How to Increase your Website Visitors by 55%

December 10, 2014

Do you have a company blog? If so, then you most likely already know that it’s a strong asset for your business. But how much of a difference is it really making for your website? Has it helped you increase your website visitors? Whether or not you see this increase yourself, the evidence is clear that companies with blogs achieve much better marketing results.

On average, an organisation that blogs has:

• 55% more website visitors. Higher numbers of visitors means more people that you can convert into leads and, ultimately, sales.
• 97% more inbound links. Inbound links demonstrate authority for search engines, increasing your chances of ranking high on major search engines.
• 434% more indexed pages. A higher number of indexed pages also increases the likelihood that you’ll rank high on major search engines.

This sounds great, but how do you achieve these kinds of results? Whether you’re just starting out in the world of business blogging or you have an established blog that you want to take to the next level, the following tactics will improve your blog, which in turn, will increase your website visitors.

Set up an editorial calendar

High quality content creation is an ongoing process that doesn’t just happen on its own. You must make a point to brainstorm on a regular basis and schedule content as much as a month in advance. Many companies find it helpful to have regular brainstorming sessions as well as meetings to lay out the content for the month ahead. Make a list of seven to 10 keyword-rich categories or topics that are relevant for your industry and try to brainstorm ideas for each category each month.

One of the hardest parts about setting up an editorial calendar is determining the posting timing and frequency. There is no set formula that works for all companies. You must figure out how often your readers expect new content and if they prefer to read on certain days of the week and at certain times of the day. Once you get a publishing routine going, aim to publish several larger pieces of content each month, such as ebooks, white papers, and video demonstrations, and then mix in shorter posts such as blog posts and industry news updates.

Generate ideas for content from your target audience

You can have the best content in the world, but it doesn’t matter if it doesn’t resonate with your target audience. What sorts of problems and issues are they trying to solve? What kind of information are they looking for when they seek out your website? Don’t be afraid to talk to your audience directly. Request responses via an email campaign or start a dialog on Facebook or Twitter. While you don’t have to use these ideas as the sole source for your content creation, they can be a great starting point.

Learn from the best

A critical aspect of running a successful business blog is learning the industry competition. Even if you have an established blog, you never know when you may get a great idea from another company’s blog. Which businesses already have great blogs? What sorts of topics do they cover? If you work in a niche industry with little competition, your blog can be a great opportunity to own the search engines. If you’re unsure where to start researching relevant industry blogs, check out Technorati, Alltop, and blogs.com.

Include calls to action

A call to action (CTA) tells readers what to do after they have finished with a blog post. It can be anything from reading another related blog post, to signing up for a newsletter, to enrolling in a 12-week in-depth course. Keep calls to action concise with actionable, urgent language, such as, “Download our new ebook to start improving your product photography today!”

Connect the blog to your website

It may seem like an obvious aspect of driving more website traffic, but one of the simplest ways to get more people to visit your website from your blog is to link the two resources. A potential customer may first discover your company by finding a blog post via a major search engine. They should not have trouble getting to your website from your blog if they are looking for it.

 

Increasing website visitors by as much as 55 percent doesn’t happen overnight. With the right strategies, you’ll be on your way to higher traffic numbers more quickly, but it can still take time to see significant results. Stay focused on the larger picture. You’ll be surprised when you look back in six months and see how far you’ve come.