How do I generate more website traffic for free?

 One of the most common questions people have is how to drive more free traffic to their websites. It makes sense; visitors are the lifeblood that sites need for growth. Generating free website traffic can be challenging, but several strategies can help. Let's discuss some of these approaches.

 

Claim Your Google Business Profile

As a small business owner, your Google Business profile is among the best free marketing tools at your disposal. By setting up and claiming your profile for a few minutes, you can ensure that potential customers can find your business online and get the most accurate information about your products and services.

 

Additionally, claiming your profile gives you access to valuable insights about how people find and interact with your business. With this data, business owners get empowered to make informed decisions about where to invest their marketing efforts for the greatest return.

 

Know Your Audience Or Target Market

 

Business owners should know their ideal customer persona, audience, or target market. By understanding who your customer is, what they need and want, and how they think, feel and behave, you can create marketing messages and strategies that resonate with them.

Is your marketing connecting with your ideal customer?

Maybe it's not your product but your messaging.

Buyer Personas help you connect with your customers.

Segmenting your ideal customer into specific buyer personas takes your marketing to a whole new level!

It's important to establish buyer personas for your business so you can segment your audience and create stronger marketing campaigns. But how do you start researching and creating these personas from scratch?

Get You Free Buyer Persona Ebook

Doing so will help you to attract more of the right kind of customers to your business and convert them into buyers. It's also important to understand your customer persona to segment your customer base and create targeted marketing campaigns.

 

Optimize Your Website For Your Customer Journey First

 

 

Many businesses today say their number one priority is to please customers. Although this sounds good, most companies are not even aware of how a customer interacts with their business and what pain points they have when accessing services. This leads to a gap in understanding the typical customer for a business and what their experience is like. Businesses need to understand customers’ needs in addition to each point of interaction they have with their company. This is why customer journey maps are vital for companies to understand and incorporate throughout their operations.

 

What is a customer journey map? 

A customer journey map is a visual representation of each engagement a customer has with your business. With a customer journey map, businesses can have a storyline of how a customer interacts with their business from beginning to end. This allows you to place yourself in the mind of a customer and see what the lifecycle is for the average customer of your business.

Are you answering your customers question or are you making them work to find answers? We really like to see FAQ's- Frequently Asked Questions prominently displayed on websites. Just ask Sales & Customer Service what questions they are asked everyday and you will know what to include on your FAQ section.

Do not make your customers work to find information!

Think of your marketing as a flywheel as seen above. Satisfied customers will provide you with new customers by sharing their experiences on social media and by word of mouth! Simply put, don't forget to market to your existing customers. They will share your content and this will drive more traffic to your website for free.

As an ongoing process, SEO, or search engine optimization, improves website visibility and ranking in SERPs. By taking time to optimize their website for relevant keywords and phrases, businesses can attract free website traffic from people specifically searching for their products or services.

 In addition to generating organic traffic, SEO can also help improve click-through and conversion rates. As a result, businesses that invest in SEO can see a significant return on their investment over time. While there is no one-size-fits-all magic formula for success, there are a few key elements that all successful SEO campaigns have in common.

 These include thoroughly researched keywords, compelling and relevant content, and high-quality backlinks. By taking the time to implement these elements on their website, businesses can give themselves a significant advantage in search engine rankings. 

Not sure if your website is up to speed with SEO. Find out what Google thinks about your website with a Technical SEO Audit.

Utilize Social Media

 

Business owners can utilize social media platforms to generate free website traffic by sharing links to website content or landing pages. As you might imagine, it is a fantastic way to get traffic to your site and promote your content to a broader audience. Additionally, business owners can use social media platforms to connect with other web users and build relationships.

 The added exposure on social platforms can lead to more people discovering your website and potentially becoming regular visitors or even customers.

 

6 Effective Methods to Driving More Traffic to Your Website for Free 

•  Submit Your Website to Search Engines & Google My Business

• Invest in Relevant Link & Resource Building 

• Participate in Communities Within Your Niche 

• Leverage the Power of Social Media 

• Create and Optimize Content with SEO  

  
  No budget for marketing? Learn six free methods to start driving more organic traffic to your website and gain more qualified leads.
  
  
  If you're running a website and want to get more free organic traffic, there are some simple techniques you can use. From optimizing your content on search engines to sharing it online, discover six free methods of increasing your website traffic and drawing in more qualified leads.
  

