How to Successfully Grow Your Website in Its First Year
Starting from scratch can be daunting especially if we’re talking about growing a website. There are so many challenges to overcome and yet so little money. And if we bear in mind that a well-structured website which can be easily navigated is essential for customer experience, it’s clear that you need to put a lot of effort into fine-tuning and polishing it. But, before we can talk about customer experience, you first need to find them and get them to visit your website. This can be hard to do when you’re the new kid on the block trying to run a business on a shoestring budget. Difficult? Yes. Impossible? No. Here are a couple of practical tips which can help you grow your website in its first year.
Produce high-quality content
Without proper content, your website stands no chance of growing. Naturally, only relevant, high-quality content can attract visitors and keep their attention. So, you need to study and research your target audience and understand their needs and pain points. After that, you can come up with an effective content strategy to stock your website with something that will educate and entertain your visitors, and make them come back.
Apart from capturing your visitors’ attention, superb content plays a pivotal role when it comes to Google algorithms which make sure that only the most relevant content appears among the top search results. Reaching 100K visitors is quite a milestone and yet it’s something that you can do without breaking the bank, but not without a detailed roadmap.
Have an SEO strategy in place
No matter how engaging and compelling your content is, it’s of no use if nobody can’t find it. Relying on the fact that somebody will accidentally stumble upon your website or see something about your business on social media isn’t the best option. That’s why you need an effective SEO strategy which will bring your website right in front of your prospects’ eyes. However, what you should know is that search engine optimization isn’t a one-time thing and that it won’t bring results immediately.
But, given that the first page of Google results garners almost 92% of all traffic, it’s evident that this strategy will definitely pay off.
Build your online authority
If you’re an expert in a certain field, show it and use your knowledge to help other people and educate them. You can do this by hosting different webinars, speaking at the industry events and conferences, or by becoming a contributor to major publications such as Forbes of HuffPost. This will tremendously boost your visibility thus prompting people to look you up and visit your site. Even Quora, a Q&A portal, can help you reach your target audience and build your online authority by answering different questions from your niche. This way you’ll get people to trust you and they’ll be more likely to visit your website when they need some information.
Connect with an influencer
Influencer marketing is on a roll and you should take advantage of it to promote your website and grow your audience. After you’ve packed your blog with superb content, you can contact an influencer from your niche and offer them to write a guest post. If your existing blog posts are interesting and engaging, the said influencer will jump at the opportunity to accept your offer, and your content will be exposed to an army of devoted followers.
The trick is to do your research and find a micro-influencer with a smaller but more loyal and responsive following. It’s also a good idea to share that influencer’s content on your social media channels and comment their posts as that’s a surefire way for them to notice you and return the favor.
Take advantage of social media platforms
According to the latest statistics, there are more than 3 billion people on social media which means that you can reach potential customers and send them your marketing message. When it comes to choosing the right channel, it also requires knowing and understanding your target audience and identifying where they like to hang out. You can’t go wrong by opting for Facebook, as this social media network is universal and business from any niche can benefit from it. LinkedIn is also a must, especially if you’re in the B2B industry.
It’s essential to optimize your profile and start posting relevant advice, as well as content from your blog. Engage in networking activities and connect with other professionals from your niche. Using a tool which automatically visits targeted LinkedIn profiles is pretty can do wonder for bringing quality traffic as most of those people will visit you back and see the link to your website.
Growing your website requires a combination of several strategies and these tips can help you get the ball rolling.