Promote your website without spending a fortune

So, you have a new website. Now it’s time to drive traffic to that site. However, not everyone has the financial means to invest in paid advertising or hiring a renowned SEO agency to do it for them. How to advertise your website for free is not difficult. Here are nine free website promotion strategies for boosting website visits.

9 Free Website Promotion Strategies

Focus on SEO (Search engine optimisation)
Submit your site to online directories
Start a blog
Undertake guest blogging
Take advantage of email marketing
Don’t forget social media
Giveaway kickstarts
Show your expertise on online forums
Say it everywhere

Search engine optimisation (SEO)

Search engine optimisation (SEO) is designed to make your website more easily found. Websites often use SEO as a central focus of their web promotion. Learn all you can about SEO. You will need to know how to write better content and organise that content, so your site is easier to find. SEO also teaches us that we can borrow web presence from other high performing sites using backlinks.

Content development and optimisation:

Fundamental to SEO is writing content that utilises high demand keywords. Keywords are the words shown to be most likely used by people searching the web. Make sure you research the best keywords for your sector and use them in your content.

Content optimisation:

Content optimisation is another critical part of SEO. Title headers help your readers understand what they are about to read. They are also crucial in searches and often become the link text for the displayed search results. Additionally, they are often used on social media networks. Meta descriptions are typically displayed in search engine results as the descriptor of the pages found. You are in charge of that description. Make sure it uses keywords and ensure it accurately describes what readers will find on your page.

Link building

Backlinks are links from other sites pointing at your website. It’s a bit like a recommendation from that site. If you can get a backlink from a high performing site, it’s excellent free website promotion for your business.

Submit your site to online directories

Online directories make it easy for people to find your URL and navigate to your site. They are an easy way to create quality backlinks to your business. Depending on your industry, there may be a directory for your specific business type. Free services like Google My Business allow you to claim your business so that when someone searches for your business, a complete set of details - including your website, opening hours, contact details, and a map of your location - appear on the results page. Other locations you should consider are Sensis (Yellow Pages), Localsearch, True Local, StartLocal and Yelp. Your NAP (name, address, phone number) is how Google, Bing and other search engines identify your business. When adding or updating your information on directories, you must ensure your details are presented consistently. Any inconsistencies will reduce your findability.

Start a blog

When considering how to promote a website, a good practice is to create a blog. A blog will bolster your SEO efforts and increase your site’s rank on search engines. Blogging makes it easier for people to find your site and discover your business. A blog also helps you establish yourself as an authority in your field and dramatically improve your conversion rate.

Guest posting

Guest blogging is a great way to advertise your website. It can help establish connections and expand your link building. It builds your brand recognition within your niche. Being a newer website owner with a smaller following, it can be challenging to convince others to accept you as a guest blogger, so be wise. Initially, target smaller players and when accepted, make sure you deliver them the best content. Ensure the content you’re writing is valuable to the website’s current customers. Look carefully at their past stylistic and tone treatments so that your submission fits seamlessly. If you provide links back to your website, ensure the links point to existing blogs. This approach makes your post less promotional and more engaging and insightful for your users.

Take advantage of email marketing

Email marketing is an excellent way to build website traffic. Newsletters are a particularly effective form of email marketing since they offer direct communication between you and your potential customers. They also help you get subscribers and can help drive traffic to your site. Keep your content punchy and direct, and use calls-to-action that encourage readers to click through to your website.

Don’t forget social media

Social media is a great way to promote a website. Social media can reach a diverse audience and build brand awareness. It’s highly effective at engaging with consumers and a valuable way to get some free website advertising. Posting compelling content increases your audience's chances to share it, which is free website promotion. Don’t forget to cross-promote, so all of your networks benefit from as much of your content as possible. You may find it is worth tweaking content for specific social media channels. LinkedIn will require a more professional tone, while Instagram will need a strong visual. Make sure you add a social bar to your website so that visitors can easily find your social profiles and share your content.

Giveaway kick starts

Promote your website by trialling giveaways to attract targeted audiences. This method is usually used to generate instant, high-volume traffic to a website. If you have successfully promoted website visits using a gift, you will now need to keep that audience engaged with content. Do not offer a gift unless you are ready to provide ongoing enticing content for these visitors.

Show your expertise on online forums

Online forums are spaces where people can talk about topics related to their common interests. Alternatively, some platforms host spaces for multiple communities like Reddit. Try to find forums that are specifically about your industry so that you can reach people who are already interested in your niche. Engage in an existing conversation thread and refer to your website only when relevant. You should only add your website to these posts when it serves as a genuinely helpful resource to supplement your response. Otherwise, you may be discounted as spam.

Say it everywhere

Make sure that your website appears wherever is practically possible. If you have a shopfront, display your website address so customers know how to find out more without entering the store. Your email signature is essentially an online business card. Ensure that your email signature includes your business logo, links to your social accounts and website, and any other contact information. This puts your brand’s stamp on your emails and promotes your website to your recipients. Do a quick audit to ensure that you have added your website details to all touchpoints, from receipts to packaging.

Do what you can for free then step it up

There are many website promotion strategies you can employ. Get things started with these free strategies before you engage in more sophisticated programs. Ready to step up your SEO or need assistance with your social media or search engine advertising? Reach out today, we’d be happy to help.

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