Ways To Send Traffic To Your Website – Paid and Organic

The internet has become a powerful tool for businesses of all sizes to reach their target audience, and driving traffic to a website is a key factor in online success. In this article, we will discuss the various ways to send traffic to your website, both paid and organic options. Whether you are just starting out or have been in the business for a while, there are a variety of strategies to choose from that can help you achieve your goals. 

Let’s take a look at the different methods available and how you can best utilize them for your website.

Organic Traffic

Organic traffic is a great way to improve your website’s visibility and increase website traffic. It refers to the number of visitors who find your website through unpaid search engine results such as search engine optimization (SEO) and other organic search activities.

Organic traffic has the potential to bring in high-quality and targeted visitors to your website, leading to higher conversion rates and better user engagement. It is the most cost-effective way to drive more traffic to your website and can be used to increase brand awareness and visibility.

Let’s talk about a few of the tactics you can use to drive organic traffic:

Search Engine Optimization (SEO)

This is one of the most important digital marketing strategies and should be a key part of your overall strategy. Search engine optimization (SEO) practices help improve the ranking of your website in organic search results. It involves optimizing website content, keywords, and other factors so that search engines can properly identify your page when someone searches for relevant terms.

SEO includes optimizing titles, descriptions, and keywords; creating backlinks from other websites; improving page load speed; and making sure the content is relevant and of a high quality. By taking the time to create SEO-friendly content and building relationships with other websites, you can gain organic traffic to your website without having to pay for it. However, this process takes time and effort, so if you need more immediate results, there are paid methods to send traffic to your website that we will discuss later in this article.

Social Media

You can use social media as a platform to promote your business and drive organic traffic. This includes sharing content, engaging with followers, and running ads on platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. By engaging with your target audience and providing them with valuable content, you can create relationships that will lead to more organic traffic.

Content Marketing

By creating and sharing valuable content, you can attract visitors to your site and encourage them to explore your products and services.

Content marketing can include creating:

  • Blog posts
  • Videos
  • Infographics
  • eBooks

Each type of content should be tailored to the interests of your target audience, as this will help to create an engaging experience that encourages visitors to return.

Content creation should focus on building relationships with customers, providing accurate information about products or services, and providing a platform for customers to engage with your brand. If you’re struggling to create content for your business, check out this article where we discuss some common business goals and what content you should create to help reach them in 2023!

By producing captivating content that speaks directly to your target market, you can become a thought leader and drive more visitors to your website.

Paid Traffic

Paid traffic is an effective way to increase website visitors by paying for advertisements on search engines, social media, websites, and other online platforms. It can help you reach a larger audience and increase your brand awareness quickly.

Paid traffic also gives you more control over your campaigns, allowing you to target a specific demographic, customize your messages, and measure success with analytics. The biggest advantage of using paid methods is that they guarantee immediate results, though you should be aware that there are costs associated with them.

There are many effective ways to send paid traffic to your website, such as:

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising

Pay-per-click (PPC) advertising is a powerful form of digital marketing that allows businesses to display ads to their target audience and only pay when someone clicks on them. PPC advertising involves bidding on certain keywords related to your website, and then paying for every click on your ad. This allows you to target a specific audience and tailor messaging more accurately.

It can also be a cost-effective way to generate leads and sales. With PPC advertising, you can set a budget and get results quickly. You have control over who sees your ads and when, giving you the ability to optimize campaigns in real-time and maximize your return on investment.

Display ads

Display ads are a type of online advertisement that appear on websites and other digital platforms. They are typically rectangular, colorful, and often include text, images, logos, and even videos. Display ads are a great way to promote products and services, as they can be targeted to a specific audience and be seen by thousands or even millions of people.

They can also be used to drive traffic to a website, increase brand awareness, and generate leads. Display ads are a powerful tool for businesses, and when used correctly, can be an effective way to reach an audience and grow a business.

Social media advertising

Social media advertising involves placing ads on popular platforms such as Facebook and Instagram. Ads on these platforms can be tailored to a specific target audience, making them much more effective than traditional methods of advertising.

Social media advertisements are an efficient way to reach out to potential clients and direct them to your website or online store. They provide an opportunity to present an effective message to a large and targeted audience. By utilizing compelling visuals and engaging content, businesses can create an effective ad that stands out from the competition.

