10 Ways to Increase Traffic to Your Website

I’ve mentioned before that there is no difference between e-commerce websites and information websites when it comes to formulating your internet strategy, but that ends once it comes to implementing an internet strategy. If your have a goal of boosting your sales through your website by 15%, there is a world of difference in how to achieve this for an e-commerce website and an information website.

This time round, I’ll give you a few hints as to how you can increase the traffic to your website; since this is something you would most likely need. If your first task is not how to get more users and thus potential buyers, just skip this one and come back later.

Although these hints are applicable to all types of websites, some hints are more appropriate for information websites than for e-commerce websites and vice-versa.

Make Sure Your Website is Interesting for Both People and Search Engine Bots

• Keep to a few, possibly related, subjects and make sure your message is clear. Make sure you have loads of information on the topic(s) surrounding your type of product, and as thorough description as possible of each product. With loads of information, you have a bigger chance of being found in searches on search engines, and it’s more likely someone else will link to you and your products.
• Don’t use frames! And do use long and explanatory URLs! If you use frames or use parameters to differentiate pages, you’re less likely to be indexed properly by search engines. Plus: parameters are ugly and frames make it impossible to have deep links.
• Make sure your website is properly indexed, e.g. by using Googles Sitemaps

Make Sure There is something Worth Seeing/Reading

• Have interesting and catching content, so that your users will return for more.
• Only put a bit of information on your front page, but make sure that it’s up-to-date and relevant. Information about your products is more important than how the company started or that a list of 20+ people liked your product.
• You could start a corporate blog (Google loves fresh content) like 37signals has done it. Not only does it give the search engine more data to index, but it also gives you the opportunity to show that there are actually people behind the facade.

Make Sure People Know Your Website Exists

• Construct a nice and informative footer for your e-mails, including a link to your website.
• Each time you post information to other websites, make sure to include a link to your website in a footer.
• If you or your coworkers use networks like LinkedIn or eCademy, make sure your include a link to your website.
• You should include an address for your website on every document, business card, flyer, poster etc. that has anything to with your business. If you publish in physical media, work you website into that media as much as possible.

That’s it for generic hints. I’ll be back with more targeted hints later.