A review of a few basic actions you can take now to attract more visitors to your company’s website

When most of us hear the word “traffic” we cringe, thinking of stress-inducing waiting times and crowded roadways, but when it comes to your website “traffic” is exactly what you need.  It’s quite simple really… the more traffic you have, the more visibility you gain, and ultimately the more potential customers are viewing your products and/or services.

So, how do we go about increasing website traffic?  Of course, there is the obvious – launch ad campaigns, pay for “clicks” and pave the road with paid ads across all possible “on ramps” to your site, but ads are simply not enough.  With the advancements in SEO and Google rankings, you will need to do more than pay for an ad here and there, not to mention the fact that larger companies with deeper pockets may be making your ad a small fish in a big pond.

For this reason, here are a few cost-effective actions you can take now to increase traffic to your website:

1 – Backlinks – While the word may sound technical or like some sort of secret way to gain access to your website, it is really one of the most basic ways to organically increase web traffic and improve your rankings with search engines.  Backlinks are merely other websites providing a hyperlink back to your website – Yes, it’s that simple.  By having other websites (think trade associations, industry partners, blogs, publications, etc.) offer a link back to your website, you are creating an indirect endorsement in the eyes of search engines; it’s a bit like one company saying, “I approve of this other company, so go ahead and take a look”.  And while it may be tempting, you should never create excessive backlinks with partners just for the sake of backlinks, and you certainly do not want to purchase backlinks; if you are identified as a site that has purchased backlinks, Google has the right to penalize you by removing your site from search results – not a punishment any business wants to face.

2- Security – When we talk about security of your website, we are not talking about bouncers and bodyguards.  Instead, we are talking about SSL certificates and secure online payments (if you have an online store).  Believe it or not, many websites are not secure, and attaining an SSL certificate costs very little in both time and money.  As for the bouncers and bodyguards, that will come in the form of taking appropriate steps to ensure that your website has a reliable host and running on the most updated version of the website builder/platform.

3- Mobilize – No, you don’t have to move anywhere, but you will want to make sure that your site is available to visitors who are “on the move”. Search engines (and users) are weighing the mobile experience of websites heavier than that of the desktop. According to recent reports, just about 70 percent of all web traffic originates from smartphones; those are statistics that make it worthwhile to optimize the mobile experience.

4 – Keep Up the Pace – Although speed is not usually the first thing we think about from a marketing perspective, the speed of your website plays an important role in keeping visitors on any given page.  In fact, it has been reported that just a one second delay on a website reduces customer satisfaction by 16 percent, not to mention that speed can also impact your website’s performance with search engines.  Just test it for yourself – Clear your history and cache on your browser (or use a browser that has not previously visited your site) and go to your website to see how quickly the images and pages load.  If it takes too long for the full page and all content to be front and center, it is time to review and maybe even upgrade your website.  Delays can be caused by multiple factors, including but not limited to excessively large media files, bulky code, missing files, invalid links and more.

5 – Aim for Your Target – In order for your ads, links and online marketing (and all marketing) efforts to be effective, you will need to know your target audience.  Where is the greatest need for your services, who is your competition, and what is the market doing right now?  The good news for HBW subscribers is that you have access to market trend reports and construction permit data that enable you to identify hot spots for your services and competition, as well as use archived reports to assess and monitor fluctuations and patterns in the market.

So, what are you waiting for?  Start gaining visibility for your website by creating secure and reliable roadways where heavy traffic is a welcome sign of success.

For more information on construction business marketing tips, stay connected with the HBW Blog.  To get ahead of construction activity and gain access to the latest permitting data in Florida, Texas, Georgia, Alabama and Oklahoma, contact HBW for more information on construction data reports and industry leads.