Many business owners are aware that paid advertising can drive traffic to their website instantly, and especially with the advancement in technology, it has become more and more effective at targeting your ideal customers directly. However, “buying traffic” is not always a viable strategy for small business owners and startups that are constrained by a small budget.
Knowing how to run paid ads is also not for everyone. So if you don’t know what you are doing, you could just end up wasting your money. So, if you don’t have the financial resources to run paid ads, you’ll need to devise tactics that will increase your organic traffic.
Thankfully, paid advertising doesn’t stop there when it comes to web traffic. There are different sources of traffic in the digital marketing industry. Organic traffic refers to the visitors who land on your website from unpaid search results – it’s earned.
It is also the primary traffic channel that inbound marketing seeks to increase and is driven by search engine optimization (SEO). In other words, you “earn” it by creating search-optimized content that uses competitive keywords to position yourself on the top-ranking pages.
Organic traffic is underestimated by many, but it has significant benefits that can last for years without spending a dime on paid traffic. However, there is a reason it is overlooked. It takes content, a lot of content.
And so we come back to the topic of budget because content needs money … doesn’t it? Well, no, not necessarily. While there are professionals out there who can do these tasks for you, your time is your greatest asset when you are on a tight budget.
Here is a list of five suggested tactics that you can easily implement, that will cost you no money, and that are guaranteed to increase your website visitors in the long run.
Table of Contents
Revise the content of your website
Take a look at your current content and give it a good rating. Maybe some articles are formatted incorrectly, or some blog posts are not properly keyword optimized. There might be some outdated or updated information that needs your attention, and you might even be just a few changes away from improving your search engine result ranking. Just go over what you already have!
Chances are you’ll have to spend more time tweaking all of your texts and blog posts as it will impact search rankings – so research the performance of your current content.
There are software out there that will ensure that your content is competitive for a given keyword.
Spend time maintaining your social media channels
Social media marketing. It’s one of the most obvious ways to reach out to people, and yet it can seem the most daunting to business owners. The fact is, you don’t have to worry about getting thousands of followers or likes. These metrics won’t do you any good if you’re struggling to generate high-quality leads.
Spend time creating engaging and valuable content that will serve your audience, and don’t be afraid to stray from the usual platforms. Try something new, be it Instagram Reels or even TikTok. Get creative and get inspiration from other accounts.
There are many ways to go viral on social media, but you want to make sure that you have a solid strategy for driving traffic to your website. Take a look at your bio and make sure all of your links are visible and working.
Answer questions on Quora
Beyond Google, do you know where your customers get answers to their questions? There are niche sites like Quora.com and Reddit that are grossly underrated sources for generating traffic for your website.
It only takes a few minutes each day to answer some questions and add value to the users on the forums. You create a free account and list your company on your profile which is great for (free) brand awareness.
You can also make subtle references to your own business or product in your response, just do so in a way that does not seem self-promoting. And if you can’t find a suitable question to answer, you can always ask a question yourself and start a conversation. Nothing prevents you from engaging with prospects and doing informal market research!
Try guest blogging
Writing guest posts increases the chances of increasing web traffic to the sites of both participants (blog owner and guest blogger). You might not be the best writer or professional blogger, but you can blog post and have it published on a blog that doesn’t belong to you.
Posting on another blogger’s website gives you additional credibility and authority as it allows you to present yourself as an expert in your field – simply because others are willing to connect with your work. You should choose blogs that have a viewership relevant to your business and that are also trustworthy.
Here are some tips to add to the value of your blog post before you publish it:
- Write compelling headlines
- Start your introduction with a bold statement
- Add diagrams, screenshots, and images
- Refer to authoritative sources relevant to your topic
- Promote the guest post on your social media channels
The purpose of pitching an article idea is to add value to a new audience. Keep it noble and don’t ask for anything in return.
Become an affiliate partner
It may seem strange to promote another product while trying to sell your own, but there are benefits to it. The first, and most obvious, benefit is that you generate a commission from the sales that you use to make some money that you can then put back into your marketing efforts. Another benefit is that connecting with this brand will make you known.
Lots of companies try to leverage the audience of micro-influencers, people who have a niche between 1,000 and 10,000. If you post affiliate links for this product on your website or social media channels, chances are the brand will direct people to your page by re-sharing the content, or the content will be via organic search found when people look for the product.
Reviews are a great way to promote an affiliate partnership in a way that feels authentic to your own brand, and you always want to target products and companies that make sense to your audience. Make sure you have access to Affiliate Link Analytics to keep track of how much traffic you are sending and what content is performing best.
Wrap up
Organic traffic is valuable for businesses on a budget but who want to increase the traffic to their website. Without the paid ads option, these tactics are very effective at driving organic traffic as the next best option. But you need to set up a working system and stick to it consistently.
While it’s a strategy that requires long-term investment and consistency, it is overall beneficial for your website’s visibility and improving your search engine rankings for years to come – so it’s well worth your time and effort. The real reason search engines exist is because thousands of people are searching for information every second and you want to make sure your online presence is visible and ready to get their attention so they can find you.
To Your Success.
