42 Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Website — 3 New Tactics to Try Per Month

Are you looking to drive traffic to your website? Who isn't? Without traffic, your website couldn't monetize, you wouldn't have an audience, and you definitely wouldn't be able to call your website a sustainable undertaking.

With the help of Smith.ai live and virtual webchat, you can enhance traffic-driving techniques, new and old, to optimize your monthly traffic numbers. In this article, we'll look at everything you need to know about web traffic, landing visitors, and how Smith.ai can help you drive traffic to your website.

What you need to know about website traffic

Website traffic is the number of visitors or impressions a website experiences. Before we had other ways of gauging a website's popularity and success, web traffic was it. Nowadays, we measure a website's popularity using:

● Time spent on the page

● The number of eCommerce conversions

● How much the website owners spend on advertisements versus their income

The benefits of site traffic

That said, don't ignore web traffic! It is your customer base. Without customers, your business won't thrive — but there are other reasons why you should pay attention to your number of site visitors.

Appear in web searches

In terms of search engine optimization (SEO), web traffic doesn't necessarily affect your search engine ranking. However, it does determine whether you show up in the search results at all.

Increase website conversion

When you increase your web traffic, you increase the chances of website conversion, or having your visitors do what you want them to do: sign up for newsletters, purchase your product, donate to your cause, etc. However, if you see your web traffic numbers increase while your conversion rates decrease, you need to regroup and work on attracting quality traffic.

A reason to grow

A higher rate of traffic means a reason to grow your website and business. Ideally, when you have a high rate of traffic, you'll have a high consumer conversion rate. The bigger you grow, the more updates you'll have to make to technology, staff, plug-ins, and faster web hosting. When you see that your numbers have reached a milestone — like 1,000 visitors a month — take it as a reason to improve on what you have.

Focusing on quality traffic

While you want web traffic, you also want quality traffic. Quality traffic is traffic that converts, not just visits.

There are actually two parts to web traffic: click and conversion. Only when a visitor follows a call to action — “buy, sell, donate, sign up” — have you achieved quality traffic.

As quality traffic requires an extra step, so do you as the website owner. You now need to take an extra step or two to bring in those consumers. You need to pair web traffic best practices with modern-day on-site conversion tactics (like Smith.ai).

How best practices are getting better

Before the advent of AI receptionists, website owners relied solely on innovation built on tradition. They adapted to changing trends, resources, and best practices to drive traffic to their domain. Because non-AI practices have kept up over the years, they are still reliable. If executed correctly, they could be all you need to maintain and grow your numbers.

However, as the Internet evolves, website owners will find a greater need to use AI to stand out in an incredibly saturated platform.

AI: the 21st-century web traffic solution?

AI doesn't have the limitations that humans do. What would take you a handful of minutes would take an AI a couple of seconds, if that. What might cause your cortisol levels to spike doesn't matter to an AI — it's a "robot." For example, using an infinite-stamina multitasker allows you to perform tasks based on automation as opposed to physical work.

Just because you use an AI to take over some work for you doesn't mean you lose your labor force. Instead, you're simply optimizing workflow, leaving you and your employees more time to:

● Focus on your brand

● Launch web content and marketing campaigns

● Work on other technologies to convert customers

How AI can enhance web traffic

AI can analyze user behavior and demographics. With this information, you can initiate well-planned and statistics-driven sales cycles. Sales cycles determine the frequency at which your advertisements will appear on other websites and search engines. The more a customer sees your ad (within reason, of course), the more curious they may be.

To put it plainly: AI helps drive traffic because it gives you, the website owner, the data you need to plan your strategy.

Still, there are some areas where AI is not number one. As much as we try to make artificial intelligence human, it does not yet accurately adapt to the variability and flexibility of the human mind. That's why Smith.ai has struck the perfect balance between AI and human services.

How to drive traffic to your website

Before you can truly see how Smith.ai can enhance your traffic, you need to understand the techniques people already use to bring in more traffic to their site. The good news is, there are so many of them that you could use multiple tactics per month. We'll discuss our top 10 below, followed by a list of other potential ways to boost your site traffic throughout the year.

