How To Increase Organic Traffic To Your Website

 

 

Still trying to get traffic? It’s tough. Every new website that’s made by a regular person (as opposed to… you know… a gigantic company) faces this challenge in the early days.

 

There’s this constant temptation to dip into your pocket, pull out your debit card, and start trying to speed up the traffic problem by paying monstrous internet monopolies (i.e. Google, Bing, Facebook) to promote your pages and actually get them in front of people’s faces. But let’s face it, organic traffic is so much more beautiful. Not only is it FREE, but it’s also people that 100% wanted to be on your website, and found it on their own without being advertised to. Those kind of people buy things more. A LOT more.

 

This is How To Increase Organic Traffic To Your Website.

 

 

 

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Be A Wizard Harry. A Social Media Wizard.

 

 

 

Of course I would say this. You probably saw it coming. If you’re a business owner or plan to be any time in the next century, you need to be on social media. It’s non-negotiable, especially if you want free, organic traffic.

 

But here’s the catch.

 

The social media platforms that you choose really really matter, and choosing the right ones will totally depend on what kind of business you own.

 

 

To the Affiliate Marketer and the Blogger:

 

 

If you have a blog, and you’re trying to explode your income through it with affiliate marketing, you need to be 2 places. Pinterest, and Quora.

 

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If you want free traffic, and tons of it, then you need to be a rockstar on Pinterest. The good news is, unlike Instagram and Youtube, it doesn’t give you some kind of holy, supernatural advantage to be tattooed, super pretty, the owner of 2 or 3 perfect pets and… coincidentally… an amazing photographer/videographer. You can be as shy as you want on Pinterest, with no camera to your name.

 

For detailed strategy on How to promote your blog on Pinterest, or GROW your Pinterest following, check out those links. But I’ll put it in a nutshell for you here.

 

When I started on Pinterest, trying to promote my blog, it stunk. Like… I could have handed it to my cat August, whose paws haven’t worked since birth from a defect, and he could have done my Pinterest better.

 

 

 

 

My pins were rough. Basic pictures, the words and the whole point were all in the description, and the pictures would often not even be relevant themselves.

 

Might not be surprising, but I got NO traffic from it. Zero.

 

I was so discouraged. Pins on Pinterest are automatically public so I had been stoked about the millions and millions of readers I was sure I would get. Instead my pins were lifeless. No one was interested. And I was overwhelmed by the intimidating competition. With all those pretty pins everywhere how in the world would I stand out?

 

Thank God I stuck with it. My Pinterest transformation started with a free app called Canva. Using beautiful stock photos from Unsplash.com (also free) and the Canva app I transformed my pins into everything pins should be.

 

Tall, vertically shaped, colorful pictures with warm colors (a lot of oranges and reds), bold, clear words with readable font. And, of course, my brand name. Here are a few of mine now!

 

 

 

 

Yes you can use helpful keywords in descriptions ( Pinterest is a search engine, after all), but your Image is where you grab people on Pinterest.

 

Before long (it took about 2 weeks), my number of views spiked. So did clicks and even conversions through my little blog which didn’t even have a single first page ranking in Google. I officially started loving Pinterest.

 

Next step is to join Pinterest group boards. Pinning to group boards can expand your reach like crazy, but here are some tips:

 

1. Make sure you have at least 100 followers before requesting to join group boards. Having more credibility will increase your chances of being accepted.

 

2. You will usually have to email the Pinterest group boards owner and ask for an invite before you can start pinning to it. Don’t get discouraged if you don’t always hear back. That’s normal!

 

3, Pin consistently (try to pin multiple times a day), and interact with other users and boards.

 

Here are a few group boards I recommend: (check it out here)

 

 

Finally, remember this – your Pinterest following is gold. Just like an email list, this allows you to turn 1 time readers/viewers into repeat readers and customers. The bigger your following, the more people you have viewing your promos for free!

 

I highly recommend using MiloTree to boost your Pinterest following. MiloTree is a cheap plugin you can add to your blog that invites every visitor to follow your Pinterest for relevant content. Getting Pin followers is easier than getting email subscribers, AND can be just as effective.

 

Check out my Pinterest for more ideas! – Young Retiree on Pinterest

 

 

Quora

 

 

Like Yahoo Answers or Answers.com, Quora is a popular website where millions of people ask millions of questions, and millions of other people answer them.