Additionally, social media ads offer the potential to track performance and measure ROI, helping to ensure that campaigns are successful and cost-effective. With the right strategy and creativity, social media ads can be an invaluable tool for businesses of all sizes.

Choosing The Right Method For Your Business

Each of these paid traffic sources has its own advantages and disadvantages, so it’s important to do your research and decide which one will be most effective for your website and budget.

With the right strategy and budget, paid traffic has the potential to be a powerful marketing tool for any business.

No matter which method(s) you choose, the most important thing is that you create valuable content and promote it in a way that resonates with your target audience. This will ensure that your website receives quality traffic—whether paid or organic.

Need Help?

If you need help managing your business’s paid or organic traffic campaigns, our team of professionals are here to help. We have extensive experience helping businesses optimize their campaigns and grow their online presence. Contact us today for a free consultation at 412-715-6266.

Creating Content in 2023: What Will Help You Reach Your Business Goals?

In 2023, creating content that is valuable and engaging to your audience will be key in achieving your business goals. Content creation should focus on building relationships with customers, providing accurate information about products or services, and providing a platform for customers to engage with your brand.

Let’s look at some common business goals and different types of content you can create to help you reach them.

1. Increase Brand Awareness:

Are you looking to boost your brand’s visibility? Crafting content that positions you as the expert in your field is an excellent way of achieving this goal.

Content marketing involves developing and sharing meaningful, valuable content with your target audience. Use your expertise and experience to create content that showcases your knowledge and provides your audience with insightful information about the industry such as:

  • Blog posts – create informative, helpful, and keyword-rich blog content that educates your readers and helps them solve their problems.
  • Infographics – create eye-catching infographic content that can be used to explain complex topics or to present data in an easily digestible format.
  • Videos – create engaging video content that can be used to showcase your products and services or to provide helpful tutorials and how-tos.
  • Social media posts – create shareable content that people will enjoy and engage with on social media.

This type of content should be creative, entertaining and informative. The key is to create content that resonates with your audience and provides them with valuable information. Additionally, you should also ensure that your content is optimized for search engines so it can be easily discovered.

Creating content that is easy for users to consume will help increase awareness about your business and drive more traffic to your website.

2. Generate Leads:

Creating content that will generate leads is an important part of any successful marketing strategy. If you want to generate more leads, you need to create content that encourages customers to take action.

A few strategies you may want to consider include:

  • Optimizing your content (seo)
  • Targeting specific keywords and topics
  • Leveraging social media to share your content with a wider audience
  • Writing content that is interesting and informative to your target audience

You may also want to consider creating content with a call-to-action to generate leads, such as offering a free download or providing a contact form for those interested in learning more about your product or service. With the right content strategy, you can create content that will help you generate leads and grow your business.

3. Build Customer Loyalty:

Creating content that will build customer loyalty can be a great way to increase customer retention and boost long-term customer engagement.

Here are some ideas on how to create content that will build customer loyalty:

  1. Focus on providing quality content. Quality content can include helpful advice, tips, articles, videos, and more that are tailored to customer needs.
  2. Show appreciation for customers. Create content that highlights customer achievements and thank customers for their support.
  3. Offer exclusive content. Give customers early access to new products, discounts, and other special offers.
  4. Ask customers for feedback. Encourage customer feedback by asking customers for their opinions, ideas, and suggestions.
  5. Share customer stories. Highlight customer success stories in your content.

You should also consider creating customer loyalty programs that reward customers for their loyalty. Rewarding loyal customers with discounts, exclusive offers, or other promotional items can help increase customer engagement and satisfaction.

By following these tips, you can create content that will build customer loyalty and help strengthen relationships with your customers.

Remember This When Creating Your Content

Creating content that meets your business goals in 2023 will require a well thought-out content strategy.

It is important to ensure that your content is tailored to the needs of your target audience and is optimized for search engine rankings. Use creativity when creating your content to make it truly stand out. This will increase its visibility and attract more viewers. For maximum impact and engagement from your audience, it is essential to be consistent with your content – this will not only help you gain their trust but also keep them coming back for more. With careful and thoughtful content creation, your business can reach its goals and find success.

