So you’ve finished creating the perfect website for business, and now is the time to share it with the world. After all, what good is your website if no one is around to see it? That's where website promotion comes in. Your immediate thought is probably on the lines of "website promotion is going to be too costly"... well you're wrong. Website promotion doesn’t have to cost you a ton of money. In fact, it doesn’t have to cost you any money at all.
We’re sure you’ve found articles similar to this one that promises to show you “x amount of tips” to do something for free, only to have a big price tag at the end. Don't worry - this isn’t one of those posts. Everything listed below will ensure your wallet remains closed.
Read on to discover our top 6 ways to promote your website for free.
Optimise your website for SEO
Search Engine Optimisation (SEO), is one of the most effective ways to promote a website, as it helps improve a site’s ranking on search engines such as Google. But what does SEO mean? It is the process of optimising websites so that they rank well on search engines through organic searches. In other words, your website needs to satisfy certain cues Google and other search engines look for - good quality content, fluidity in the navigation around your website, and the number of links you receive from external sources. And unlike paid search ads, SEO is totally free.
You can achieve strong SEO by placing certain keywords and phrases throughout your website, adding alt text to your images and optimising your headings so that your website can get found on search engines. To learn more about SEO and the common questions around it, we recently published a blog covering the matter. Just click HERE to be taken to it.
Utilise email marketing
There’s a reason you always see email marketing placed high up on articles that talk about how to drive traffic to your website. Why? Because it’s been proven to be an effective method time and time again.
Newsletters are a particularly effective form of email marketing, since they are a direct form of communication between you and your customers (both potential and paid). They also help you get subscribers and can help drive traffic to your website. To create an engaging newsletter, keep your content punchy and direct, and use the power of call to actions to encourage readers to click. That will help your content stand out from the sea of other newsletters your subscribers may receive. You don't want to get lost in the pile of mail found in a person's inbox - stand out from the crowd.
Harness the power of social media
Social media isn’t just a way for your friends to post photos of what they ate for lunch. It’s also an effective way to promote a website, as it helps businesses reach a diverse audience and build brand awareness.
Whether it’s on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Pinterest, Linkedin etc, social media marketing is important for engaging followers. Importantly, posting interesting content increases the chances that your audience will share it - which is free promotion in itself. And the more people click on your content, the more chances you'll have of getting traffic to your website and improving your conversion rate.
Don’t forget to cross-promote so all of your networks benefit from as much of your content as possible. For example, you can share your Facebook video to Twitter or your latest blog post on your Linkedin profile. We also recommend you add a social bar to your website so that visitors can easily find all your social media profiles and share your content.
To truly utilise the power of social media, we recommend you read this. Here you will find our top tips to improving your social media engagement so your products and services reach a wider audience.
Start a blog
When considering how to promote your website, creating a blog should be high up on the list. Not only is it good practice to get as much content out there as possible, but it also increases your website’s rank on search engines therefore improving your SEO. Blogging makes it easier for people to find your site and discover your business. On top of that, it helps you establish yourself as an authority in your industry and can dramatically improve your conversion rate.
Even if you’re not much of a writer, you can still benefit from including a blog on your website, as it helps generate brand awareness and increase your website traffic. For tips on how to write a blog post, click HERE.
Use Google My Business
In addition to optimising your SEO to help people discover your website, you’ll want to submit your website to Google My Business. By doing this, you will make it easy for people to find your URL and navigate to your website. The Google My Business services will allow you to claim your business so that when someone searches for your business, a complete set of details (your website, contact details, opening hours and your location) appear on the results page.
Take advantage of outreach marketing
What is outreach marketing? It's a marketing strategy that involves connecting with others in your business niche (i.e. bloggers, influencers and other influential professionals) in order to promote your website. Ideally, you’ll be able to build a lasting relationship with these individuals that will help you increase your website’s exposure.
Start by identifying your marketing goals (what do you want to achieve and in what time bracket), and then find people who can help you achieve your plan. Reaching out to these people involves a well put together pitch, and follow up when necessary. Try sending your pitch over email or via certain social media platforms such as LinkedIn and Instagram.