  
  Submit Your Website to Search Engines & Google My Business 

  
  It’s important to make sure search engines are aware of your website. You can manually submit your website URL to popular search engines like Google, Yahoo and Bing for free. You should also make sure that your business is listed in Google My Business, so it appears on local searches as well as when people look for services or businesses near them.
  

  
  Invest in Relevant Link & Resource Building 

  
  Link building is an important part of SEO and gaining more organic traffic. To help search engine crawlers understand the structure of your website, consider creating inbound links from other relevant websites, articles, and directories. Links are a strong signal for search engines, so make sure you’re investing time into researching quality spots to link back to your website.
  

  
  Participate in Communities Within Your Niche 

  
  Participating in relevant online groups within your industry is a great way to generate more web traffic. Join relevant discussions, answer questions and make sure your website link is included in your profile. This not only helps you to showcase your knowledge and experience but it can also build your reputation as an expert in the field. As more people become familiar with who you are, they are more likely to check out what other content or services you provide on your website.
  

  
  Leverage the Power of Social Media 

  
  By leveraging various social media platforms, like Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and Twitter, you can drive more organic traffic to your website. Create interesting and shareable content that is relevant to the products or services you offer. Encourage people to share and retweet posts in order to get broader visibility. Additionally, use hashtag campaigns that are linked to relevant topics with a link back to your website or blog. This will help draw attention and engagement from people who are looking for information on those particular topics and encourage them to explore more of your content which could eventually lead to conversions.
  

  
  Create and Optimize Content with SEO

  
   Content optimization through Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is one of the most effective and cost-efficient methods for driving more organic traffic to your website. It involves creating content that is focused on specific keyword phrases that people use in search engines to find a certain product or service. This content should be optimized with specific keywords, strategically placed throughout the text, and formatted properly for the search engine algorithms. For example, you can create unique headlines and meta descriptions that are both catchy and contain relevant keywords. Additionally, if you’re optimizing videos and images, make sure they include clear titles and descriptions as well.
  
  

 

Make Your Move!

 

Whether your business needs to build brand awareness or the buzz surrounding a new product or service, we hope you'll use these ways to generate lucrative, free traffic to your website. If you could use professional help, reach out to the experts at Analytics That Profit to start the conversation today.

What To Do When You Get A Phone Call From Google

There is a discrepancy on your Google My Business page. We are calling about your Google account. Most likely you have or will receive a phone call that starts just like that. Is it legit?  Does Google ever call you directly?

Here is what Google says:

Protecting against fraudulent calls

As a business owner, you can receive many types of phone calls, including some from automated systems. They range from unsolicited recorded robocalls (which are often scams), to conversational systems that perform a task on behalf of a single user (like booking an appointment). This article will help you understand the difference between trusted automated systems and scams.

How to identify legitimate calls from Google

There are a few circumstances where you may receive a call from someone who claims to be from Google. Here’s how to identify whether it’s a real call from Google or from a possible scammer:

• Google does not make unsolicited sales calls from an automated system. However, we may place automated phone calls to your business, as a service to Google users, for non-sales tasks like making reservations or confirming your business hours. These calls are only enabled for businesses that offer public phone numbers for the purpose of receiving calls from the general public, and use the automated voice-calling service Duplex.
• Google will make automated calls from a set of designated numbers. For example, in the US, calls from 650-203-0000 will be from Google. If businesses don’t want to accept these calls, they can opt-out by simply saying so on the call. Businesses will also be able to opt-out of reservations or bookings made using Google Duplex.
• You may receive calls from Google operators for the purposes of development, customer service, or support related to your Google Ads, Google Play or other Google accounts. However, Google will never ask you for payment information over the phone or guarantee you favorable placement in our products.

What to do if you receive a suspicious call

Unfortunately, there are many unscrupulous individuals and companies who make fraudulent and misleading calls. Sometimes, callers or pre-recorded robocalls falsely claim to be working “with Google” or “for Google” in an attempt to sell different schemes and online marketing services to unsuspecting individuals and companies.

Many of these types of calls are not allowed under U.S. law (unless you have given permission to receive them), and Google is never behind them.

Here’s what to do if you receive an unwanted automated robocall from a non-Google entity:

Report suspicious calls in the US

If you're in the US and continue to receive unwanted calls, you can submit a complaint to the Federal Trade Commission (FTC). To file a formal complaint, go to www.donotcall.gov or call 1-888-382-1222. You can also submit a complaint to the Federal Communications Commission.

Hang up

If you receive an unwanted call from someone who claims to be Google or working with Google, feel free to hang up at any time. Do not press any key even if the voice recording prompts you to in order to speak with a live person or to be taken off the call list. Pressing a key may lead to more unwanted calls.

