though is quality over quantity. Don’t waste your time on low-quality sites, rather focus on the sites that have a good reputation and are a good representation of your brand.
The next thing to look at is influencers. The right influencer can make a huge difference to your marketing efforts and put your brand in front of a very targeted and engaged audience. As a small brand, you are most likely not able to bag a macro-influencer, but that is actually ok. Instead, find someone who is brand-aligned and a respected and knowledgeable expert in your industry. They will have already built up a following who are already your target audience. Micro-influencers are usually also very engaging with their audiences, so you can expect more bang for your buck.
Spend Your Money Wisely
The last thing to consider is actually putting money behind your ads and social posts. Keep in mind that when you post organically to your socials like Facebook and Instagram, it is mostly only your followers and fans that will see it. Setting aside a budget every month for promoted ads will mean that you can get your brand in front of a much larger and targeted audience.
Facebook tools, for example, allow you to pinpoint your audience and their demographics. You can also narrow down their behaviors and interests in your targeting, so spend some time playing around with, and testing the options to see what converts higher.
Paid ads will also get your business seen by more eyes online. Here, behaviors, interests, and market-related content can be targeted. It will be worth your while, here too, knowing what relevant keywords you need to be using in your content and ads. Short, to the point ads with keyword-enriched descriptions will be your secret weapon to getting new traffic to your site.
Last Thoughts
When it comes to your marketing strategies, one of the key pieces of advice that we have to offer is to try something, test it, and monitor its success. If it successfully drives new traffic to the site, see how much you can optimize it to improve it, but don’t overdo it. Never stop testing your efforts. Some articles and content might be a raging success while some might simply flop. For the successful efforts, replicate the strategy as much as possible to drive even more traffic. As time goes on, you will start seeing a pattern of what hits the spot with your audience, and what doesn’t.
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