1. Know your audience

It's one of the biggest pieces of business and web hosting advice: know your audience. Yet, you'd be surprised by how many website owners have difficulty identifying the exact demographic they want visiting their website. Call it an identity crisis.

If you can't identify your own niche as a website or business, you won't know who to go to for work. This can cause you to spread yourself too thin in the wrong places. If you can identify your audience, you'll be able to:

● Implement SEO strategies to rank higher in niche keyword searches

● Use social media more effectively (hashtags)

● Set goals for how many visitors you think you could realistically get within a month

For example, something like sheep shearing services may be big enough to be in demand but small enough to where your audience is only about 50,000 people. So, you would want to catch the attention of as many of those 50,000 people as possible.

2. Set up your Google business profile

This is a good tactic to work with if you have a physical location and rely on revenue from an eCommerce store. A Google business profile is the summary of your brick-and-mortar business when someone searches for business suggestions, e.g., "restaurants near me" or "best doctors in the area." It includes your business's contact information, address, and website.

If the customer is unfamiliar with your store, they'll go to your website. It's Google's way of rewarding good SEO — if you rank high in a search, they'll hand a potential visitor your website. A business profile like this is also a smart way to drive quality traffic to your site. These visitors are looking for your service.

3. Bank on customer loyalty

Customer fidelity is such a lovely thing. Those loyal customers keep returning to your website to catch up on the latest article or update their monthly subscription. They just keep coming back to your website, and the website counts their visits every time.

You want to bring in loyal customers and keep giving them a reason to come back. These repeat visits add up. For example, say you have 50 unique customers who check on your page at least 20 times a month — there's your 1,000-visitors milestone.

4. Advertise on multiple platforms

This is one we discussed briefly before, but without advertisements, you're an unknown. Still, you have to advertise correctly. For example, don't limit yourself to one platform. Use social media outlets like Facebook and Twitter to advertise the latest giveaway, announce blog posts, and shout out your brand.

Remember, if someone sees an ad for your website two or three times, they are more likely to go to your webpage than if you just appeared once.

If you have an ad budget, you could even pay to have a website like Facebook prioritize your ads and advertise for you. These paid channel strategies are great for driving traffic, but do your research about how they handle advertisements first.

5. Consider purchasing Google ads

Speaking of paid advertisements, you can pay Google to appear at the top of the search results. No, this isn't a pay-to-play business — you still have to optimize your keyword rankings on that ad. When search results appear for a keyword, Google selects the ads that rank highest.

6.  Build strong landing pages

Get specific with what you want people to see on your webpage. If you can do your visitors a favor and remove the task of navigating through your webpage to get to a contest submission form or giveaway, do it. Web traffic doesn't have to start at your homepage — gear your keywords, SEO strategies, and advertisements towards improving each landing page’s ranking.

7. Improve your website’s headlines

Headlines are challenging — a proverbial double-edged sword. An enticing headline can bring in tons of traffic, or it can satisfy potential visitors enough that they feel they don't have to visit the website and read the article. One study published in SIGMETRICS Performance Evaluation Review showed that 59% of people do not click on shared links on social media platforms like Twitter. They read the headlines and move on.

So, if you're seeing a lot of shares but low web traffic, it could be that you need to rework your headlines. Here are some strategies to optimize your headlines for maximum click-throughs:

● Use simple but emotional language.

● Be short and concise.

● Target your audience.

● Tell the story without giving it away.

● Use a cliffhanger if appropriate.

● Appeal to niches using long-tail keywords.

Work your best-targeted headlines so you can get the share as well as that click-through.

8. Have a fast, mobile-responsive site

Every year, more and more users are navigating web pages with their phones rather than their laptops or desktops. When your website is user-friendly, convenient, and optimized for a smartphone (known as mobile responsiveness), users are less likely to navigate away while the site loads or because the formatting isn’t properly adjusted. You'll also appear higher on SEO ranks, improving your chances of a website visit.

