Ten Tips to Increase Website Traffic Without Any Expense

While I realize I am NOT a Web Development DIY (Do-it-Yourselfer), there are several things I do regularly to help increase my rankings at the major search engines. SEO, or search engine optimization is a key component to attracting your ideal client to your website, blog, or social media presence.

Since blog are ‘open source’ they are looked upon more favorably by the search engines, and are much easier to update regularly than a static website. Make sure to regularly post to your blog and encourage replies to help increase activity that will bring your site attention online.

Inbound links are also important and help you rank higher in the search engines – so make sure to use lots of links on all your social media, blogs, and websites.

Here are 10 simple ways to improve your search engine rankings with little to no expense (depending on whether or not you're a DIY or have website support and maintenance done by a Virtual Assistant (VA), or in-house staffer/IT Support.). I hope you find them helpful.

1. Schedule regular updates/changes of information on your main website pages. This activity spiders out to search engines to let them know something’s happening at your site.
2. Add resources and links to other sites, even affiliate sites where you can make a second income stream would be helpful. It also brings attention to your site.
3. Update or add keywords and meta tags. Search your niche and see what pops up, ask your clients what words they might use in a search engine if they were looking for you. They may come up with words you hadn’t even thought of.
4. Add features such as a newsletter subscribe or survey questions. Rotating survey questions is a great way to bring visitors back again and again.
5. Use your website in your marketing pieces. Write articles that would be of interest to your clients and include the URL on the print or electronic marketing piece to drive more traffic to your site.
6. Create private areas of your website where clients can login and retrieve projects or files.
7. Add a blog, or connect to your site from your blog, to increase search engine rankings.
8. Find out what SEO (Search Engine Optimization) can be done manually and set a regular schedule each week, or several times a month to increase your rankings at major search engines.
9. If you get an article published, post a link to it somewhere on your website, or include your website URL in the article so that people will have easy access to your site.
10. Include your website URL on your letterhead, business cards, online directories, and anywhere else you can reasonably post it.

If you incorporate several of these tips into your regular website maintenance, you’re sure to see your numbers grow.