Once you have found your niche, created that perfect website, and filled it with solid content, you are probably wondering how on earth you get people to see it. Generating traffic is the most important part of running a website. If no one sees it, what is the point of making it? What’s more, you are probably looking to generate some kind of revenue. The number one way to make money off of a website is to get people to see it. This then, is a quick guide to helping your website get hits.
It’s All About the Search
If you’ve created your own website, you are probably familiar with the term “search engine optimization.” What this basically means, is that you use certain techniques in order to make your website one of the top results after a search. There are a number of ways you can do this, and companies that you can hire to help you, but there are a few basic steps you can take. Register your site with the big search engines, in particular Google and Bing. This will make sure that your site is listed in results. Also look at certain keywords that you might want to include in your content in order to increase the chance of higher results. Make sure that you keep them related to your content, while thinking about the terms for which people are most likely to search.
Getting the Word Out
When it comes down to it, the number one way to generate traffic for your website is through solid marketing. There are a number of ways in which you can get the word out, but the easiest and cheapest is through social networking. Facebook, Twitter, and now Pinterest, are sites that receive millions of users each day. Add icons allowing people to share content, and create profiles on each site that can be run by your company. Popular sites like Digg and Reddit are also great ways to get your content shared to large audiences.
Keep Up to Date
Once you have created a solid website, you cannot neglect it. Web users want the latest, up-to-date content, so make sure that you are giving it to them. It doesn’t take long for a website to become stagnant, so regular updating is essential. It is also a good idea to keep an eye on your website statistics. Web analytics can help you to collect necessary data for your website, as well as helping you to draw conclusions and devise strategies.
Anything Goes
There are no hard and fast rules when it comes to getting the word out about your website. As long as you make sure not to break any of a particular search engine’s rules, you can use whatever methods work best. Perhaps you will find that the best way to create buzz is through competitions and giveaways. Maybe you will decide to create a newsletter with coupons that can be shared. As with anything new, there is a lot of trial and error involved. Try a few or all of these techniques, and see what works best for you!
Jared Jaureguy is an independent Technology Consultant. Find him on Google+ and follow him on Twitter @JaredJaureguy.