Boost your website traffic with these 13 unbeatable techniques
Congratulations! Your website is finally ready and you decide to put it online. You share the link with your professional network, but your traffic is stagnating and you're not succeeding in building user loyalty. Like everyone who's created a website, you want to increase your visibility and convert more customers.
So you ask yourself the fateful question: how can you increase traffic to your site? 🧐 It's a question that's on every site owner's mind, especially since digitalization and the pandemic have further demonstrated the power of the Internet. But more competition means more efforts to boost visibility!
We'll help you boost yours with 13 must-have techniques ! 🔥
1 - Measure your site's traffic
The first, and by no means least, step is to measure your traffic: it's where it all starts! How can you implement a traffic-boosting strategy if you don't have quantitative data to fall back on?
Your site's performance indicators are invaluable in defining an appropriate strategy. There are 5 of the most revealing and essential to traffic management:
- ➡️ Bounce rate
Percentage of visitors who see a single page of the site and leave immediately. The lower the bounce rate, the better.
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➡️ Conversion rate
Also known as the "transformation rate", this is the percentage of visitors who complete an action (purchase, registration, quote request, etc.). -
➡️ Number of unique visitors
This is the number of Internet users who visit one or more pages on your site. -
➡️ Visit duration
This is the average time visitors spend on your site. It is particularly relevant for checking its attractiveness. -
➡️ Most-visited pages
This is the perfect indicator to find out which pages are the most effective, and to draw inspiration from them.
🖥 All these indicators can be found in specialized audience measurement software and tools. The best-known and 80% market leader is Google Analytics. Google's tool is the best known and undoubtedly the most widely used - or, at least, its free version.
But it's not the only one. There are far more complete and relevant alternatives for your e-commerce site.
Shop application, for example, is a complete, intuitive and easy-to-useFrench e-commerce software package that supports you in the day-to-day management of your website via a wide range of functions. Its audience analysis tools are automatically integrated into your website, so you benefit from advanced statistics, visible via a clear and comprehensive dashboard :
- website traffic,
- average basket, best customers,
- most frequently used payments,
- most viewed and most sold items,
- precise sales trends, year-on-year comparisons, etc,
2 - Perfect your search engine optimization (SEO)
To attract traffic, SEO (search engine optimization) is your greatest ally. When properly exploited, it will put you at the top - or at least on the first page,- of Google results.
💡 You can carry out a technical SEO audit of your website to provide you with basic quantitative data on which to base your SEO strategy.
The secret is to work well on your keywords and properly study your personas so as to capture only qualified traffic. Several specialized SEO tools - including some free ones - can help you find the most relevant keywords for your sector, but also enable you to measure your competitors' performance 🔎.
3 - Create high-quality, relevant content!
Your site can be the most beautiful, the most designed, but that won't increase your traffic - at least, not by a long shot! A regularly updated blog will help you build a loyal audience and position yourself as an expert in your field.
Your content needs to be useful, relevant to your target audience and enjoyable to read. To achieve this, it's advisable to vary its formats, so as to constantly surprise readers:
- 📄 Articles
The most widely used content, and the most suitable for keyword research. Write engaging blog posts optimized via SEO tools to position yourself in Google results.
- 📊 Infographics
Infographics are very popular with web users, thanks to their high virality potential and attractive visual appeal. You can publish them on your social networks and redirect the audience to your site.
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📖 White papers
Often used by BtoB companies, white papers are dossiers that deal in detail with a specific subject. They are highly appreciated by professional targets and enable you to collect valuable data via their download. -
🎬 The video format
The video format is a real springboard for boosting your visibility, thanks to its dynamism. It's a particularly effective communication tool: 93% of marketers say that a video post on social networks has enabled them to attract at least one new customer (Oberlo 2020).
4 - Exploit social networks
When it comes to visibility, it's hard not to mention social networks. While SEO remains one of the best ways to increase your traffic, social networks are even more important!
📈 The numbers don't lie:
- Over 2 million businesses use Instagram for advertising;
- 200 million Instagram users visit at least 1 business profile a day ;
- Over 30% of users buy directly on social networks;
- 43% of B2B marketing experts say Facebook is their main advertising channel;
(Source: Netoffensive.blog - 2020)
Social networks are particularly effective for increasing engagement, interactivity and proximity with your readers. You can :
- promote your blog content,
- post engaging videos of all kinds (IGTV, real, tik tok, etc.),
- live" and interact with your users,
- post stories (videos, photos, polls, etc.) and keep users interested,
- sell your products directly via social networks, etc.
The possibilities are endless.
It's up to you to choose which social network is best suited to your website (LinkedIn for B2B and pro content, Instagram for e-commerce sites thanks to its e-shopping module, etc.).