 

This is a blogger’s gold mine! As a blogger, sharing knowledge is a HUGE part of what you do. That’s what you offer. And quite honestly, it’s what makes people click the links that get you paid.

 

Quora is not as friendly to self-promotion as Pinterest. In an effort to crack down on spam, Quora usually screens answers to make sure they’re not stuffed with links. But you can still drive awesome traffic to your blog through public Quora answers.

 

I answer questions about dropshipping and print-on-demand clothing + accessories, because I have experience with it and lots of blog posts about it. My answers have been viewed thousands and thousands of time within days of posting.

 

This is where you introduce your site! Make sure your answers are thorough and helpful, not just spam or click bait teasing, but I would always recommend dropping 1 link per answer (either to your posts, or a direct referral link).

 

 

Give good answers on Quora, and you WILL get traffic.

 

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Ecommerce, Physical Products, and Dropshipping

 

 

While all of those Pinterest tips also apply to physical products businesses, and I’ve had some success with pinning physical products, a business where you are selling tangibles is where you ALSO need to be using Instagram.

 

Like Pinterest, Instagram can be used to draw hundreds of people to your webstore completely for free.

 

If you’re looking for in-depth info on how to launch a hot Instagram presence,check out this blog post. But you need a few basic things to start.

 

– nice pictures

 

– strong keywords

 

– persistance

You don’t need spectacular camera skills, or an expensive camera, to become popular on Instagram. The cameras on newer phones combined with some good editing tools can be all you need.

 

Using free tools on your phone like Snapseed, and Photo Editor (both apps that I use), you can make some incredible Instaworthy pictures.

 

I know this is a monetary investment, and trust me it was like pulling teeth convincing myself to purchase these, but buying samples of your products is necessary for your Instagram’s success. Yes, you can usually find stock photos that are decent, and these may be good enough for your website, or even ads, but Instagram pictures need to be better.

 

Buying samples of your own products allows you to do stylish photo shoots in the best locations. Take pictures that are not cluttered, not blurry, and making good use of lighting is a must. Your products need to be clearly visible and pretty Then make posts with simple captions (not stuffed with a sales pitch), inviting the viewer to check out the link in your bio.

 

The only link you really have to your store from your Instagram is in your bio. So you need to make that profile strong. Ready to intrigue your customers. A small bio explaining who you are as a brand, with a link to your website, is all you’ll have to get them from your post, to your bio, to your site… and eventually to checkout!

 

You can always pay to increase followers, but you can also snag some new followers and site traffic through Engagement Groups – check out a list of some Engagement Groups to join right here through Facebook. You will also draw traffic by following or liking other posts and content from people using the same #hashtags as you and following the same interests. The more momentum you build, the faster you’ll grow.

 

 

Facebook

 

 

I put Facebook in its own category because it really fits everywhere.

 

Getting free traffic through Facebook is actually tougher than on Pinterest and Instagram. Because they REALLY want you to pay for ads. But with its 2 Billion+ users, Facebook is a must for any kind of business.

 

The best way to draw organic clicks and traffic to your website through Facebook (without paying, or bribing your Facebook friends to share it) is to join Facebook groups.

 

This tends to work a bit better for physical products than for affiliate marketing, but you can succeed in either. Find and join Facebook groups in the exact niche you’re selling in. Gradually introduce yourself in the group. Interact with others. Comment on their content. And eventually start to slip your content into the group.

 

Remember, don’t SPAM! It will get you kicked out of groups in the blink of an eye.

 

 

 

 

But if you’re approaching these Facebook groups strategically you can get hundreds of sales and priceless shares.

 

 

Why Is Everyone So Obessed With SEO?

 

 

So if the idea of increasing organic traffic to your website has ever crossed your mind, I’m sure you’ve met the SEO idol worshippers. If you’ve ever tried to make money online AT ALL, I’m sure you’ve heard an endless stream of advice about SEO.

 

Sure, you can get traffic and sales SO MUCH FASTER through social media using the methods I talked about above, and sure Google is a snobby diva… but the truth is that Search Engine Optimization is the most sustainable long-term necessity for your business website.

