If You Build It, They Won't Just Come

May 14th, 2009 2:05 pm

So you came up with a clever domain name, spent some money on a website, added Google Analytics check visitor statistics, waited a couple weeks and found out... not many people are coming to your site. We have heard this again and again. Many people have no way of tracking visitors and therefore have no clue who is coming, or how customers are finding their website. You do need to take care of the technical parts of your site (clean web standards code, optimize site for search engines, have great content), but what can you do as a business owner right now to bring people to your site?

Here are 10 ways to get people to your site that just about anybody can do:

Start a Google Ads campaign. (Pay per Click) It is the fastest way to get new visitors - but it costs money. There are other programs but Google is the biggest.
Put your website on everything you hand out to potential customers. Letterhead and business cards are obvious - but also on apparel, invoices, envelopes, flyers, coupons, labels, signs, trucks and autos, voicemail messages, on-hold messages, everything.
Network like crazy. Visit your Chamber, join a network group like BNI and visit as many groups as possible. Schedule your networking time every week. Create new realtionships. Work hard on networking and it will pay off.
Start a referral program for your business. Run the program through your website.
Join LinkedIn, select related groups to be a part of, stay as active as possible. If you are too busy, assign it to an employee.
Attend events that are related to your business, be a sponsor or a speaker - become an "expert in your field."
Link to other sites including partners, associations, industry & trade magazines, and have a resource and white papers section with links.
Support a high profile non-profit you believe in that has a large exposure and shows your logo and whose website links back to you. Givers will always get back even more.
Advertise wisely. Where do your clients shop, what do your clients read? Use a pointed approach for where you are advertising, so every dollar you spend is money well spent.
If you do not have a brand for your company...it's time to think about it. You need to stand out from your competition. More on that later.

Of course, all the networking and marketing in the world won't make up for a website that is lacking on the technical end. You don't just want people to come to your website, you want them to keep coming back. Clean code and comprehensive content will generate organic clicks - traffic that is invaluable for any business. However, you only have a few seconds to keep their attention. If your website is not visually appealing, is difficult to navigate, or if they can't immediately find what they are looking for, these potential clients are only one click away from visiting a competitor's website.

If you feel you need help marketing your website, whether rebuilding your website from the ground up, writing copy that moves clients to act, or if you need to work on your branding, contact us. We will help you build the foundation that will not only get customers to your website, but will keep them coming back.