For centuries, philosophers have wondered whether or not a tree that falls in a forest makes a sound if no one is around to hear it. Entrepreneurs ponder a similar question when it comes to creating their own website. If a startup has a website, but it doesn’t get noticed, does it even exist?
Yes, the website still exists — your domain receipts are kind of a dead giveaway here. However, if you want to make waves, you’ll have to do more than build a site and expect everyone online to find it and keep returning. Getting your new website noticed requires playing into the needs of search engines, creating valuable content and getting creative in spreading the news to others. If you’re ready to put your new website on the map, here’s what you need to do.
1. Start researching keywords
What should you talk about on your website that will attract the attention of your desired audience? The best way to determine this is to research keywords as part of your SEO strategy. These keywords should be specific terms that your audience will type into search engines in order to find businesses in your industry. The more relevant keywords you use, the higher your site will rank in these searches. You can use the Keyword Planner from Google AdWords to find out which terms get the most searches and to optimize broad keywords and make them more specific to your business. Once you have your keywords ready to go, add them just about everywhere on your website — on site pages, in blog posts and as image and alt tags.
Related: A Complete Checklist for Your Startup’s Website
2. Keep an active blog
If you’re looking to bump your site’s organic traffic, create and maintain an active blog. Write articles that utilize your keywords and establish you as a thought leader in your field, invite influential guest bloggers to write and boost traffic, and share interactive content, like infographics. You can also add CTA blurbs at the end of every post that encourage readers to leave comments or share the content via social media.
Pro tip: the more blog posts you create, the more abilities you’ll have to create internal backlinks in articles. That means you’ll be able to include backlinks to related posts in your new content, which gives readers the chance to check out your previous work.
3. Grow your business through local listings and reviews
Want to establish credibility quickly with new visitors to your website? Encourage existing customers to share reviews about your company on sites like Yelp and TrustPilot and get your business listed through local listings and in online directories. Make sure that the information you’re listed under is accurate in order to build further credibility, too. The more visible your business is in listings, the easier it makes it for customers to find you, which ultimately helps boost your SEO results, visibility and sales!
4. Invest in paid search
If organic traffic isn’t taking off as quickly as you had hoped, you may want to invest in paid search strategies. Google AdWords tends to be one of the most popular avenues to get started with and allows businesses to test their strategies through a couple different variations of the budget that suits them best. Play around with A/B testing as needed until you find the formula that works for your business.
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5. Establish a social media presence
Last but not least, don’t forget to share your content on your website’s social media handles! You can use these handles to engage with your audience and further cement yourself as a thought leader within your field. Use scheduling software, like Hootsuite, to ensure you are regularly posting content and utilize hashtags on Instagram for a wider reach. Also, follow relevant hashtags to see what trends in your industry look like, and join in Twitter chats to share expert commentary and network with other like-minded users.
