Bring More Visitors to Your Site

Now that everything on your website works properly, you will want visitors. Here are the main ways to get things moving.

Make the Site Easy for Search Engines

For most websites, search engines are the biggest source of visitors. Start by learning what search engines look for. The essentials have not changed much in years: useful, original content that answers what people are searching for; a clear page title and description for every page; headings that structure the text; fast pages that work well on phones; and links from other respected sites.

One old piece of advice is now wrong: repeating keywords as often as possible. Search engines treat keyword stuffing as spam. Write naturally for your readers and use the words they would use.

Tell Search Engines About Your Site

You no longer need to submit your site to dozens of search engines. Add your site to the free webmaster tools of the major search engines, submit an XML sitemap, and fix any errors they report. Paid submission services are not necessary.

Build Links and Partnerships

Banner exchanges have faded, but the idea behind them still works: partner with related websites. Guest articles, interviews, listings in respected directories for your industry and genuine collaborations all bring visitors and help your search rankings.

Use Social Media and Email

Share new content where your audience already spends time, and build an email list from the start. A newsletter brings people back far more reliably than hoping they remember your address.

Consider Paid Advertising

If your budget allows, advertising can bring visitors quickly: search ads, social media ads, or ads in magazines and on websites related to your products or services. Specialist publications usually work best, because their readers are already interested.

A Note on Gambling Sites

Traffic for gambling sites follows the sports and gaming calendar. Betting content peaks before big fixtures and tournaments, and casino content around new game releases and holidays. Paid advertising for gambling is tightly restricted on most ad platforms and only allowed in certain countries with certification, so most gambling sites rely on search, partnerships and email. Whatever the niche, plan your hosting for the peaks; our guide to protecting betting platforms explains why.

Measure What Works

People disagree about which marketing methods work best, so experiment, and track where your visitors come from with an analytics tool. Then put more effort into the channels that bring the visitors you actually want.