54 Actionable Ideas to Drive Traffic to Your Website

Getting StartedList BuildingMarketingSEOWebsite Traffic

Oct 24

Written By Gillian Perkins

Add your keywords to your meta data
Want more organic traffic? Install the Yoast SEO plugin on your site and use it to edit your meta data (it’s easier than this might sound). This affects how your site shows up in search engines and will increase the number of people that actually click when it does. (This is called “click-through-ratio.”)
Share your blog posts on your Facebook page
People who have liked your Facebook page have already said that they are interested in what you have to offer — so give them what they want! Share links to your new posts when they are published, and also share archived posts. (Most people haven’t seen most of your posts!)
Use an automated tool to post more frequently
Social media can be a lot to keep up with, especially if you’re trying to maintain a presence on multiple platforms — some of which need to be updated multiple times per day (I’m looking at you, Twitter…). To stay sane and make your efforts more effective, set up an automated posting tool to update your feed on a regular basis. Some options include Buffer, Meet Edgar, and Hootsuite.
Interview influencers in your niche
Not only do interviews with influential people make it more likely for people to be interested in checking your content out, they also are much more likely to be shared by the influencer themself, which can expose your site to a large new audience.
Promote your content to your email list
We all know how important developing an email list is for growing a sustainable business. Once you have someone on your list though, you should continue to communicate with them so that your relationship is strengthened. The content you create (which hopefully is very high-quality) is one of the best ways to provide value to your subscribers, which means that for your business this is one of the most significant type of traffic you can get.
Don’t have an email list to promote to? Check out my free course “JumpStart Your List” and discover the most important steps you can take to start and grow a thriving email list!
Write round-up posts
“Round-up” or “top ten” posts feature your favorite people, websites, or services in a particular category. Highlighting a bunch of different, influential people is a great way to increase the chance of your post getting shared.
Invite guest bloggers
Guest bloggers can provide fresh new content to your site, reduce your workload, and introduce your website to the network of the guest.
Create exclusive content for an aggregated feed (such as Youtube or Medium)
Creating unique, high-quality content gives people a reason to follow you, and it’s much easier to get followers on platforms where people are already hanging out. Once you’ve attracted a follower on one network, you can direct them back to your website over and over again.
Comment on industry blogs
The more you can get your name out there, the more awareness you’ll bring to your brand. Not only can this send traffic directly to your site, it also increases the likelihood of your content being shared by people who recognize your branding in the future.
Write high-quality evergreen posts
While blips about your day might be interesting to a few people for a little while, they won’t stand the test of time or serve to draw in new people who don’t yet know, like, or trust you. Instead, write high-quality helpful posts that will remain relevant for the foreseeable future.
Organize your posts into categories
Categories are great for SEO because they offer additional information to search engines about the content of your post. They also make your site more user-friendly, which increases the chances that visitors will return.
Tweet your posts to potentially interested influencers
Seek out influential people on Twitter who have recently shared content like a specific post you wrote. Send them a message and suggest your post as something they may be interested in checking out or sharing themselves.
Share your posts on Triberr
Meet other bloggers and grow your network on this social site for online entrepreneurs.
Write a response post
Write an article that responds to a popular, controversial article recently published by an influencer in your niche. Not only do you know this is a topic people are feeling emotional about, but it’s also possible that you’ll be able to engage with the influencer themself.
Answer questions on Yahoo
Visit Yahoo Answers and answer questions related to your field. Include reference links to your website. You’ll be helping people out, gaining credibility, promoting your content, and learning more about what your audience wants.
Respond to comments on your posts
Engagement in the comments section of your website sends signals to Google that people are interested in your content. It also builds relationships with your readers, making them more likely to return.
Cross promote with industry peers
Connect with other bloggers (in Facebook groups, forums, or Triberr) and offer to share their content if they’ll share yours. Even a few extra shares can really help spread your message.
Join and actively participate in Facebook groups related to your niche
Facebook groups are a great way to connect with your target audience, form relationships with influential people, and get people interested in what you have to offer.
Participate in LinkedIn groups related to your industry
Use LinkedIn groups to find collaborators and answer questions related to your niche. This helps to establish your credibility as an expert.
Title your images with relevant keywords
This improves your site’s SEO and also means that your content in image-specific searches. It also helps your articles be found on sharing sites such as Pinterest.
Include more images in your post (with keyword titles)
More, relevant images make Google think your content is higher quality. It also improves the user experience for your visitors, which makes them more likely to share your content and revisit your site.
Create Pinterest-optimized images for every post you write
Pinterest is a whole network of people sharing content based on similar interests. Get into the playing field by creating vertical images with overlaid text (such as the title of your article and a sentence promoting its value). These are the kind of images that will do the best on Pinterest, and the type that will get browsers to click through to your site.
Pin your posts on Pinterest regularly
Creating optimized images is great, but it will only get you so far if you just post them once or rely on others to post them for you. Take action and post new images and repost your old images to get them in front of your Pinterest followers.
Join and pin to group boards on Pinterest
Group boards are a fantastic way to get your content in front of thousands of people that you wouldn’t normally have access to. Message the owners of relevant group boards and ask to be a collaborator so that you can post your own images.
Promote your content on Instagram
Add the link to your website or latest post to your profile, then post relevant images along with quotes from your content. For maximum traffic gain, make sure to spend additional time engaging with your audience in the comments.
Promote your website in Youtube videos
Youtube is a powerful search engine and in many niches it has a lot less competition than you’d find on Google. This makes it easier to stand out and attract attention for your website. By providing value, you’ll not only appear as more of an expert, but you’ll also have the opportunity to direct more people to your site.
