 |
|
Getting
Increased
Web Site Traffic
This
page tells how to get increased web site traffic free from the search
engines whether you're building a new website or improving your
existing one. And this is targeted web traffic, people who need a
service or product just like yours.
Increase Web Site Traffic Two Ways
A two pronged attack will
boost your targeted traffic the most.
First,
get a high ranking with the search engines, so your web page shows up
on the first page of the results or failing that, at least
in the first three pages.
Second, increase your
click through
rate from the search engine results page to your web site. This isn't
so obvious, but it could double or triple your traffic.
Major
Areas To Look At
Increased web site traffic comes from almost
every part of building a web site. The major areas are:
- Selecting
the right keywords
- Optimizing your
website and web pages for a higher search engine
ranking
- Getting incoming links
(backlinks) for a higher page rank.
- Getting a
higher click-through rate from the search engines results page
- Making
regular contact with your interested visitors
The
Wrong Keywords Could Devastate Your Traffic
Keyword research
is fundamental to increased web site traffic. If you use a keyword that
no-one is searching on, or
one with millions of competing websites, it doesn't matter how well you
optimize your pages or how much money you've spent on your website,
no-one will ever see your web page. Learn
more about choosing the best
keywords here.
Web Site
Optimization
Keep your site
focused on a single theme that's not too narrow, and not too broad. If
you're a locksmith and you repair or make boots, you're better
off
having two websites, though you would link from one to the other. It's
easier to rank highly for a single theme than for a website the search
engines see as unfocused.
Use your website's main
keyword or
phrase in the domain name. You may need to be a bit creative because
most good domain names have gone. Click on the link for help with domain name ideas.
Give useful
information and
plenty of it. That's what people are searching for. It will keep them
on your site longer, and give them a reason for coming back.
Get increased web site traffic by adding new pages. That's more useful
content for your visitors and more
pages for the search engines to find. The search engines love fresh
content so that's going to help raise your site's ranking as well.
You're better off adding new pages than spending time tweaking your
existing pages excessively.
Use
keywords and key phrases in the anchor text when you link to other
pages in your site. (That's the text people click on.)
Check
your site for usability and for broken links. The search engines don't
like broken links. (If you use SBI
you'll be notified of any broken
links).
Check your site's statistics. You
can see the results of your
changes, find out what phrases people are
using to find your site, see what are your most popular pages, what
pages visitors enter and leave on, and a lot more.
Web
Page Optimization
Web
pages need to be
search engine friendly, as well as visitor friendly. You need to put
enough hooks on your page so that the search engines can tell what it
is about.
The first thing to do every time you build
a new web
page is keyword research.
Even small changes to keywords can sometimes
mean big increases in targeted traffic. Without keyword research you're
just shooting in the dark, and you could be missing out on a lot of
profit.
Each page should focus on one keyword. Use
the keyword
in the page's filename, title, meta
description, and the page header.
Sprinkle your keyword throughout the content, but don't overdo it. Most
experts recommend the keyword should be 1-3% of the total text.
Also, use
the keyword in the first paragraph
and try to use it in bold or in a text link somewhere in the page.
Write
useful information.
It's what people are looking for, it's what the search engines want,
and it will help get higher rankings with the search engines.
It seems load times can affect your page ranking and if your pages
load too slowly visitors may click away before they even see your page.
Optimize your page to load quickly. Particularly optimize images.
With
images use the key phrase in the file name. Many people search for
images and it can bring in some increased web site traffic for very
little effort.
Use the key phrase in the alt text as well. More about adding images.
Don't
use “black
hat” methods to try and cheat the search engines into giving your site
a higher ranking. They can be rather unforgiving when they discover
what you've done.
Boosting The Click-Through Rate
Getting on the first page of
the search engine results page isn't the end of what you can do to get
increased web site traffic. You can also improve the title and
descriptions of your pages and get a big traffic boost by getting more
click-throughs from the search engines to your web site.
The
page title and meta description work together as an ad for your site
when they're displayed on the search engine results page.
Try to write
a title/description that will compel searchers to click to your site.
This could double or triple your traffic. Check the results pages in
your niche and other niches to see what would get you to click through,
and
use that as a guide for your own title/description.
More about
the meta
description.
Incoming links
“On
page”
optimization will only take your site so far in the rankings war. If
there were 100 sites about a particular subject, all beautifully
optimized, which is the the most valuable one that deserves to be
number one on the results page? To find the best site the search
engines use off page factors as well. The big off-page factor that will
really give increased website traffic is incoming links, often called backlinks.
"Make
Your Links Work"
is a free 69 page e-book that tells everything thing
you
need to know about backlink building. (You'll find the link
to "Make Your Links Work" halfway down
the page).
And
SiteSell's
Value Exchange
is the best link exchange program I've come across. It's free, and it
only has quality sites registered.
Get
More From Your Traffic
Most
people won't buy straight away, and once they've left your site they
probably won't come back again. There are a few things you can do to
keep in
touch though. You may not get a lot of increased web site traffic from
them, but they'll help you get the most from the traffic you do get.
1.
Write a regular newsletter providing
useful info as well as promoting your products. It can be as simple as
telling what new pages you've added to your site.
2.
Write
an
e-book - offer it to visitors and list it in e-book directories. Make
it fluff free quality content that helps your visitors, and use it as a
pre-seller of your product or services.
3. Write
free reports or an e-course that you send to visitors in several parts
e.g. a seven part e-course. You could send one part each week, or each
two days or whatever is appropriate.
4.
Add an RSS feed like I have under the navigation bar. Visitors can
subscribe and see when you add pages or update pages. (This
is
very easy to do if you use Site
Build It)
Pay
Per Click Advertising
Free
traffic from the search engines is fantastic, but it can take months to
get worthwhile numbers. Pay per click advertising can give you
increased web site
traffic within ten minutes.
You have to know what
you're doing
though. Beginners can easily lose more money than they make. You need
to research keywords, write ads, test ads and keep track of what you do
and the results you get.
Learn
more about pay
per click advertising here.
See Also
9 Tips to Generate Free Targeted Web Traffic
In
order to create a successful web site you must have free targeted web
traffic or visitors to your site. Without traffic your perfect site is
useless; it might as well not even exist.
Return
from Increased Web Site
Traffic to Building
A Website Home
|
|
