Online shopping is becoming more and more popular as time passes by. In fact, figures show that 79% of Americans make purchases over the internet. As a result, businesses are either transitioning starting exclusively online. This has resulted in a competitive and saturated market. To get an edge, businesses pay for ads to appear first on search engine results. The problem is these ads can be expensive without resulting in actual sales. This is why it’s important to focus on other sources to drive website traffic to your site.
Here are three ways you can reduce your reliance on paid traffic:
Focus on Getting Organic Traffic
Organic traffic refers to clicks gained from search engine results. This means that the higher your website’s ranking, the better it is for business.
There are companies that offer SEO services, so they’ll do the work for you. This is a great option if you’re new to SEO and have limited experience in digital marketing. They have the expertise to create a campaign designed for your business. From website optimization to keyword research, they cover all the bases to get visits.
One of the best ways to gain organic traffic is with a blog. It’s not about just posting any sort of writing on your site. When it comes to publishing original content online, there are a few things you must do. First, you have to make sure that you’re using the right keywords. It should be specific enough to target people with intent to buy. But it should also be broad enough to actually get hits. Second, it should also be unique. There are already hundreds of websites dedicated to any given topic. Chances are you already have several well-established competitors. But if you publish unique content, you can get a great ranking on the search engine results pages. The good news is that you have another option if you don’t want to go through the trouble of running a blog. If you hire an SEO company, they’ll create content for you.
Send Out Newsletters
Paid and organic traffic are basically two sides of the same coin. The main difference between the two is that you have to pay for one while the other is free. But they both rely on the results of search engines. Meanwhile, there are other sources of website traffic. One of them is through email. You can drive email traffic by sending newsletters.
When planning for newsletters, you have to consider a few factors. One is the frequency. If you have frequent emails, it might annoy customers and lead to the cancellation of email subscriptions. On the other hand, if you rarely send newsletters, customers might forget about your brand and give way to competitors. It ultimately depends on the nature of your business. If it runs seasonally, it might be better to send every few months. For year-round businesses, you could get away with monthly newsletters.
Another important factor is the content. Consumers receive emails from various companies practically every day. Your email has to stand out so that it won’t be sent straight to the bin. To get customers to actually read your newsletter, it has to catch their attention. The email subject must be clear and straight to the point. One glimpse should show that they’ll gain something from reading it. It could be a sale, a contest, or a new product launch. The content should also be relevant. For example, since people are currently urged to stay at home, your email should be about a product or service that they can use indoors.
Build a Strong Social Media Presence
Besides search engines and emails, people also spend a lot of time online using social media. According to Pew Research Center, almost 70% of American adults use at least one social networking site. This means it’s a great way to reach customers and gain website visits. But you can’t just post the same thing across different platforms. You also have to factor in the difference in the websites or apps’ layout. Although social media sites now allow longer posts, it’s better to keep it short and sweet. Concise posts get more engagement which means they’re more likely to lead to clicks. When it comes to social media, visuals are everything. Assume that every detail will be analyzed so you have to make sure the photos make sense. They should also look professional and well-lit to catch attention.
For a successful online campaign, it’s important to consider different factors. It’s crucial not to rely on a single source for website traffic. Otherwise, it could mean hefty expenses on ads.