Optimize your social media profiles
Whenever you engage with your audience on social media people who are interested in what you have to say will follow up by checking out your profile. Be sure to adjust your bios, profile pictures, and links to truly CONVERT these casual visitors into traffic for your site.
Create Facebook “events” for happenings on your website
If you only post on a Facebook page, your updates won’t be seen by very many people. Take advantage of the other posting options they offer to get more exposure in people’s notifications. By creating an event for your product launches and other happenings on your site, you’ll be able to send notifications to everyone you invite, and they’ll get another notification when the “event” is about to begin.
Start a Facebook group
Facebook groups have much wider reach than “pages” do, so anything you post in a group will get seen by more people. In addition, as the leader of the group you’ll be seen as an expert and influencer, which will make people perceive your offerings as more valuable.
Include a wide variety of focused, relevant keywords
Google’s gotten a lot smarter in the past few years, and gone are the days of spamming your articles with dozens of the same few keywords. Now, Google looks at the big picture much more, and it’s important to include many variations of the keywords you want your content to be found by.
Network with peers and influencers in your niche
While there are many ways to connect with people in your industry, it’s important to follow up and form deeper relationships that actually turn into collaborative projects. In this way, you can gain access to their network and also gain valuable referrals.
Let your analytics influence your efforts
Study your analytics carefully to discover what type of content performs best with your audience. Create more content in the same form and/or on similar topics.
Give credit where credit is due
Whenever you quote or mention an influencer in a social media post, be sure to tag them with an “@” symbol. This boosts the “SEO” of your post and puts your content in front of those influencers who may choose to like or share what you posted.
Submit your posts to Reddit
Surprisingly, this still works! Let people vote on what you have to offer, and if you’ve created something valuable there’s a good chance more people will find it and visit your site.
Post frequently
Neil Patel of QuickSprout found that by posting high-quality posts 6x per week (as opposed to 5), blog traffic increased by 18.6%. Find your magic number and commit to seeing it through.
Swap advertising with another website in your industry
Find another site that’s serving a similar audience as you’d like to reach and arrange to display an advertisement for them on your site in exchange for your ad on their site.
Optimize your past content
Yes, it’s a bit tedious, but going back through your old content and adjusting the meta data with Yoast can give your site a big boost in the search engines.
Guest blog, including links to your own content and “content upgrades”
Seek out similar sites and reach out for guest posting opportunities. When you do write guest posts, make sure you include links to valuable content upgrades on your own site.
Become a contributor to a popular website or magazine
Becoming a contributing writer on a popular site such as Forbes or The Huffington Post can give your credibility a big boost and also provide high-quality backlinks to your site.
Utilize internal links
Link from one piece of your content to another to keep visitors on your site longer and give your SEO a little boost.
Network with other bloggers
Join a blogging community, such as ProBlogger, for the opportunity to earn valuable backlinks and form collaborative partnerships.
Spend time crafting compelling headlines
Many content experts recommend you spend up to 75% of your writing time on the post’s headline. While that might be a bit extreme, the point is well taken: your headline is, to a significant degree, the most important part of the article. If it isn’t persuasive enough then people won’t read the article at all.
Respond to a HARO query
“Help a Reporter Out” and get high-quality backlinks, referral traffic, and credibility.
Submit your posts to StumbleUpon
You’ve heard of this before… and yes, it still works! (StumbleUpon is a site that generates “random” sites based on users’ interests. By submitting your content you’ll add your site into the mix.)
Start a forum on your site
Great content makes visitors likely to return to your site. Relationships ensure that they will (and more frequently!)
Install the Facebook Pixel to start retargeting your visitors
If you haven’t yet, do it! Everyone should have the Facebook pixel installed on their site, even if they aren’t yet interested in running ads. From the moment the pixel is installed, FB starts tracking who is visiting your site. Down the road, you’ll want this information. It is virtually the ONLY way that you have a chance to reconnect with those people who visit your site once and then forget about it.
Tweet with Twitter cards
Twitter cards are a special feature that allow you to include pictures and buttons in your tweets. Not only do cards make your tweets stand out from the rest, they also make it more convenient and compelling for people to take action on your content.And then there were a few more ideas…
Create a quiz
What’s the #1 thing people love to talk about? Themselves. Quizzes are unique because they’re practically the only type of content you can create on your site that is about your reader. People want to share their quiz results more than they want to share anything else.
Focus on growing your email list
Growing an email list is like building a machine that you can use to effectively promote your website. Sign up for my free course, “JumpStart Your List” and start growing your own thriving list NOW.
Host a webinar or free workshop
While people sometimes worry that their audience isn’t “big enough” to host a webinar yet, the reality is that many successful marketers (Amy Porterfield and Mariah Coz of Femtrepreneur, as a couple examples) identify webinars as the #1 thing they do that GROWS their list. Webinars are one of the most valuable types of free content you can provide, so it makes sense that you’d have all sorts of new people interested.
Start a podcast
Nothing speaks authority these days like hosting a podcast. Plus, it’s a whole, untapped marketplace you can use to reach another segment of your ideal audience. Once you have people listening to your podcast, getting them onto your website is relatively easy.
Run a challenge on social media
Hosting a challenge is an effective way to attract new followers, get your content shared, and encourage your audience to really ENGAGE with you. Plus, challenges provide a unique type of value (motivating people to take action) that’s otherwise difficult to offer with free content.
Host a summit
All the benefits of guest expert interviews, collaborating with influencers, and guest posting, compounded exponentially! Not only does a summit provide high-quality information that will attract new readers, it also is the most likely type of content that influencers will share.
Hosting summits is definitely more work than most items on this list, but the payout is much bigger as well.
Launch something new
Nothing generates more buzz than something NEW. A new offering (book, course, service, etc) gives you something to promote more aggressively than normal and interests your audience to check it out. That means more page views for you!