Having a great website for your local business is vitally important. For many customers, it will be the first thing they see of your company, so you'll need to make sure it functions well, is user-friendly, has all the relevant information they need and is aesthetically pleasing. If you've already got one then you're off to a great start, but how you market your site is even more important: if you advertise it correctly, your returns will be higher. To help you on your way, we've put together 10 free and easy ways you can promote your site...
1. Google My Business
Google my Business is a great starting point. It's a quick and easy way to show your customers that you're open for business. All you have to do is add your business to Google's map, make sure your information is up to date with opening hours, contact details etc and you'll be able to control how your business appears in Google's search results.
2. Google Webmaster Tools
Google Webmaster Tools is another great way to ensure your site is fully optimised for Google. You can access it by adding your site to Webmaster tools via your Google account. Once there, you'll find an easy to use dashboard which will provide you with data on how Google is crawling your site index. If your site has any problems such as 404 pages, Google Webmaster Tools will let you know about them so you can take appropriate action.
3. Google Analytics
Google Analytics is another free tool from Google that will let you know just how successful your site is. It provides you with key data on how many visitors your site is getting, how long they are staying on your site and it even breaks down your user data into demographics. Once you know the type of person who visits your site most, you'll be able to adapt your marketing strategy accordingly.
4. Keyword research tools
There are a wealth of keyword research tools available on the web and they're really easy to use. By using a keyword research tool, you'll be providing yourself with the keywords your site needs to feature in order to improve your search ranking.
5. Free directory listings
These are another great resource, once you're up and running on Google, you'll want to make sure you're in as many free directory listings as possible. Potential clients will sometimes search high and wide for the business to suit their needs, so being listed in as many directories as possible gives you the best chance of being found.
6. Regular updates to content
You should always make sure your site is up to date. If you have a new product or a new pricing structure, ensure it's added straightaway. If you have some news about your business you would like to share, make sure that's on the site too. Updates to content are vital for maintaining a good search ranking.
7. Adding alt tags to website images
This is often overlooked but adding alt tags is vitally important for increasing traffic. If a user is searching using Google Images, its the alt tags of the images that determine what comes up in their search results. So the more descriptive your alt tags, the better chance you have of getting their attention.
8. Add a blog to your site
You will probably have noticed that a huge number of local business sites feature a blog. This is because they want to keep updating their content. If Google sees a site that has been stagnant for quite a while, it will push it down the search results, so you need to make sure your local business site keeps things fresh with a blog. It's also a great way of incorporating keywords.
9. Social media
Social media is another great way of driving traffic to your site. Whether it's on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest or Instagram, your social media presence should reflect your business and give users a reason to visit your site.
10. Hit the streets
With local businesses, being active in the community is vitally important. So if you've got something to share, go and share it with your potential customers by hitting the streets. An old fashioned bit of leaflet distribution, perhaps to promote an offer or a new product, is another great way to drive traffic towards your website.
If you need any help or advice in marketing your website and improving traffic get in touch today.