5 Affordable Ways to Get More Traffic on Your Business Website

While the internet could be amazing for your business, it’s not magic. You need to put in some effort to make it work for you. Here are 5 affordable ways to get more traffic now.

#1: Tell people about your website

You’d be amazed at how many people spend time and money building a website only to fail to tell anyone about it. The internet is not magic (it is in some ways, but it won’t be at first)! When you get started, you need to tell people to check out your website, especially your friends, family, and business colleagues.

If you’re not excited about your new platform, how can you expect anyone else to be?

Here are some easy social media post examples to get you started:

• Hey friends and family! I just spent a bunch of time and effort to create a cool new resource for [input industry/service]. It has lots of free tips and information and I’d love to have you check it out.
• Exciting news! I just launched my new website and it’s PACKED with useful information about [input industry/service]. I’d really appreciate if you’d take a look.
• If you’ve ever had a problem with [input common problem that your customers have], then you’ll love my new website. I just posted an article about how to take care of [issue people have]. Please check it out!

#2: Promote free information, not just products/services

As you can see in the last example, pitching people free, useful information is a much better approach than posting an obvious advertisement. If you’re truly interested in helping people, you’ll want to do it whether they pay you or not, right? So share those details!

No one likes to see “Please look at my website, I need to make more money.”

Giving people free information and tips does several things for your business:

• It shows people that you are a knowledgeable expert in your field.
• It makes you the “teacher,” and that demands respect and acknowledgement.
• It makes your website a useful resource, not just a sales platform.

You CAN pitch your services, but you have to use the tip in the next item on the list.

#3: Promote actual deals, not fluff

No matter how good your product or service may be, you still need to give people a reason to act now. If your potential customers think that your service is what it is, but there is no reason to take action, they won’t. Even when I was working for a business that was making tens of millions of dollars online, WE STILL HAD TO DO SALES. It’s a necessary part of every business.

If you want traffic, offer something of value for a limited time. This could be a discount, a free download, access to usually-restricted information, or a free sample. Find out what people want and tease them with it for a limited time.

Even if you’re not making money by it, you’re still gaining attention, customer information, and the potential for future sales of other products and services.

#4: Get involved in email marketing NOW

You may think that email marketing is an annoying and useless form of advertising, but you are VERY WRONG. Email marketing is the best, most direct way to increase your sales. Now, this isn’t sending spam, it’s sending useful information and offers to people who have volunteered to join your email list because they legitimately want the information.

Email is 40 times more effective at acquiring new customers than Facebook or Twitter. (McKinsey)

Getting someone’s email address is akin to having them disclose who they voted for in the last election (EEP!). It’s not something people share lightly and it shows a level of trust that is not typical. When your email list is comprised of interested individuals that trust you, you can expect a level of engagement through traffic and sales that is unparalleled.

Acquiring emails is a whole subject by itself, but as you start you can fall back on your existing contacts. Here are a few sources you can use:

• Your contact email list stored on your email platform.
• Export your Facebook friends’ emails (Click Here to learn how to do that).
• Create a list based on your past customers (this is an acceptable method of email collection based on email marketing standards).

After you have your list, sign up for a Mailchimp account and start your newsletter (more about how to do this later).

#5: Spend Money on Advertising (Specifically Facebook)

I’m sorry, but if you think you can spend $0 on advertising and achieve amazing results in a short amount of time you are going to be extremely disappointed. YOU HAVE TO ADVERTISE. You can become successful through purely organic means, but it takes a lot of time, effort, and more will power and fortitude than most people can muster.

I’m not saying that you have to spend thousands, but you do need to spend a little (even $1 a day will increase the rate at which your business grows). There is an art to this just like everything else, but I will give you one vital tip…

If you’re going to spend money (any money) on advertising, use Facebook.

I’ve used almost all advertising platforms, and in my experience there is no comparison between using Facebook and using Amazon Ads, Google Adwords, Outbrain, Twitter Ads, etc. Facebook just has too much information on people! This allows you to target and test your marketing no matter how small your budget is. Look for an article about how do this soon.

Conclusion

There you have it! These methods cost little to nothing to implement, but could have astounding effects on your online business success. Stay tuned for information about how to execute each one in detail.