5 - Think user: improve your site's ergonomics!
If your website is slow to load, visitors will tend to leave it more quickly and, in most cases, not return. On the other hand, if your site isn't fast enough, it will be penalized by Google and will therefore be less well referenced, affecting your traffic.
As you can see, the ergonomics of your site is a point not to be neglected! User experience must be at the heart of your digital strategy:
- the site must be clear, fluid and easy to understand ;
- it must be free of bugs, 404 pages and empty pages;
- the interface must be ergonomic, and users must be able to find answers to their questions quickly.
💡 Think of chatbots, which today are real performance levers for companies. They enable automatic responses to the most frequently asked questions; they thus considerably improve the user experience!
🛠 What if you entrusted the management of your site to a specialized tool?
Salesforce's Commerce Cloud is a fully scalable e-commerce store management software . Save time by automating laborious management tasks, and focus on the user experience:
- offer your customers an increasingly personalized shopping experience thanks to Einstein, the AI included in the tool;
- collect and analyze site usage data directly in the tool, so you can adapt the customer journey as quickly as possible... and maximize your ROI!
6 - Don't neglect emailing
The effectiveness of emailing has been proven time and time again! It's one of the best ways of attracting visitors to your site. To build an effective emailing strategy, you'll need to follow 3 key steps:
- Collect as many e-mail addresses as possible and create customer/visitor files.
- Carry out AB testing and evaluate which e-mail template performs best, gets the most clicks, has the highest open rate, etc.
- Set up a clear emailing strategy, with precise sending dates and a well-defined target.
💡 There are several software packages specialized in emailing, but you can also adopt CRM software for more global management of your business.
7 - Create a Google My Business
Google My Business (GMB) is your paper directory 2.0. If you run a physical business in addition to a website, consider registering your business on GMB.
This free tool lists all business listings according to Internet user searches, with a local proximity dimension. It's a real SEO service not to be overlooked.
👉 Example: a user types "local shoe store" into Google. If you're listed on GMB and your store is close to the user's location, the tool will show you in the first search results. The user will then have access to all your information, including a direct link to your website!
8 - Do some guest blogging (we'll explain)
Guest blogging means inviting other (quality!) writers to write for your blog. It could be an expert or a reference in his or her field who writes on a very specific subject, a collaboration between bloggers, an influencer... the possibilities are numerous.
The reverse also works! You can write and post on other blogs to raise your profile and drive more traffic to your site.
9 - Add CTAs... without moderation!
A CTA (Call-to-action) translates into French as "Bouton d'Appel à l'Action". It's a clickable visual element that redirects your users to your content offers, in the case of a download for example.
They are highly effective for collecting customer data (contact details, name, address, e-mail address, etc.), which you can then use to send commercial offers, newsletters and so on.
10 - Paid search for those in a hurry
Natural search engine optimization is certainly an excellent way of acquiring free, long-term traffic, but if you want to give your site a (first) boost of visibility to your site during a particular period (Christmas or Valentine's Day, for example), you can use SEA, aka paid search!
You see these sites positioned at the very top of Google results in the "Ad" format? These are websites that use paid search via Google Adwords. It's a great way to gain visibility quickly, but only temporarily!
11 - Think about new tools
That's right! You have to move with the times and keep up with new trends in digital marketing. Many new digital tools have emerged since the pandemic: e-tailers and digital pros have had to innovate to maintain their business and keep web users interested.
Among these new tools, the most popular are:
- 🎙 The podcast
The podcast, aka the tool that brought radio back into fashion! If you're comfortable at the microphone, you can record podcasts and publish them on your website. This type of audio content is becoming increasingly popular with Internet users, and it's easy to share!
- 💻 Webinars
Webinars, a little more formal than podcasts, are designed for a professional audience. They're videoconference meetings open to the public, addressing a particular topic. Very effective for attracting prospects!
12 - Include your website url in your e-mail signatures
Your professional e-mail signature is a much more effective means of communication than you might think! It's a quick and easy way to increase traffic to your site. You can integrate :
- your website,
- your appointment scheduling platform,
- your social networks,
- your most relevant certifications,
- your recruitment platform, etc.
13 - Mobile first, a must
Last, but not least, mobile first! A must if you want to drive more traffic to your website. And once again, the figures don't lie:
- 37.4 million French people use their cell phone to access the Internet every day,
- 4 out of 10 Internet users only use their smartphone to access the Internet,
- 34% of French people make at least one purchase a month on their mobile phone.
Mobile First is a concept that consists of designing a site by prioritizing the mobile version and gradually adapting the interface to larger screens. Having a site that adapts perfectly to mobile screens means smooth browsing and more traffic!
So, are you ready to boost your website's traffic? 🔥
Article translated from French