There are lots of tools available these days for getting more people to visit your website. Some are high-tech, some are expensive, and some require the services of an agency or specialized marketing professional. But there are also several basic strategies nearly any business can follow that are sure to boost website traffic. Here’s a list of our top 10.

1. Include your URL on all your printed materials. 

This may seem like a no-brainer, but it frequently gets overlooked. Make sure your business cards, stationery, brochures, and sales literature contain this important information. 

2. Promote your website when using traditional media. 

Whether you’re using display or classified ads, direct mail, television commercials, or radio spots, your URL should be included. Use the ad to get the attention of the target audience – then send them to your site. 

3. Offer a free resource on your site.

It’s great to invite people to your site – but it’s better to say, “Use the free house payment calculator available on our site.” It’s a bit of extra effort and expense on your part, but it will increase traffic. Just make sure that the free service is closely related to what you’re selling.

4. Make sure your email signature includes your URL. 

This is another thing that seems self-evident, but you would be surprised how many business people neglect it. Always include company name, address, phone number, email address, and your URL.

5. Publish an e-newsletter. 

This is one of the best ways to keep in touch with your prospects, build trust, create brand awareness, and generate future business. If you don’t have time or the expertise to create and distribute your own newsletter, outsource it to professionals. It will be worth the small investment.

6. Send special offers to your customers and site visitors. 

Assuming you’ve been collecting email addresses from your customers and website visitors, you have data that is pure gold. If you’ve not been asking for this information, begin doing it immediately – then, send out special offers, event information, and product updates to increase business traffic and build sales. An important tip: Personalizing the subject line can help improve the results.

7. Purchase targeted email lists. 

While using your in-house database is effective at increasing the frequency of purchases by your current customer base and, to a much lesser extent, recruiting new customers, gaining access to this latter group is better accomplished by purchasing targeted lists of people who have opted in or agreed to receive promotional emails.

8. Improve your website traffic through SEO. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of your website traffic from search engines via organic or natural searches. Basically, optimizing a website involves editing its content and HTML coding to increase its relevance to specific keywords and to remove barriers to the indexing activities of search engines. SEO can make a huge difference in the success of your site, but, unless you’re a pro, it’s important to outsource this to professionals.

9. Purchase pay-per-click PPC ads. 

Pay-per-click (PPC) is a powerful way to reach customers while they’re in the acting of searching for what you have to offer. Google, Bing and Yahoo all offer online search ads that appear as links above and beside the natural, or organic, search results for your keywords. Again, it’s best to hire a pro, but Google Adwords and other PPC search advertising can be very cost-effective if done well, since you’re reaching your customers when they need you and paying only when they click on your ad. 

10. Keep your social media up to speed.

The ever-expanding world of social media is made for marketing your business – and your website. Get on Facebook, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter, Flutter, and whatever else comes along. Give them a try, then invest in the top two or three that are the best fit for your company. After all, advertising is the process of making people aware of your products and services, and social media does exactly that. It’s also free, it’s fun, and it’s where your customers are. So make the time to keep up.

How many of these 10 tips does your company incorporate in your ongoing marketing? How many of these are you doing well?