Increasing SEO/Improving Intuitive Traffic to your Website

Challenge/Goal: Drive traffic your website

Observation/Challenge: Google SEO works by a) benefitting their revenues via paid search, ads and their proprietary algorithms; b) recognizing business rankings in search by a combination of traffic, keywords, search/hits, etc.

1. Advertise

Consider spending a small budget (eg $100) to enact (test and confirm?) paid search, social media advertising and display advertising so as to attract/engage members and build on Google’s algorithm/formulaic rules.

2. Keywords

In building more traffic to site, make adjustments/improvements relative to ‘intent keywords’. You (or your marketing staffer) should know and understand the power, popularity and trends of ‘Keywords’ relative to Google’s algorithms.

3. Get Social

It’s not enough to produce great content and hope that people find it – you have to be proactive. One of the best ways to increase traffic to website is to use social media channels to promote content. Use all platforms and tie back to site (Pixels, etc) – consider FB, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Snap, LinkedIN, etc.

4. Mix It Up

There is no magic formula for content marketing success. For this reason, let’s vary the length and format of content to make it as appealing as possible to our audience(s). Intersperse shorter, news-based blog posts with long-form content as well as video, photos, infographics for maximum impact. Stay away from ‘cookie cutting’ blog lengths and formats.

5. Write Irresistible Headlines

Headlines are one of the most important parts of your content. Without a compelling headline, even the most comprehensive blog post will go unread. Best Practice: Compose five to twenty different headlines (and put them in front of associates/peers to ‘vote’ on best one) before finally settling on the one that will be posted/published driving the most traffic.

6. Pay Attention to On-Page SEO

Optimize content for search engines is still a valuable and worthwhile practice. Best practices include making the most of image alt text; creating internal links (hyperlinks) throughout text/content; applying meta descriptions; optimizing for -on-page SEO – all these elements boost organic traffic.

7. Target Long-Tail Keywords

Once high-intent keyword and popular keywords have been addressed (per post and/or landing page), start targeting long-tail keywords. Long-tail keywords account for a majority of web searches.

8. Invite Others to Guest Blog

Securing a guest post on your site can increase blog/site traffic and help build brand/expand audience. Consider a vendor, alumnus, campaign donor, Board leader…to share insights/pay tribute to your organization’s vision, cultural attributes, academic achievements, community contributions, philanthropic successes, etc.

*Just be sure that you only post high-quality, original content without spammy links, because Google is cracking way down on low-quality guest blogging.

9. Post Content to LinkedIn

LinkedIn has become much more than a means of finding another job. The world’s largest professional social network is now a valuable publishing platform in its own right, which means you should be posting content to LinkedIn on a regular basis (and career-minded alumni use this professionally much more than other platforms). Doing so will boost blog/site traffic, as well as increase profile with parents/potential new members.

10. Implement Schema Microdata

Implementing schema (or another microdata format) won’t necessarily increase traffic to your website on its own, but it will make it easier for search engine bots to find and index your pages. Another benefit of using Schema is that it can result in better rich site snippets, which can improve click-through rates.

11. Link Internally

The strength of your link profile isn’t solely determined by how many sites link back to you – it can also be affected by your internal linking structure. When creating and publishing content, be sure to keep an eye out for opportunities for internal links. This not only helps with SEO, but also results in a better, more useful experience for the user – the cornerstone of increasing traffic to your website.

12. Don’t Neglect Email Marketing

So many businesses are focused on attracting new customers through content marketing that they forget about more traditional methods. Email marketing can be a powerful tool, and even a moderately successful email blast can result in a significant uptick in traffic. Just be careful not to bombard people with relentless emails about every single update in your business. A friendly email reminder about a new service, program or product can help you boost your traffic.

13. Make Sure Your Site is Responsive

The days when internet browsing was done exclusively on desktop PCs are long gone. Today, more people than ever before are using mobile devices to access the web, and if you force your visitors to pinch and scroll their way around your site, you’re basically telling them to go elsewhere. Even if you have a basic website, you still need to ensure that it is accessible and comfortably viewable across a range of devices, including smaller smartphones.

14. Make Sure Your Site is Fast

Ever found yourself waiting thirty seconds for a webpage to load? Me neither. If your site takes forever to load, your bounce rate will be sky high. Make sure that your pages are as technically optimized as possible, including image file sizes, page structure and the functionality of third-party plugins. The faster your site loads, the better.

15. Foster a Sense of Community

People want to speak their minds and weigh in on subjects they feel passionately about, so building a community into your site is a great way to start a conversation and increase traffic to your website. Assign someone (staffer or third-party rep?) to help manage your site and ensure that the community is supported and that minimum standards are met.

16. Make Yourself Heard in Comment Sections

You probably visit at least a few sites that are relevant to your business on a regular basis, so why not join the conversation? Commenting doesn’t necessarily provide an immediate boost to referral traffic right away, but making a name for yourself by providing insightful, thought-provoking comments on industry blogs and sites is a great way to get your name out there – which can subsequently result in driving more traffic to your own site. Just remember that, as with guest posting, quality and relevance are key – you should be engaging with other people in your niche, not dropping spam links on unrelated websites.

17. Examine Your Analytics Data

Google Analytics is an invaluable source of data on just about every conceivable aspect of your site, from your most popular pages to visitor demographics. Keep a close eye on your Analytics data, and use this information to inform your promotional and content strategies. Pay attention to what posts and pages are proving the most popular. Inspect visitor data to see how, where and when your site traffic is coming from.

18. Get Active on Social Media

It’s not enough to just share content through social channels – you need to actively participate in the community, too. Twitter? FB? Pinterest? YouTube? Get engaged and control Q&A with your patrons, interested parties. Nothing turns people off quicker than using social media as a broadcast channel – use social media as it was intended and actually interact with your fans.

19. Incorporate Video into Your Content Strategy

Reminder: 77% of individuals prefer to consume information visually. Text-based content is all well and good, but video can be a valuable asset in both attracting and retaining viewers. Data shows video marketing is an excellent way to grab – and hold – your audience’s attention, and boost traffic to your website at the same time.

20. Research the Competition

Consider using software like BuzzSumo to check out what your competitors are up to. There are several services providing you with an at-a-glance view of what topics are resonating with readers and, most importantly, making the rounds on social media. Find out what people are reading (and talking about), and emulate that kind of content to bring traffic to your website.

21. Host Webinars

Webinars are affordable and easy to design, launch and execute (many simple services assist the talking heads…). Combined with an effective social promotion campaign, webinars are a great way to increase traffic to your website. Send out an email a week or so ahead of time, as well as a “last chance to register” reminder the day before the webinar. Make sure to archive the presentation for later viewing, and promote your webinars widely through social media.

22. Attend Conferences

Whatever industry you’re in, chances are there are at least one or two major conventions and conferences that are relevant to your business. Check out your local business forums and Chamber of Commerce-sponsored events. Attending these are typically a good idea – and speaking at them is even better. Even a halfway decent speaking engagement is an excellent way to establish yourself as a thought leader in your industry and gain significant exposure for your site.

Seeking expert involvement from seasoned professionals?

Contact Craig Clemons at craig@clemons-associates.com or one of our rock star associates like Aaron Galindo at aaron@clemons-associates.com for more details. Clemons & Associates is on standby to help you with brand identity, campaigns, social media and/or strategic plans/projects.