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Online business directories are one way of driving traffic to your website. The big general web directories of the past have mostly disappeared, but quality listings still help, especially for local businesses.
Listings on reputable directories, such as Google Business Profile, Bing Places, Yelp and the respected directories in your own industry, help customers find you and give your site useful links. Google uses links from other websites as one of its signals when ranking search results.
The quality of those links matters far more than the number. A few links from respected, relevant websites are worth more than hundreds from low-quality directories, which Google ignores or may even penalize.
This is the idea behind directory listings and linking. Done well, you can expect an increase in your website traffic.
To find directories worth joining, search for your industry or city plus the word “directory”, and stick to the ones real customers actually use.
Earn links from other websites
Getting other websites to link to you takes effort, and there are no shortcuts: automated link schemes and paid links break Google’s rules. But when you think of the benefits these links bring, it will be worth all the trouble.
Good content is what earns genuine backlinks.
There are two effective ways of doing this:
First, use media and downloads. Website visitors love videos, images, guides and free downloads, which make a welcome change from the plain text they see most of the time.
Once you have created a number of these for your site, you will often see your traffic grow, and people are likely to come back to check for new ones.
The second is article writing. Writing guest articles for respected websites in your field puts your expertise in front of new readers, and a link to your site in your author bio sends some of them your way.
Search engines also love fresh, useful articles on your own site. Provide them with quality content and you are sure to be found.
Give more of your attention to search engines
Search engines are one of the biggest sources of traffic for any online business, and Google’s rankings still depend heavily on the quality of the links pointing to each site.
Join forums and online communities
This is a way of getting your message out while generating website traffic in the process. Search for forums, Reddit communities, Facebook groups or question-and-answer sites such as Quora that cover your topic.
You may have noticed that people post questions in these communities. If you find questions related to your topic, feel free to answer them.
When you register, add your website address to your profile, and a short description of your site to your signature where the community allows it. If you post regularly, you can update your signature to show what’s new on your website.
If you maintain your posts on a regular basis, you can have a steady flow of website traffic.
These are just some of the ways to drive traffic to your website. There will always be new and easier ways of doing this, but these have proven their usefulness in the online marketing world.
Keep on using these strategies in order to maintain your website traffic. You can always come up with your own also.