9. Be a guest blogger

There's nothing wrong with supporting a related business for shared exposure. Should you partner with any of them, make it known on their website. Appear as a guest blogger to put your contact information in the forefront of someone else's audience. If visitors to that person's website enjoy what you have to say, they're more likely to visit your website next.

10. Find an influencer

One of the more popular, modern-day ways of encouraging quality web traffic is by teaming up with an influencer. An influencer tries and markets your products on their social media pages in exchange for free products or a stipend. The right influencer will interact with thousands of followers daily.

When you look for an influencer, you should make sure they align with your company's ethics, the message behind your product, and the aesthetic of your business. Consider them an ambassador to your product — and a billboard for your website.

Additional tactics for increasing website traffic

Once you’ve tried out our top 10 strategies for growing your audience, consider one (or a combination of) the following actions to further boost your visibility.

11. Optimize for specific keywords

Use SEO-optimized keywords on your webpage, headings, content, and meta descriptions. Incorporating keywords naturally into your content makes it easier for Google to index your website. When you utilize keywords correctly, it can help your ranking in search results and place you in line to be the first click.

12. Optimize images

If you have an image-heavy or eCommerce website, you'll want to optimize your images, even down to using relevant keywords in the file name. Note that large images can significantly slow down your website, so use smaller sizes where possible.

13. Establish credibility

Include bios for site authors and guest bloggers so readers feel confident in the information you share. Your writers can provide a brief synopsis of their experience in the field to boost authority.

14. Have an SSL certificate

Security is everything. Readers are likely to spend more time on a site they trust. Paying for an SSL certificate is worth the cost to keep your audience coming back to a secure site.

15. Use A/B testing

Not sure which headers or calls to action will be most effective with your audience? You can compare content strategies using A/B testing to make sure you create posts that will have maximum impact.

16. Cover hot news stories

You don't have to be CNN, the BBC, or AP News to report on hot topics. If you release culturally relevant content and hot topics and spin them back to your website, you can become part of the trend.

17. Maintain content that is evergreen

While it’s often beneficial to stay on-trend by posting hot topics, you also want to avoid writing too much time-sensitive content. You want plenty of your content to be timeless — this is also known as having “evergreen content.” This ensures that you always have information that your audience finds useful and engaging, rather than just “old news.”

18. Answer popular questions

Use the power of who, what, where, when, why, and how to answer popular questions about a subject. You can find these questions through websites like Answer the Public, which allows you to input a topic or keyword to discover related search terms and questions.

19. Write listicles

SEO loves headings, right? There's no better format for organically increased headings than a listicle. Plus, this format allows you to cover a wide variety of related topics in an easy-to-read format.

20. Use the skyscraper method

Find articles on your top keywords from other sources that have a high amount of backlinks. Write better content than these and reach out to the backlink sources, inviting them to link to yours instead. Strong backlinking is a great way to build site authority.

21. Write longer content

SEO also loves posts that are 500 words or more. If you have a shorter post that isn't performing too well, consider rewriting it to increase its word count. It'll rank better in search results. However, don’t add words simply for the sake of having a longer page. Any content you add should provide valuable information to the reader, and you want to make sure readers can see the main content right off the bat.

Keep key information at the top of your posts and shift other related information, along with author or blogger bios, down to the bottom. While you want to encourage readers to scroll through the whole page, making them dig for the information they want is likely to drive them to other sources.

22. Plan pillar posts

As part of your content strategy, create long-form posts using keywords you want to dominate. Then write short-form posts that link back to them. This can help increase the pillar posts' success rate.

23. Connect and share content on Facebook

Setting up a Facebook page for your business provides more possibilities for posting and reaching your audience. You can also share your content in other Facebook groups relevant to your product and location.

24. Create a YouTube channel and include calls to action in your videos

Don't forget that YouTube is essentially one of the most popular content platforms around. Some people would rather watch than read. Create a YouTube video and encourage viewers, in person, to go to your website. If you have a YouTube channel that complements your website, include calls to action to visit your site within the video itself.

