Most businesses understand that a website is a key visual representation of your brand, making it one of the first things that you need to focus on during your company’s inception.
However, whilst having a beautiful, functional and easy-to-use site is key to impressing potential customers and bringing in lots of conversions, once your site is finished and ready to go, how do you actually bring internet users to it? If your business is just starting out, it is unlikely that you’ll have the financial backing to pay for too much promotion.
Here are some of the best, free, ways to promote your business website.
SEO
Traditional Search Engine Optimisation is still the best way for you to promote your website without having to spend money. It can take time and requires plenty of research and understanding of the subject and your competition, but once you’ve got the hang of it it can be invaluable.
In order to bring in natural traffic and gain a high Google ranking, make sure that all of the content on your site is optimised for your audience. Choose long-tailed keywords over shorter ones, to ensure that you aren’t drowned out by thousands of other sites competing for attention in similar areas.
Look for keywords that fit your business and have both low competition and high search frequency. Not only will these keywords help people to find you, but it will also give you an idea of what sort of content will be useful to your customer base.
Once you have your keywords, make sure to add them to the title, headings and content, as well as the meta description. Any images that you add to your post can also be tagged with these keywords, giving you even more chances of ranking highly.
Email Marketing
Many businesses feel that email marketing is outdated, since the rise of social media, and neglect it as part of their SEO strategy. However, email marketing has long been, and continues to be, one of the most effective ways of driving website traffic. In an email you are able to speak directly to an individual, and craft your content so that it is interesting, useful and offers the reader value. If you follow these rules and keep your call-to-action at the forefront of your email campaigns, you should find it easy to quickly boost your visitors.
Social Media Marketing
One of the newer forms of marketing, and one of the most effective, social media platforms allow businesses to easily connect with potential customers and their extended social network. There are plenty of platforms to choose from, with Facebook and Twitter leading the way for business advertising. Don’t write off the other platforms though, Pinterest, LinkedIn and Instagram are all beginning to catch up in the advertising world, thanks to the shareability of their content. Different accounts will work best for different businesses, but it is helpful to have a social media account set up for your business on as many channels as you can, and then use each to promote a different area of your brand.
You can use social media to run competitions and giveaways, based on customers providing contact information, liking or commenting on the page, or sharing with their followers. This helps you to quickly connect with and interest a potential audience and drive them over to your website.
Reciprocal Linking
Using other, better-known brands to advertise your own business is a great way to show high-value to potential customers, as well as to search engines. In this case, it is important that you look for quality over quantity, and choose high-ranking, authoritative websites that will boost the profile of your business.
Create valuable, compelling content for other sites, which naturally link back to your own site and are relevant to both their and your readers, and you should find it easy to make connections with more blogs in the future.
Guest Blogging
Under the umbrella of reciprocal linking is guest blogging, and you can do this for other sites, but can also bring on a guest blogger to your own blog. This is a popular and mutually beneficial strategy that helps you to connect with your guest blogger’s own network and provide relevant and interesting content for your own blog. On top of this, contacting bloggers and having them guest on your site is a great way to make industry contacts that could prove valuable later on.
Signature Branding
Having a recognisable brand is another way to offer value to potential customers and make them more likely to click through to your website. Internet users are far more comfortable clicking through to a site that they recognise, as they feel as though they know you already and can trust your company.
When designing your website, logo and branding, do your research and pay close attention to the design so that it stands out from others in your industry. Make sure that your branding is consistent across all of your marketing, including your social media pages, and you should find it easier to get people’s attention.
Online Directories
Online directories are one way to reach potential customers who may otherwise not have found you. Even if you are running successful marketing strategies across all channels, there will still be users who don’t see you, and thus it makes sense to put your business everywhere possible to catch their attention.
Online directories offer a form of free advertising space where people who know what they want but don’t know where to get it can browse and potentially find your business.
Look for local directories in order to appeal to people in your area that may require your products or services, and if you work in a specialised industry don’t forget to add your site to any bespoke listings pages that are available.
Google My Business is a free service that allows you to claim your business on Google, and add your website, contact and location details to make it easier for people to click through to your site. You may also want to add your company to other listings such as the Yellow Pages, Yelp and so on.
One of the best things about online directories, unlike with SEO, is that there is no such thing as too much visibility. The more lists you add your business to the more likely it is that someone will stumble upon your company even if they weren’t actively looking.
Want To Know More
Following our tips above will undoubtedly give your site a major marketing boost. It does take time and there is a learning curve though and you need to be able to dedicate a chunk of time each day to cultivate and grow your online visibility.
The team at MaxWeb can take care of all this for you and also provide a suite of other services dedicated to creating you a fantastic website that is a fitting showcase for you and your business. Why not give us a call on 0151 652 4777 or email info@maxwebsolutions.co.uk to find out more.
Posted on Tuesday, November 12th, 2019 in Digital Marketing.
