The aim of a website is generally to provide a window of one’s offers on a platform where a good deal of people can get access. A website is nothing more than a ‘storefront,' in a way, providing a catalog of products, services and information, depending on the area of expertise of the one behind the site. The general aim then is to get the maximum number of people to view this window, be interested in its content, and then make them loyal followers who will come back repeatedly to the site.
In the jargon of the cyber world, these ‘visits’ can be termed traffic. Traffic, in everyone’s minds, shows how many people are coming by a site, a good indicator of its popularity and content relevance.
Traffic is actually more technical, explained as the amount of data sent and received by visitors to a site, and not exactly as the number of visitors. Though both definitions can be considered the same, giving an idea of the popularity of a site, traffic is thus a very good indication of whether a site is thriving or failing.
Traffic is usually the first indicator of whether a site is attracting visits or not, and as such, is a basis for advertising ventures with sites. Given that advertising helps site owners financially, regular traffic ensures they will be considered for advertising proposals--or that they will earn more from current advertisers (by increasing views and click-through).
Through traffic, owners can also see which pages are more popular and which are less visited, helping to know where their strengths and weaknesses lay. This data can further help them to determine trends on the site, and tailor their offers accordingly by remaining one step ahead of the game.
Thus, generating traffic and increasing it is a major concern of site owners. Whether a site caters to marketing products or to providing information on a specific topic, traffic will be the general indicator of its success and popularity, and consequently, of its survival - survival of the fittest on the Net referring to the site that receives best traffic.
Consequently, the aim of sites is to increase traffic. This differs slightly depending on the type of site. Marketing sites, provided by Internet marketers and Internet business owners, will want to increase their traffic to get more unique visitors and also to keep their returning visitors, ensuring that the products they offer are seen and considered by a wider number of potential clients. Content sites, for marketers and Internet business owners that offer information on a narrowly-defined topic and that generate revenue through advertising, will want to increase the number of page views (and, thus, click-through) of the site so as to increase the scope of penetration of their content.
How To Start Generating Daily Traffic
Traffic can be increased through the following strategies, such as:
- Search engine optimization.
- Increased visibility on the Net.
- Links to and from other sites (i.e. reciprocal and one-way) – an easy way to increase presence on the web.
- Interesting add-ons on the site.Increasing the amount of time each customer spends on the site – making sure all the pages are viewed, instead of only the home page/link destination page, thus generating more page views, an indicator of good traffic.
- Making the most popular pages even more popular and increasing internal links to the site’s other pages to encourage views.
- Forum-involvement and blog commenting
- Use of social networking sites such as Facebook and Twitter
Advertising – such as the purchase of bulk email, pop up ads, in-page advertising, as well as the purchase of traditional and non-Internet based advertising.
Of all these options, which cover only a very small part of how traffic can be increased, advertising seems to be the most popular.
Paid advertising is an e-marketing concept that enjoys a good reputation to generate traffic. Concepts such as banner advertising and pay per click are the most well-known and sought-after. Banner advertising has somewhat evolved to pop-up ads features when it turns out that Internet viewers got used to the concept of the banner at the top of the page. Pay per click uses the concept of sponsored links on search engine results pages by buying keywords and phrases that are bound to be associated with the site’s products or content.
There are many ways to increase traffic, and most of them will be covered in more detail later. It is important to proactive and reactive methods of generating increased traffic first.
Most methods of increasing traffic are reactive measures that identify an avenue to exploit on the site and then use it to generate traffic. Advertising and search engine optimization (SEO) placement are reactive measures undertaken when the site is already afloat.
Many site creators and business owners underestimate the impact of proactive methods.
The difference here has to be made between two concepts, namely natural traffic and organic traffic.
Natural trafficNatural traffic is the traffic that can come naturally to the site. It deals with the site itself and its origins, name and content, whether it is for a product or for information.
This traffic is associated mostly with the name and the keyword content of the site. It concerns generic aspects, and the first thought that comes to mind when one thinks of something. The domain name of the site plays a big part in here. For example, someone looking for a keyword may not go through search engines and directly type the keyword as domain name in the browser. The likeliness of falling exactly upon what one is looking for is enhanced in this kind of maneuver.
As such, domain name – its choice and use – is the main determinant in this type of traffic increase. A well-chosen domain name, and one that is immediately associated in everyone’s mind to the product or content being offered almost guarantees a visit to the site.
Thus, traffic can almost be guaranteed to a site even at set-up stage, because of the easy and direct association of people with the name.
Organic trafficOrganic traffic, on the other hand, pertains to traffic that is ‘sent’ to the site. Gearing this traffic route is then the best way of ensuring good organic traffic.
