5 Ways to Increase Website Traffic Today (just make sure your servers can handle it first!)

by Andrew Millar

Looking for ways to increase website traffic? Get your servers ready because a steady stream of traffic is just a quick read away! Leap above your competitors with some simple tips that you can implement on your existing site or start a whole new site that will increase website traffic, gain the notice of search engines, and build an online presence of which your business can be proud.

Produce Quality Work

A simple way to increase website traffic is to produce quality content. No spamming, no keyword stuffing are needed. Successful business just need honest, straightforward information that their customer base is interested in. The new algorithms being implemented by Google, Yahoo, and other search engine sites are weeding out spam sites that don’t provide actual information and just cater to a large list of buzz words. Beyond search engines, consumers are becoming more savvy to junk info. Sites that consistently deliver interesting, interactive content gain traffic not only through search engine rankings but also by word of mouth.

Gain Authorship

Increasing search rankings is a must to increase website traffic but many business owners don’t know where to start. Google Authorship is a simple, easy way to increase your visibility online and bump your rankings. Google+ offers those businesses and individuals producing quality content an opportunity to “stamp” their work, taking credit for their content publicly through Google Authorship. This program allows businesses to ensure that their work is appropriately cited and can also help increase search rankings by allowing Google to notice when the author is producing consistent quality content and promote their work accordingly.

As an added benefit, Google Authorship also gives content a boost by attaching your business picture to the content and adding a quick blurb about your site. This simple but effective bonus draws consumer’s eyes to your content in a search and is Google’s stamp of approval, assuring the Internet searcher that your content is helpful.

Forget “Viral” Content

While the lure of a viral hit may sway many companies to try and capture attention through zany, left field advertising, more often than not those attempts at viral content muddy the company’s message and fall flat. For every Kmart “Ship Your Pants” ad campaign, there are twenty ads that offend their fan base and lose respect for their brand, like McDonald’s misguided #McDStories or Walmart’s “Working Families for Walmart”. Businesses that focus on consistent, straightforward messages that enhance the company’s mission can build a customer base that’s interested in their message, not some goofy viral ad.

Make Sure Your Website is Functional

While producing quality content is a great start, businesses that want to increase their traffic need to create a site that is easy to navigate, quick to load, and provides a clear message to customers. Nothing is worse than building an audience only to have them be hit by a server overload. All that hard work to lure them to your site will be in vain when they can’t actually load it. Having a solid website in place that can handle the significant traffic your quality site will gain will prevent your business from losing consumers to a broken site.

Boosting your website’s traffic doesn’t have to be the product of wacky ads or sudden fame. Many businesses increase their traffic simply by focusing on quality content, high search engine returns, and building a website that can support heavy traffic with an intuitive design. Stop looking to strike lightening and start using these simple ways to increase website traffic traffic.