The top question we’ve been asked lately is “How can I get people to see my website?” There are multiple methods to drive traffic to your site; while some appear to be totally unrelated to the web, they could be just what you need. Budget, timing and creative strategic planning are the key players in building website traffic. The less budget you have, the more creative you’ll need to be.

Pay-Per-Click

As advertised, you set up an account on one or several search vehicles and pay for each click from that site to your site. This is a numbers game and while you can get on the playing field for say $100 a month, you will not be the star player. An average click can cost anywhere from $.40 to $2.00 and for ecommerce, the click to sales ratio is the key factor.

Links From Other Sites

Search robots or spiders love new content…they gobble it up, which helps your page rankings on search engines like Google and Yahoo. Update your site regularly and place content on ezines, blogs and even complimentary sites. Readers for those sites find you and so do the robots. If you have the time to do this on your own, it’s virtually free. If not, hire a professional to ensure you get the information out on a regular basis.

Strategic Marketing

Any marketing plan developed today needs to include a mix of traditional advertising, PR, collateral pieces, events and promotions. Find your target audience and vigilantly pursue them. Make your company name and web address ubiquitous. Smaller budgets can play this game and win. The key is a consistent approach and understanding your potential customers.

E-Marketing

One of our favorite marketing tactics, eletters help you connect content with action. You send your message and drive traffic to your site through value added content, product promotions, event reservations…whatever. If you are not currently using email to increase web traffic and sales, we need to talk!

Getting people to your site is one thing, giving them a reason to return is another, but that will have to wait for another issue of fuse.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 24th, 2007 at 6:34 pm and is filed under Marketing Insights. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.