25. Create your own community

If you can't find a community, you can always make one. Start and facilitate a Facebook or Linkedin group that addresses key issues or questions that your site content offers. Focus on building conversation and include lots of organic links back to your site. Don't forget to include a recognizable voice for your content that appeals specifically to your target audience.

26. Invite a guest blogger

Just as you can post guest blogs on someone else's website, you can encourage someone else to do the same on your website. You're now inviting the other website's audience into your home, so to speak, which can significantly increase your web traffic. You may even have an opportunity to convert some of their customers to your products and services.

27. Use hashtags on your social media posts

The hashtag — now recognized by virtually every social media and community platform online — connects communities through a related term. By including a hashtag at the end of your social posts and website redirects, you make your content even easier for your audience to find. This takes advantage of the platform’s algorithms and ensures your content appears with similar or related posts based on what users search for.

28. Design accessible social share buttons

You want to make sharing your content on social platforms as easy as possible for your audience. Make sure social share buttons are colorful, appropriately sized, and easy to locate. Consider adding buttons to tweet high-impact blurbs easily.

29. Start your own podcast

Using concepts from your site that have performed well, you can begin your own podcast to cover those topics more extensively. Then branch out and include other related information. Is there a professional you can identify that is particularly influential in your niche? Reach out and ask to do an interview. You can post both text and audio of the interview on your site.

This gives your audience a different way to consume your content and allows you to reach users you might not have otherwise.

30. Advertise on other podcasts

Just like with paid ads, you can take advantage of the rapidly expanding podcast market by paying for advertising on other successful podcasts with a following. Studies have shown that podcast listeners are very responsive to ads.

31. Use LinkedIn's "Write an Article" feature

While this networking site rewards original content, that doesn't mean you can't put a new spin on your latest blog post. Then, you can include a CTA to point back to your own site.

32. Post in forums and send traffic to your site

"Advertise" your website by posting on forums and encouraging people to visit your website. Just make sure you provide helpful responses there as well — it should be a give and take.

For example, if Reddit users like your post, they'll upvote it, increasing your ranking in the forum.

33. Repurpose content for other platforms

Don't recreate the wheel. Use well-performing content from your website on other platforms — social media, forums, etc. For example, you could take graphics from your article and upload them as an Instagram post that links back to the page.

34. Plan for consistency

When your audience knows when to expect content from you, you're more likely to have more reliable traffic patterns. Take this week to plan out the types of content you'll be posting each day, along with the best times to post.

35. Narrow your audience for targeted ads

The more you hone in on your website's target audience, the more likely you are to get a click-through. Keep on narrowing down your audience to create an almost custom-to-them advertisement.

For instance, an ad about Led Zeppelin remasters applies to people in the general music community, but this could be anybody. Narrow down the audience to guitarists in their 60s, and your chances of concentrated web traffic increase. Narrow it down even more to people in their 60s who belong to a Led Zeppelin fan page, and the ad was practically made for them.

36. Host a giveaway or contest

Sometimes you need to offer treats to encourage those clicks, such as a giveaway or contest. The fact that somebody could win something or gain credits towards a purchase they could use means that you've just won the quality traffic your website needs.

37. Offer a lead magnet

You can also entice your target audience to visit your site by giving materials away for free. In exchange for an email address, you could offer PDFs, E-Books, guides, quizzes — anything relevant to your site's current content.

Likewise, you can keep users engaged by sending out newsletters that provide relevant content, coupons, or early access to your products. You could even cut the newsletter short and prompt readers to go to your website to finish reading the article or get more information.

38. Write posts that appeal to different stages in the buyer's journey

Not everyone needs to be convinced to buy something. They may be ready to make a purchase but are unsure about which one to buy or whether to put money down for the product. Appealing to these stages can widen your audience.

39. Automated emails

Email campaigns are a powerful tool for driving site traffic. You're working from a pool of warm leads that have visited your site before. Have an automated email content schedule that follows up with those leads for you while cutting down on the time you spend driving traffic.

