You’ve taken the steps toward launching a new website and can’t wait for the business to start rolling in. Only thing is, nothing has changed.
It’s a common misconception for many people and it’s left you wondering why your site isn’t making any money. There are quite a few things that are working against you that you may not be aware of. You can liken growing your web presence to having a baby. You have to nurture it, educate it and put in a lot of time and energy if you want it to become successful. Here are a 10 tips to consider after your website goes live.
1. Most traffic will come from Google, as they have over 3/4 of the search market.
They change their algorithms around 500-600 times per year and this determines who gets higher preference in search results (referred to as Page Rank). They don’t care to publicize what these changes are. You could have been on page 2 then all of a sudden you’re on page 6. It can be very frustrating.
2. Google has been giving preference to websites that are mobile friendly.
Be sure yours renders well on as many different devices as possible. This means testing it on your phone and tablet (or asking your friends to test for you).
3. Google likes sites that are easy to navigate, have user reviews and are free of annoying pop-ups.
Pop-ups for blog and newsletter signups seem to be on every single site. Personally I don’t use them on mine because I can’t stand them. However, if you have a good enough offer to get someone to give you their email address, it’s a great way to build an audience. You should include real reviews on your site as well, as Google loves those.
4. Google doesn’t like keyword stuffing.
This means trying to put too many keywords on a page or post. They also discourage posting a lot of affiliate links, hiding words and writing low quality content. Write for humans, not machines.
5. Use relevant anchor text links.
This means when you link internally or externally, be sure the text has some sort of keyword and makes sense. Instead of creating a link with the words “Click here,” use a keyword and a phrase that relates to your business instead. It’s not unusual to see 6 or 7 words underlined that link elsewhere.
Speaking of links, one of my pet peeves is being on a site, clicking on a link and it opens in the same tab. You should never do this! Be sure to choose ‘Open link in a new tab’ when creating links. (Sometimes I won’t if it’s a contact form link near the end of a post.) You don’t want anyone to leave your site! ~Steph
6. Don’t forget to submit your sitemap to Google.
There are WordPress plugins that will do this for you as well, such as Jetpack. You should create a Google Analytics account and link to Search Console. It’s free!
7. Write good blog posts.
More doesn’t mean better here. Take time to create a quality post with good information and make sure it’s over 900 words. Anything under 300 is considered below minimum for SEO purposes. Add quality images to your post, but don’t overdo it. Use your own photos instead of stock (but make sure they’re good). Great content matters the most when it comes to SEO. Also, be sure to triple check your grammar and spelling, as this will immediately turn people off if there are errors.
8. Have internal and external links on your website.
Also try to get as many quality links back to your site as you can. This accounts for about 1/3 of your ranking. If you find there are any spammy or sketchy sites linking to you, try to get taken off of them. You can visit Google’s search console to disavow a link to your site.
9. Think about guest blogging on another quality site with a link back to your page.
You’re an expert in your field and people want to find answers to their questions. Be sure your post isn’t all about you! You can also create videos and post them on social media or YouTube. Facebook is now allowing a video on your cover page as well.
10. Be sure to start a newsletter or blog.
Get as many subscribers as you can by offering them something for free if they sign up. This could be 10% off their first order or a quality digital download like an e-book or PDF you have created that will give them some sort of value. Reach out to them periodically during the year.
As you can see, there’s a lot more to becoming successful with a new website than just having one created and waiting for the sales to roll in. You will have to keep your content updated and fresh (or pay someone to do it for you) if you want to rank well in search engine results.
Pay per click advertising can also generate traffic to your site, but you need to have an eye-catching ad and possibly pay more per click to rank on the first few pages. Don’t be fooled…it will cost YOU money one way or another to generate sales. Be sure you have a budget for marketing your business.
Don’t be discouraged if your site doesn’t bring in the traffic you were expecting. The more you write and promote it, the more exposure you’ll get. It takes time to gain an audience and the competition is fierce. It’s hard to compete with Amazon and the consumable product space, so the more unique your offering, the better. Brainstorm your ideas with friends and family before embarking on a new business and take any feedback seriously, even if it’s not in line with your own.
Warm Reptile Designs can help get your site or new business on track. Get in touch today if you need help with your social media campaigns or copy writing for blog posts. Good luck out there!
