Increase Website Traffic: How to Do It Without Breaking the Bank

For many people, going through a biometric health screening is the last thing they want to do this time of year. The extra weight gained during the holiday season can turn a solid BMI score into a reality check that'd be better received after the new year. However, the funny thing is that BMI is no longer considered to be an accurate metric for cardiovascular health. Similarly, many direct-to-consumer (D2C) brands have trouble ensuring that the right KPIs accurately reflect the health of their business — specifically, those that want to increase website traffic.

No matter the vertical, size of the company, or target audience, every D2C brand wants to increase website traffic. According to a survey from The Manifest, 11% of the small businesses surveyed cited wanting to increase website traffic as their biggest goal. Additionally, Zazzle Media reported that 89% of marketers surveyed use that metric to evaluate the success of their content. 

But what can a D2C brand with limited resources do to increase website traffic? A lot, actually. There are enough tactics and strategies at their disposal to fill up several eBooks. Consider this a quick primer into just a few ways to increase website traffic without breaking the bank. Below are a few tips on how to get started.

Adopt a Search Engine Optimization (SEO) Strategy

The importance of SEO can't be overstated. Launching a comprehensive SEO strategy tends to be one of the first logical steps for savvy D2C brands that want to increase website traffic. But what exactly does SEO entail? In short, it's a string of activities that helps websites rank for search engines, such as Google and Bing. When it comes to marketing, it becomes another place to reach potential customers. So, how do you get started with SEO? The first step is keyword research.

Keyword Research

Conducting keyword research is the practice of identifying words or phrases related to a specific brand, whether that be their products, customers, industry, or even competitors. This is typically the first step to boosting organic share of voice. When it comes to exploring potential target keywords, it's recommended to consider when and why a potential customer might explore phrases and topics related to your brand.

For example, a raincoat company may want to rank for the term “waterproof coats” since their clientele could use that search term when looking up similar items online. The essential element of this is considering the target audience. Another great way of identifying potential keywords is by digging up a bit of dirt on the competition. This can include words used throughout their website, metatags and meta descriptions, and tools like Moz and Google AdWords.

Ramp Up Content Production

After conducting the first round of keyword research and identifying the topics that interest your target audience, it's time to kick off content production. Quality content helps to increase website traffic by providing potential customers with plenty of opportunities to engage with the brand throughout the customer journey. Blogging, in particular, can do wonders for search rankings when paired with a smart SEO strategy. When writing a blog, there are a few things to remember to ensure that it's SEO-optimized:

• The keyword(s) targeted should be included in the title of the blog, preferably at the beginning.
• While there's no set percentage, aim to have the keyword(s) show up in the blog 1-3% of the time.
• Blogs should be at minimum 300 words, but longer blogs (1,000+ words) rank much better.
• Meta descriptions are important for driving clicks, so make sure that they include the keyword(s) and have a hook.
• If you're using WordPress to create blog content, consider the Yoast plugin. This SEO-optimization tool will help ensure that blogs are checking all the boxes.
• And, most importantly, blogs, especially the longer ones, should be readable and scannable. Take your time, and don't feel rushed.

Search engines aren't the only places content can be shared or featured for free. Social media platforms are also a great way to reach potential customers and increase website traffic.

Share Content on Social Media

Social media platforms such as Facebook and Instagram have made it easy to reach millions of people with a single post and funnel those people back to your website. Adopting a smart social media strategy now requires targeted content served to specific audiences on the places they live, work, and play online. In other words, this means ensuring the right content is on the right social media channels. Here are a few of the most popular platforms for D2C brands and what to keep in mind when using them to improve website traffic:

• Facebook is ideal for D2C brands that have some budget allocated for social media ad spend. While Facebook has 2.37 billion monthly active users, its algorithm heavily favors paid business content over organic, making driving an organic strategy on this channel tough. 
• Twitter is excellent for D2C brands looking to increase brand awareness or engagement and build a community of advocates. In a study released by the platform, Twitter states that they reward accounts that are responsive and share high-quality content. This can mean everything from demonstrating top-notch customer support to having playful conversations with followers.
• Instagram works well for D2C brands (especially those in the retail, beauty, fitness, and culinary spaces) that want to tap into influencer marketing. The visual nature of Instagram lends itself to playful brands that know how to leverage video and photography well.
• Pinterest is a great way to boost SERP (search engine results page) ratings and improve website traffic. The platform does this by allowing D2C brands to create boards that align with their offerings and pin content to boards that link back to their website.

This Is Only the Tip of the Iceberg

As a reminder, this is only a selection of action items that will help you increase website traffic. The scope of this topic is broad and vast. Below are a few other blogs and pieces of content that can give more insight into the topic at hand.

SEO

• How to Build an SEO Strategy for a Direct-To-Consumer (D2C) Brand [Template]
• Are You SEO-Ready for the Holidays?

Content 

• Creating Content Assets for D2C Brands
• User-Generated Content (UGC) for D2C Brands
• Writing Content: 5 Tips to Win Readers

Social Media

• How To Build An Engaging Brand On Social Media
• Social Media Trends: The Top 7 of 2021
• 5 Organic Social Media Tactics to Boost Growth
• 5 Tips to Build Your Social Media Marketing Strategy
• 5 Social Media Retargeting Strategies that Maximize Sales

Last updated on June 8th, 2023.