For example, if a user made it halfway through the buying process but did not complete their purchase, you can send an email that reminds them about items they left in their cart.

40. Optimize old pages and address keyword gaps

Your old pages could be holding your SEO back. Go through and optimize these pages to improve their SEO. What aren't you ranking for? Don't skip over valuable keywords that could help to boost your traffic. Use sites like Ahrefs to help you identify what you're missing. Google Analytics' extensive features can help you monitor changes for different keywords, patterns for posting, and popular traffic sources.

You can also check your site for duplicate content that could harm your ranking and confuse readers. Articles competing to rank for the same keywords can end up canceling each other out.

41. Check for broken links and redirects

Sometimes you can't turn on your computer because it's unplugged. This idea can apply to web traffic. If you aren't getting as much web traffic as you think you should be getting, it could be that your redirect links are broken. Regular site audits can help you spot those broken links and address them quickly.

42. Download Smith.ai

Jumping to our new modern solutions, Smith.ai really focuses on the second part of web traffic: conversion. By converting customers, you contribute to customer loyalty and increase the chances of people sharing and referring others to your products. You encourage quality traffic to return to your webpage.

What Smith.ai does

Smith.ai offers a blend of AI and human customer assistance services, including:

● 24/7 live receptionists

● Live chat agents

● A free AI chatbot

Our company is made up of customer service and hospitality experts, ready to answer customer questions and help convert them to your products, services, and calls to action.

Customizable customer interaction

Our virtual receptionists will greet customers with a custom greeting of your choice, and promote fluency and inclusion by providing real-time Spanish-English translation. Moreover, Smith.ai handles new customer intake and lead recording. They'll make new appointments, compile eCommerce information, and gather data on qualified leads.

Smith.ai users can even customize the chat bubble on their website. You can pick between a chat bubble or a tab and decide when and how often to have the chat prompt the visitor to engage with it (every 15, 30, or 60 seconds). The chat is mobile responsive.

Smith.ai chatbot

The Smith.ai chatbot is the company's AI customer service bot. It is available 24/7, is mobile responsive, and screens all clients for good or bad lead potential. It will then send chat transcripts to you by text or email and record customer information.

You will also be able to build the "knowledge base" for your chatbot and live receptionists. For example, the more the chatbot interacts with your customers, the more it learns how to cater responses to client questions.

How Smith.ai enhances your web traffic techniques

We've already covered that Smith.ai is there to convert customers, but we shouldn't overlook how crucial its data gathering is to your web traffic endeavors. When you use Smith.ai, you can customize the filters you use to identify who is a good lead for your business. This includes occupation, location, type of consumer, and more.

A Smith.ai receptionist not only identifies these good leads but also converts them and completes the intake process. That customer's information is now officially in your system. Receptionists will also redirect "bad leads" — leads that don't have anything to do with your service or meet your criteria — to people on your custom list or according to any instructions you give them.

Our services can increase quality traffic to your site

How does this help you increase the amount of quality traffic you receive? It helps you to:

● Update your on-page SEO and keywords to reduce the number of bad leads you receive

● Target different groups of customers for giveaways, offers, or blog posts

● Take geographical information and post advertisements on local pages

● Find out how good leads learned about your services so you can create additional advertisements to place on those platforms

Essentially, you can better place your content in areas that your good leads are likely to be.

Get a free consultation with Smith.ai and sign up for a free trial

Smith.ai is a human-led AI customer service solution for bus business owners and managers. While you still need to enhance your SEO to improve your ranking, place advertisements, and promote your website on social media, Smith.ai helps you better understand where your leads are coming from and how and where to place your website to increase web traffic.

It leads these visitors to customer conversion and answers any questions they may have during the process. Whether you are interested in harnessing the AI chatbot, the live receptionists, or both services for your site, you can find out more in a free, 30-minute consultation and take advantage of our free trial. Learn about our pricing when you chat with us live on our site or call us at (650) 727-6484.

‍