You want to attract visitors to your website but lack the budget for paid advertising. Fortunately, there are some free techniques you can use to bring new visitors to your site.
1. Guest posts on relevant blogs
Do you write well and have interesting things to say about your industry, speciality or market? You could publish your insights on a blog of your own, but you might get better mileage out of the content if you contribute to reputable blogs that your target audience visits.
You can include a backlink or two in the body of the post, as well as a link to your site in the “About” section of the post, but don’t go overboard. Use links only if the content on the pages you link to enhance the reader’s understanding of your post. Even without direct links to your website, guest posts will help improve your reputation as a leader and expert in your field. which means more traffic and interest in your website.
2. Develop partnerships
Let’s say you’re a graphic designer and you specialize in website creation projects. You can partner with other professionals in your field, like writers or CMS experts, to complete special projects, and then use the partnership as a marketing tool.
Once you build these alliances, you can create a page on your own site to promote the team. Ask your partners to create similar pages on their websites, with each partner linking to the sites of other team members. You drive business their way, and they’ll do the same for you.
Developing partnerships helps extend the reach of your website without spending a dime!
3. Use social media to engage with new clients
Your professional interests probably coincide with those of prospective clients, so actively engage with them via your social media channels.
Simple ways to find and engage with new clients:
Be sure to:
To find out what’s going on with prospective clients, subscribe to their newsletters and blog RSS feeds and follow their companies on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and wherever else they maintain a social presence.
Want to show you mean business? Find out what LinkedIn groups prospective clients participate in to learn what they talk about and what they value. If the issues that matter to them also matter to you, participate in these discussions.
I’ve only discussed three free website marketing tactics here, there are many more out there. When clients and prospects find you, ask them how they did so. You’ll figure out what works and can fine-tune your marketing efforts.
Photo credit: Adam Haranghy/Creative Commons
Do you write well and have interesting things to say about your industry, speciality or market? You could publish your insights on a blog of your own, but you might get better mileage out of the content if you contribute to reputable blogs that your target audience visits.
You can include a backlink or two in the body of the post, as well as a link to your site in the “About” section of the post, but don’t go overboard. Use links only if the content on the pages you link to enhance the reader’s understanding of your post. Even without direct links to your website, guest posts will help improve your reputation as a leader and expert in your field. which means more traffic and interest in your website.
2. Develop partnerships
Let’s say you’re a graphic designer and you specialize in website creation projects. You can partner with other professionals in your field, like writers or CMS experts, to complete special projects, and then use the partnership as a marketing tool.
Once you build these alliances, you can create a page on your own site to promote the team. Ask your partners to create similar pages on their websites, with each partner linking to the sites of other team members. You drive business their way, and they’ll do the same for you.
Developing partnerships helps extend the reach of your website without spending a dime!
3. Use social media to engage with new clients
Your professional interests probably coincide with those of prospective clients, so actively engage with them via your social media channels.
Simple ways to find and engage with new clients:
- Share and comment on news related to your industry
- Start discussions around common interests
- Offer advice based on commonly asked questions
Be sure to:
- During a conversion include the prospect’s social media handle in your post to improve visibility
- Place your website URL in your own social media profiles so prospects can easily find your site.
To find out what’s going on with prospective clients, subscribe to their newsletters and blog RSS feeds and follow their companies on LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter and wherever else they maintain a social presence.
Want to show you mean business? Find out what LinkedIn groups prospective clients participate in to learn what they talk about and what they value. If the issues that matter to them also matter to you, participate in these discussions.
I’ve only discussed three free website marketing tactics here, there are many more out there. When clients and prospects find you, ask them how they did so. You’ll figure out what works and can fine-tune your marketing efforts.
Photo credit: Adam Haranghy/Creative Commons
Scott Clugston Scott is the Director of Sales at FreshBooks, the Cloud Accounting solution helping 5 million users invoice their clients with ease.