The easiest way of getting such traffic is through Search Engine Optimization. Search Engine Optimization is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic a site receives.
Crawlers, which are small programs, are sent to a site by a search engine when the site is submitted for placement. These crawlers, also called spiders, scout the pages for keywords and tags attached to the site to compile a list of search-related features to generate the site on the search engine’s results page.
Crawlers usually look for keywords, so optimizing their use in the pages is a good way of making sure they are picked up.
Also, the more information available for a page, the easier it is for those programs to reference the page. For example, each page should have its own page name clearly defined, and this should include the title and header, which is also known as the meta tag, which the crawlers look for.
Tags should also be well used, for they allow for broader scope when the crawlers are doing their job.
A good bet would also be to include the most relevant information of the site in the first paragraph of the home page. The first 2-3 lines of this paragraph are usually included in search engine results a page, providing at first glance whether the site has what the person doing the search is looking for. In this way, the inverted pyramid structure of writing, whereby the paragraphs are written in order of most important information to least important, should be followed when writing the content of the page.
All these help the site have a better chance of ranking among the top spots on the search engine’s results page. 5 to 10% of clicks are generated through higher up placement on results pages.
One thing to steer clear of here - bad links or ‘under construction’ pages on the site. This is a deterrent for crawlers, which may thus not add the site to the results, as the site is not fully functional. Regular maintenance and updates of links and pages help to keep this issue at bay.
Another good option to increase organic traffic is to submit the site to directories and other guides on the Internet. These too will make the site come up through searches in their databases.
Other tips to increase organic traffic are:- Increase the number of related phrases that are typed in search engine boxes in the content of the site – this could allow for the site or page to be featured in results.
- Provide the geographical location of the business – this works mostly for product-based sites, as the likelihood of someone choosing to buy something in their area is enhanced. Providing location, especially if the site is international, helps target more people that could have geographical location as part of their search parameters.
- Listing products/content topic individually – the more pages on the site, the more a site is considered ‘worthy’ of being included in search engine results. Specific pages for specific content also show in-depth knowledge about the product/content, enhancing the reputation of the site as a good destination.
The above-mentioned options are only the tip of the iceberg where increasing traffic is concerned. Other methods do exist, and shall be considered individually.
Following is a detailed, random listing of the most popular and some of less well-known avenues to generate traffic to a website quickly and on a daily basis. These are in no particular order, and all those tips work in their own right.
SEO: Keyword/Phrase PlacementThis feature has already been mentioned above, but it pays to always reiterate this fact – good placement in search engine results pages help to generate more traffic as the exposure and visibility of the site and its offerings are enhanced through such a process.
Using keywords is the key here, no pun intended. Concise and related keywords will help to funnel the search to your site, despite competitors’ presence as it has geared the search to find it more easily.
Keywords should also be well chosen. Generation, locations and slang may play a part in here, as different people may not use the same word to define a product or information. Providing a varied list of keywords helps cover this base nicely.
Optimizing pages themselves for SEO placement (keywords, working links, tags) further enhances the probability of good placement on results pages.
Another option could be to generally increase the number of keywords and their recurrence on the site as a whole.
Tracking keywordsIt is important to scan the data of traffic analysis to find which keywords are more popular and which are allowing the site to receive more visits.
Identifying them can then lead the marketer or business owner to optimize the use of this keyword to make it even stronger in its positioning.
In addition, those less-popular keywords could be identified and then removed from the content, to allow more space for the keywords that should be optimized.
List with directoriesThis feature can enhance visibility and exposure on the Net.
Listing with directories that target the same industry or field of the site can also enhance its placement on the web and in clients’ minds.
Social exposureThere are a lot of social networking sites on the web, as well as specific networks for an industry or niche.
Find which networks cater to the sector of the market or industry your site falls in, and register with them. These networks usually allow the registered user to create a profile for himself.
Use this profile to present your site, as well as the products or content offered. Where possible, and if the network allows it, feature a link to your website on your profile page. An intriguing profile coupled with a link to the main site will tickle many potential visitors.
LinksLinks work by providing paths from other places and platforms.
Links to your site can be placed on industry-specific or product-specific sites. It is always a good idea to contact the big-name-websites to ask if they are willing to feature a link to your site.
Exchanging links is also another good option. In return to featuring someone’s link, this person features your link too on his site.
Links exchange programs also work upon the same premise.
An aspect often overlooked is the ability to link within the site itself. This increases the likelihood of navigating within the site, thus enhancing page views. This can be extremely useful to content-based sites. Product-based sites can also use the same strategy to present other products that may interest a visitor.
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