Help us track down scammers

Google understands these types of calls can be bothersome. We are committed to doing our part to try to put a stop to these calls. However, this isn’t always within our control; for example, many of these callers use untraceable phone numbers and other cloaking tactics.

Help us track calls that falsely associate themselves with Google. Contact us directly via our webform and include the following information:

• The caller’s company and contact information.
• Any emails or documentation received from the caller as part of a follow-up.
• Any additional information about the call.

Prevent future unwanted calls

• Check out the FTC’s tips on how to handle unwanted calls, and robocalls resources with additional information about robocalls and steps you can take if you receive one. 
• Check with your phone company to see if they can block calls from any problematic numbers.
• If you're in the US, register your personal number with the National Do Not Call Registry at: www.donotcall.gov/register/reg.aspx or call 1-888-382-1222."

Source: Google

Check out these helpful articles:

Why Successful Business Verify Their Google Page.

Using Google My Business as a Lead Generation Tool

How To Create A Post On Google My Business

How To Set Up Messaging On Your Google My Business Page

How did they get your phone number?

Congrats! Your marketing is working. Your phone number is visible on your website and/or your Google My Business page. This is a good thing. But as is the case with most good things, it comes at a price. The price is the annoying scammers. 

In addition to these types of calls we have the infamous robo-call. You would think the National Do Not Call Registry would solve this problem. Think again. The Federal Trade Commission- FTC- receives 19,000 complaints daily from people who are on the list and still get called. Obviously being on the list does not help.

How to detect a fraudulent call

Pay attention to the language. Most of these scammers will imply they are working with Google or on Google's authority. Here are some tips to detect a fraudulent call.

• Google will not call you unless you have contacted them and specifically asked for a callback.
• Calls from 650-203-0000 will be from Google.
• They will ask for the owner.
• They will ask you to verify your account with the "credit card on File."
• They will offer to update your account and/or verify your account for a fee.
• An overwhelming sense of urgency.

Remember, your Google My Business listing is FREE. You can update your information for FREE at any time.

The FTC is currently involved in litigation against these types of scams. You may want to read Google is not calling you  by the FTC.

 Here is a list of some Google scams:

• Google Lotto Scam
• Gmail Tech Support Scam
• Vehicle Purchase Scam
• Google AdWords Impersonation Scam
• Google Job Offer Scam
• Google Account Recovery Scam via SMS Messages
• Google Top Placement/SEO Scam
• Google Maps/SEO Fake Invoices
• Google Telemarketing Calls
• Google/Zagat Job Scam
• Gmail Update Phishing
• Google AdSense Scam
• Tax Payment Scam
• Blackmail & Extortion

Don't let all this negative stuff depress you.

Google My Business is a great tool for business.

We strongly encourage( OK, we really insist) all of our clients verify and optimize their Google My Business listing.  

Check out our Google My Business page for step by step instructions on claiming and managing your Google My Business page.

Did we forget to mention it is FREE!

 

Using Google My Business as a Lead Generation Tool

What exactly is Google My Business?

This is what a "ice cream near me" search looks like from Google My Business.

Here are a few easy things you can do as a business owner to take advantage of this FREE lead generation tool called Google My Business.

Verify Your Google My Business Page -It is FREE. Your business contact information, hours, phone, website, reviews, photos,etc are posted for the world to see at no charge to you.

Post on your Google My Business page- read this article for the step by step details.

Set up messaging on your Google My Business page- Check out this blog post for step by step instructions.

Think of your Google My Business page as a mini website. It must be feed with content to keep it relevant. Google will send reminders when they think you need to post new content. 

How To Use Google My Business As A Lead Generation Tool

What's New- This is a great medium to promote blog content, white papers or announcements.

Events-promote you open house, webinar, trainings, etc.

Offers- coupons, specials, sales, etc.

Product- What you have and what it costs.

 Schedule A Time To Talk

Think of your Google My Business page as a mini website.  It will need fresh content and management. It is not a set it and forget it platform. The good news is that Google will send you a reminder when you need fresh content.

At Analytics That Profit we are convinced that Google My Business must be a part your SEO and Lead Generation strategy.  We include Google My Business page optimization and management with every client retainer. We have seen the results firsthand for our clients.

Do you want more phone calls to your business?

Need more website visitors?

More visits to your location? 

Schedule A Time To Talk

For more ideas visit How To Build A Marketing Program.