What’s covered in this guide to getting more website traffic?
You’ve got a website you’re proud of. Your colleagues have seen it, your family have seen it, and now you need the rest of the world to see it too.
The good news is you don’t need a huge budget to get more website traffic. You need a handful of channels that suit your business, and the habit of using them consistently. Here are the ten we recommend most often to the marketing managers and business owners we work with.
In this guide to more website traffic, we’ve compiled a list of 10 ways you can market your website, so you can reap the rewards of consistent traffic and begin converting those visitors into customers and clients.
Let’s get into it:
1. Get found in Google and AI search
Search is still one of the biggest sources of website traffic, but it’s changing fast. Google now answers many questions directly on the results page, and more people are asking ChatGPT and other AI tools for recommendations.
A 2024 study by SparkToro found that almost 60% of Google searches in the EU end without a click. So the clicks that are left are worth fighting for, and the top spots get most of them. Backlinko’s analysis of 4 million searches found the first organic result gets 27.6% of all clicks.
To give yourself the best chance:
- Make sure each key page targets one clear keyphrase in its title, meta description and headings.
- Add short, direct answers and FAQs that AI tools can easily quote.
- Claim and complete your Google Business Profile if you serve a local area.
- Keep your site fast, secure and easy to use on a phone.
If your site runs on WordPress, our WordPress SEO guide for beginners walks you through the setup. And our guide on how to do AI SEO covers getting cited by AI tools.
2. Publish genuinely useful content
The most reliable way to build traffic over time is to give away helpful information for free. Every useful article is another page that can be found in Google, shared on social media and quoted by AI tools.
A few ways to do it:
- Write blog posts that answer the questions your customers ask you most.
- Publish case studies that show how you’ve helped real clients.
- Share articles on LinkedIn to reach people who don’t know you yet.
- Write guest posts for respected sites and publications in your industry.
The aim is to become the go-to source in your field. When your content is good enough, other sites link to it, which boosts your rankings even further.
Not sure where to start? Our ultimate guide to blogging for business owners and 20 tips for creating compelling website content will help.
3. Email your list (with a reason to click)
Email is one of the best-value channels you have. The UK’s Data & Marketing Association found businesses get an average return of £38.33 for every £1 spent on email marketing.
Those helpful articles from tip 2? Turn them into short newsletter emails, each with a clear link back to the full post on your website. Once a fortnight or once a month is plenty for most businesses.
4. Be active on LinkedIn and social media
Social media lets you stay in front of past, current and future customers at the same time. For most B2B businesses, LinkedIn is the place to focus. For consumer brands, Instagram, Facebook and TikTok usually work better.
It doesn’t need to eat your week either. Tools like Buffer have a free plan that lets you schedule posts across several channels in one go.
Share your own articles, but don’t make it all about you. Mix in useful industry news, behind-the-scenes posts and comments on other people’s content. The more genuinely helpful you are, the more people will click through to see what else you have to say.
Planning ahead makes this much easier. Our marketing calendar has key dates you can build posts around. And if you’d rather hand it over, our social media marketing team can help.
5. Create a free guide
A free downloadable guide, checklist or template gives people a strong reason to visit your website and hand over their email address.
It takes some effort, but it pays off. You position yourself as an expert, and every download adds a warm lead to your email list.
Tools like Mailchimp let you set up a simple sign-up form so visitors enter their name and email to get the guide. You can then send them a short series of helpful follow-up emails automatically. Just make sure people clearly agree to receive marketing emails, so you stay on the right side of UK GDPR.
Start with the topic your customers are most desperate to understand. Our own website audit checklist is a good example of the kind of resource that works.