Simply building a Web site isn’t enough to spark a flood of new customers and getting potential buyers to your site is as important as the site design itself. A common misconception among small and mid-size businesses is that generating site traffic is an expensive endeavor. Many think search engine advertising, banner ads and site activity reports are the only way to ensure a flow of qualified prospects to your site ﾗ and these steps cost money.
The truth is there are plenty of ways to increase your Web site traffic without spending a lot of money. Below are five inexpensive ways to grow your online business. These steps do require time, effort and a little creativity, but the results are well worth it.
1. A Lesson in Linking
Did you know that search engines value the use of links on Web sites? Search engine spiders rank sites according to topic relevancy in relation to the search query. Links can help your site build credibility and become an informational resource on certain keywords ﾗ thereby offering improved natural search ranking in engines such as Yahoo!, Google and MSN. Be careful of who you link to though ﾗ just as topic-relevant sites can increase your search engine rank, irrelevant links may have the opposite effect. For example, a beauty supply manufacturer may consider linking to health-related news about anti-aging or articles about upcoming beauty trends.
2. The Benefit of Blogs
Blogs have made national headlines, everywhere from The New York Times to CNN. And blogging has now elbowed out instant messaging as the new Web-based rave. But companies are cashing in on this trend, putting the blogs to work in areas like product research and development, customer retention and marketing. Blogging allows your customers and prospects to communicate without moderation in a real-time bulletin-board environment. These exchanges may include valuable information such as prospect and customer perspective on your products and services. Additionally, the recurring postings on your blog will attract search engine spiders and thus improve your natural ranking on the results page of relevant queries.
3. Mailing Lists and Monthly Newsletters
Do you know who visits your site each month? Do you keep a database of customers and prospects? One way to build your internal database is to collect information from customers and prospects in the form of an opt-in e-mail box. By distributing a monthly e-newsletter brimming with facts, product information and special offers, your customers will visit your site more frequently, and be more apt to recommend your Web site to others. A helpful hint: Be careful not to breach the CAN-SPAM Act.
4. Get Ranked with Search Engine Optimization Techniques
Search engine optimization (SEO) may sound like an overly technical process for only the IT-inclined but in reality there are a few basic tips and tricks that can help improve the page rank and site traffic of small- and mid-size businesses on a budget. Do-it-yourself SEO techniques include inserting Meta tags, image tags and keywords into your existing site. These elements serve as flares to help your site get noticed among the billions of pages currently stored on the Web. While these one-time techniques can stimulate site traffic, maintaining your site’s level of optimization will help ensure return visitors.
5. Content Counts
For those who cringe at the site of
The Last Word
While large, big-budget corporations continue to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars on online marketing, small- and mid-size businesses are taking advantage of low-cost alternatives that deliver similar results. It is important to note that these steps may take longer to achieve the same effects, however the cost-savings are substantial.
