Paid traffic will only get you so far. When your advertising budget is tight, or entirely non-existent, organic traffic is what’s going to be there to keep your site going. But, how do you get organic traffic and how can you maximize the traffic you are getting? Here are five tips to help you out.
#1 Refine Your Titles
Whether pages or posts, you need to make sure that the title of every piece of content on your website clearly states its purpose or intent. Your titles should be clear and should ideally incorporate some keywords or phrases that people may search when looking for the content found within.
For instance, if you write an article describing how to wax your car, you probably want to title it something like: “How to wax your car the right way” rather than “3 steps to having the shiniest car on the block”. While the latter may have a little more “pizazz” it doesn’t matter if no one is ever going to find it. Be descriptive!
#2 Write Rich Snippets
If you don’t already know what a rich snippet is, then this tip alone is going to massively improve your organic traffic. A rich snippet is part of a page or post’s HTML markup. It’s what search engines are going to show on the search results pages, and your rich snippets should clearly explain what readers can expect if they choose to click on your site in the search results.
Rich snippets should be interesting and get the attention of the searcher. The rich snippet should highlight what they’re going to get out of the article/page if they click on it, so be sure to make it convincing and descriptive.
#3 Use Images & Videos
It’s no secret that written content has gradually faded out of fashion on the internet, which is why you should use images and videos every chance you get to help add to your written content.
But, why not use images and videos entirely? Well, search engines haven’t quite mastered the ability to get a clear understanding of the information being offered in video and photo form. Including written content helps give search engines context (improving SEO) while also making it more engaging and valuable for readers.
#4 Build Backlinks
When your site is linked to on the web, that can give you a huge reputation boost in the eyes of search engines. When another site links to your site, that’s called a “backlink” and, with the right backlinks, they can even produce organic traffic in and of themselves (given that they’re placed on a website where the audience may be interested in going to your website).
Just stay away from spammy, low-quality backlinks. Avoid services offering backlinks for cheap because they are just going to go spam your website link into the comment sections and blog areas of irrelevant and untrustworthy sites. Focus on building a network of high-quality backlinks.
#5 Ask For Assistance
SEO is a complex task to take on. The algorithms are forever changing and it’s an understatement to say that it’s difficult to keep up with it. People spend years trying to master SEO and some devote their entire careers to it. Luckily, you can learn from their hours of research and expertise to improve your own website without having to commit to nearly as much study.
If you have questions about SEO or if you really want to get a boost in organic traffic, don’t hesitate to reach out to a professional agency that does SEO day-in and day-out. They know what they’re doing and they can give your site’s SEO a good kickstart.