 

The reason I encourage you to still focus on Search Engine Optimization, instead of focusing exclusively on your social media, is that once you get your website ranking high in the search engines, it can practically run itself. It becomes a lucrative, residual cash flow for you that can pump money into your PayPal or bank account even while you sleep. While you ride your bike. While you sit with your feet up, petting your dog, enjoying the bliss of not working for someone else, punching a clock, or being stuck in an office.

 

A Search Engine Optimized website is how you can truly become not just wealthy from your online ventures, but free.

 

Tips on SEO are a dime a dozen. There are infinite swarms of people writing about SEO. And I don’t just mean the idol worshippers. I wouldn’t be surprised if people have their pets writing about SEO now. And other life forms from other galaxies are spitting out one SEO post after another and sending them over to Google I have no doubt.

 

It’s actually very simple. You just need to make sure you’re doing it right.

 

There isn’t really a secret code to getting 1st page rankings in search engines. I learned everything I needed about SEO from Wealthy Affiliate. It’s kind of a tool set, a coarse, and a community wrapped up in 1. It’s affiliate marketing focused, but you can apply the principles to everything online.

 

There are 10 crucial factors that or break your SEO:

 

1. Mobile Optimization. Google now gives preference to sites that work well on phones. If you’re running a Shopify store, it’s already pre-fitted for mobile. Depending on how old your Word Press theme is, it may or may not be mobile optimized, so make sure that it’s comfortably usable on your phone.

 

2. The size and file type of your images affects your SEO. Wealthy Affiliate offers a lot of guidence in choosing plugins to make your site more searchable. EWW Image Optimizer is the one I use.

 

3. Using proper grammar makes Google trust your site more. Make sure you’re proof reading, spell checking, or using resources like Grammarly to make sure your words are right.

 

4. Post length. It doesn’t hurt to have some variety, but generally a post of over 1,000 words will have a better chance of ranking.

 

5. Quality, original content is more than just a way to keep a reader engaged. The more quality content you have on your website, the better it will rank.

 

6. Comments. Search engines will look for engagement on your website. The more engagement you have on your content, the better your rankings. Wealthy Affiliate has a resource where you can exchange comments with other people’s sites to improve your rankings.

 

7. Search Console. Google Search Console, as well as the search consoles of Bing and Yahoo, are important for you to submit your site and sitemap to. This ensures they’re quickly crawling your site’s content to help you rank faster and better. This is the techy stuff I hate, but when I asked Wealthy Affiliate’s Site Support to help me they built the site map FOR me and the rest was a breeze.

 

8. Google+. I always thought of Google+ as useless for marketing. It feels a little bland, and gets far less engagement than most other social sites I use. So why do I use it? I post to Google+ because Google likes it. Believe it or not, posting to Google+ improves ranking.

 

9. Keywords. Almost like the stock market method of buying low and high, you want to be using keywords with a high number of searches and a low number of competing pages. Again, Wealthy Affiliate has an advanced keyword tool called Jaxxy that I use to find hundreds of these kinds of keywords. You can use Jaxxy through Wealthy Affiliate, or try it by itself ==> Jaxxy.

 

10. Site Speed and Hosting. This is extremely important! Make sure your hosting your website through a powerful host, that’s not going to let your site slow down or crash when you start getting a lot of visitors. With every second that your site is delayed the number of sales you will make exponentially decreases. People shopping online are patient, for better or for worse, and you have to content with that reality. If your site is small, you can do perfectly well with a solid starter host like Host Gator, or BlueHost. Both of these are excellent. If you are a member of Wealthy Affiliate, they will host your site for you. Once you have a more advanced site that is experiencing higher levels of traffic and sales, the absolute #1 choice would be Kinsta. It’s a WordPress hosting company, so if you’re a Shopify store owner you can simply get a more advanced Shopify plan instead. But for a WordPress owner, there’s no better host in existence than Kinsta.

 

 

 

 

Go Forth And Conquer

 

I think you get the idea. The final thing you need is just persistence. Keep persisting in what you’re doing without getting discouraged. With internet marketing, especially affiliate marketing and SEO, it takes a lot of time before you can even get traffic, let alone start making money.

 

So how are there bloggers out there making 5 or even 6 digit months? Shopify store owners who have made millions? A lot of consistent research and follow through. Very few of these people are truly gurus, masterminds, or geniuses. They’re just people that got really determined to change their situation, learned proper internet marketing strategy, and then just kept at it, and kept at it, and kept at it.

 

Be the next one of those people.