Looking for a guaranteed-or-your-money-back way to drive traffic to your site? You’ve come to the right place. Looking to get it done as quick as humanly possible? Grab your notebook and let’s get to it.
Today, we’re going to discuss the absolute best ways to boost traffic to your site.
We’ve shared traffic hacks before. If you haven’t already, check out this supersized list of traffic hacks to get a good overview of what you can do to start driving people to your site. And while I love everything on that post (I did write it, after all), I didn’t go in depth with any of those hacks because there just wasn’t enough room.
So, in this post, I’m cherry-picking my absolute favorite traffic hacks—hacks that have worked time and time again for others—and showing you exactly how to rock them. By the end of this post, you’re going to be so much closer to epic. And if you implement any (I recommend all) of these hacks, your site traffic will increase or your money back.
I’m so excited, aren’t you? Let’s get to traffic hacking.
Grab our quick checklist for each of these three hacks!
Create a Blog
Everyone has a blog these days. I’m willing to bet that even your mother has a blogspot that she’s neglecting. You may be asking yourself, why should I create another blog for my business website—will it even matter?
But just because everyone and their mother has a blog, it doesn’t mean you can’t get massive amounts of traffic on your blog. Here’s why:
Most blogs suck. They’re filled with boring information that no one asked for. They’re lonely spaces where buzzwords go to die. Some of them are blatantly copied and pasted, others are hopelessly generic.
But your blog won’t be like that. It will be frequently updated, relevant, entertaining, and informative. That’s how you’re going to drive traffic to your site. Let’s discuss each:
+Keep It Updated –
Here’s the thing about blogs: if you’re going to create one, keep it up-to-date with fresh content. There’s no use in writing one blog post every year and a half. It won’t welcome traffic. Tumbleweeds, maybe, but definitely not traffic.
Also, updated blogs can positively influence your search engine rankings. Search engines love sharing fresh content with their users, and the more you update your blog, the better your chances of returning higher on the list.
Shoot for twice a month (minimum!), but I’ll support your decision to go for multiple posts a week. Keep it consistent, develop an email list,
+Make it Relevant –
Relevance is important. It’s not enough to post multiple times a week if they’re not useful to those who are actually visiting your site.
Consider your ideal audience.
Who are they? Create a target reader. Get specific about key demographics such as age, gender, and location.
What do they want to know? Why are they coming to your site in the first place? What keywords did they use to find you?
What sites do they currently read? I know you don’t want to give your competitors any credit, but it pays to be honest here. And do some old school sleuthing to find out what they’re doing right. What are your competitor’s most popular posts?
To find out that answer, collect the URLs for all of your competitors and head over to BuzzSumo. Use BuzzSumo to learn which of your competitors’ posts receive the most shares. Then, see if you can create the ultimate resource for your audience, making it even more valuable than all of your competitors’ posts combined. You can do it. I believe in you!
+Make It Entertaining –
It’s a blog, not a textbook, an encyclopedia, or a piece of olde English literature. No reader wants to be assaulted by big walls of text. No one wants to consult a dictionary while reading your post.
It’s a blog—informal but informative (more on this next). You’re free to get cute on your blog. Use everyday language, and ignore the stale rules of grammar that distract from more than enhance the reading experience. Add images to break up text. The images can funny, inspirational, or conceptual—anything that helps illustrate your point.
+Keep It Informative –
Last, but certainly not least, make sure your post is informative. Readers should come away from each post with new knowledge or inspiration. This is how you’re going to get people to return again and again (along with an email list strategy like this one).
Here are the two takeaways I want to leave you with:
Don’t do one and done. Aim to create a strong library of content, not just one standout piece that brings in traffic…if you don’t have anything else going for you, your traffic will leave just as quickly as it came.
Reach out to influencers. I highly recommend developing a camaraderie with influencers before you need them. Find influencers that you like and then get them to notice you by frequently sharing their work with your followers and interacting with them on social media. When the time comes to ask them to share your content, they may do it (but it won’t happen unless you’ve invested some money into the bank).
Guest Post
Once upon a time, people wrote guest posts to get higher rankings on Google. The thought was: I write for this high ranking website, they link to me, Google thinks I’m great, and my website gets higher in the search engine rankings.
That worked for a while until Google caught on and knocked over the blocks a couple of years ago.
Since then, there’s been a lot of “guest posting is dead” posts.
Fortunately for you, guest posting is not dead. But, it’s evolved. It’s changed from a SEO link building strategy into something a lot more organic and grassroots.
Guest posting these days is about establishing your thought leadership, building brand awareness, and contributing to the conversation.
Even more good news is that you can still use guest posts to bring traffic to your site. I can honestly tell you that I get emails every week from people who’ve found my guest posts on other sites and wanted to work with me. It can happen for you, too.
While I fully recommend optimizing your website for organic and paid search engine traffic, don’t overlook the human component of sharing something valuable on a site and inspiring people to seek you out.
The world is big. If people don’t know you, how will they ever find your blog? Here’s how: Click To Tweet
Remember: The world is big. If people don’t know you, how will they ever find your blog?
You’ve got to market yourself, and guest posting is one way to do just that.
So, how do you do it? Follow these tips:
- Do a Google search with the following phrases: “write for us” or “submit a guest post.”
- Research the site. Find out what type of content they write. Use BuzzSumo to pinpoint the most popular posts.
- Brainstorm to figure out what posts you can write that resonate with the most popular topics.
- Submit a query to the site owner.
- Prepare your bio. Be sure to link back to an optimized landing page on your site with your top posts. Don’t forget to add an email sign up (with a lead magnet) on your landing page. More about that here: 4 Unusual Ways to Use Your Landing Pages.
Run a Contest
Here at KickoffLabs, we’re pretty giddy about contests. In fact, a contest is my favorite way to drive traffic to a website. People love getting the opportunity to win free stuff.
But, if you play your cards right, you’ll be the real winner.
A contest creates the perfect opportunity to drive referral traffic to your website. You can activate your audience to spread the word about your contest to their circle of influence. They win because they’re bringing something fun and potentially valuable to their friends and followers. You win because you get more eyeballs on your website. It’s the true definition of win-win.
Of course, there are a few resources I’m going to share with you when it comes to building a contest that grows your site traffic. Check it out:
Final Thoughts
I guarantee you that if you do these three hacks, it will increase your traffic. After you’ve done at least one of these hacks, hit us up on Twitter @KickoffLabs so we can check it out.
Ready to get going? Grab our quick checklist for each of these three hacks!