Many of our new customers come to us in the hopes that we can help them get Google to send more traffic to their websites. While we are always happy to help them, we stress that it’s important not to put all of your eggs in one basket. Relying only on SEO limits your opportunities to reach people, and puts you at risk in the event Google rolls out a change that negatively impacts your site in the short run. Don’t get backed into a corner by depending on SEO alone.
Here are some ideas to diversify your marketing strategy with no investment other than a little bit of your time.
Be an expert
By engaging with sites that offer questions to be answered, like Quora or industry-specific forums, you can position yourself as an expert to your potential client base. If someone asks a question in your company’s line of expertise, provide helpful insights and strategies. Most of these sites allow you to have a byline with a link to your site, which can generate traffic. Of course, having additional valuable content on your site reinforces your credibility as a source of information to not only the user but also the search engine.
Write for other sites and newsletters
Most businesses struggle to find quality content for their newsletters and blogs. By contributing blogs to third-party sites and newsletters, you have the ability to reach thousands of new potential customers. Ask for a link back to your site for maximum SEO impact.
Position around your competition
Do some research and find out how your competition is marketing itself. Look for vulnerabilities, and focus on making those weaknesses your strengths in your own marketing.
In general, think about what it would take to make your website a sought-out destination, and make incremental investments to get you there. This mindset can run parallel with SEO. When you only worry about Google not sending enough traffic, you’re missing out on opportunities to help your website become a destination that people love. When people come to your site and enjoy the content, you’ve started building your destination, and traffic will soon follow.
If you have questions on how to increase traffic in a variety of ways, we’re always here to help!