Prepare To Meet Your 2023 Goals

By focusing on creating content that is valuable and engaging for your customers, you can build relationships with them and increase brand awareness, generate leads, and build customer loyalty.

By following these tips and staying up-to-date with the latest trends in content marketing, you can ensure that your content creation efforts are successful in 2023.

If you need help creating a content strategy for your brand, contact us today at 412-715-6266.

Social Media Hacks: 10 Ways to Make Posting Quicker and Easier for Small Businesses Using Canva PART 2

Are you a small business owner who doesn’t have the time or energy to create and design for social media posts? 

Do you need ways to make posting quicker and easier?

You’re not alone! With ever-increasing expectations in both reach and quality of content, it can be hard to keep up.

That’s why we’ve gathered some of our favorite social media hacks that will help make creating attractive, professional social media posts quicker and simpler for small businesses like yours.

If you’re a small business looking for easy ways to create social media posts without spending a ton of time or money, then Canva is your go-to tool.

As the leader in DIY design and visual content creation, Canva makes it easier than ever for brands to whip up stunning visuals that engage their customers—all with just one click.

Last time, we covered 4 hacks for getting started in Canva–we talked about what Canva is, how to get your business set up quickly, and how to keep your files organized for maximum efficiency when using Canva. If you missed Part 1, check it out here.

In Part 2, we’ll go over the easiest ways to use Canva’s design tools so you can start posting professional looking social media designs right away!

There's More to Getting Started in Canva

Hack #5: Using the "MORE" Menu Tab

In Canva, more is more. Whenever you see a three-dot tab in a toolbar, that means there are even more options for your design!

This can be information overload if you’re not used to Canva. But, if you click the “more” tab, you’ll find a ton of features that will help make your social media designs even more unique and on-brand.

For example, in the More tab, you can copy an entire design or an entire folder, make subtle changes, rename it, and then save it again as a brand new design.

No more starting from scratch, and it’s super easy!

The More tab also allows you to add special effects such as blur or vignette to draw attention to specific elements of your design. You can also access features like adding links or adjusting the transparency of page elements, graphics, and overlays. 

In addition, the “More” tab gives you access to options for layers, which can help you separate different parts of your design so you can change them even more.

This is especially useful if you want to make certain graphics stand out at the front of the page and appear “on top” of other graphics to create a multi-layered look.

Quick keyboard “command” shortcuts are also listed out for you in the more tab, making it easy to select, copy, and paste anything on your page with the click of a button.

Select a group of multiple elements, like a box of text and a logo icon from your page, by holding down the “shift” key as you select each item, and then click “group” in the more menu.

You can then copy and paste that entire group of icons, text, etc. to a new page while keeping the size and spacing the same from one post to the next.

The Quickest and Simplest Canva Tool for Beginners

Hack #6: Use Canva's Quick Create Tool

Canva’s Quick Create tool is a great way to create social media posts that are both eye-catching and on-brand.

Quick Create has a small library of templates that automatically add your company’s logo, colors, and preferred fonts to pre-formatted social media designs.

You can literally create polished posts in minutes. Best of all, you don’t need any design experience at all to use it, and it’s free. This is a great option if you’re just getting started and do not want to make too many design choices.

If you like having a more customized look for your social media posts, this may not be the best option for you. It is a nice starting point, though, because you can still customize these designs as much as you’d like after they are saved in Canva.

To use the Quick Create tool, just log in to your account and select the social media icon button located at the middle of the home page. The Quick Create tab is listed in the “popular” section and should be the first option you can choose.

You will be prompted to pick the social media formats you will need, the text you’d like to add, and the style you like the most out of Canva’s pre-selected design templates.

There are only 5 steps to complete before your social posts are ready to go!

Right now, video formats are not supported in Canva’s Quick Create tool, but you can save the Quick Create designs and use them to make a video in a new design later. 

It’s really that easy!

Let's Get Moving

Hack #7: Quickly and Simply Animate Your Social Media Posts in Canva

Now, you might not be ready yet to make an entire video using Canva, which we will cover more in depth in a future blog post, and you may not even want to make a short video clip, but adding one of Canva’s pre-made animated graphics to your post is the easiest way to add some movement and interest to your social media posts.

Simply choose a design element and select the “animated” option under the filtered search tab. This will bring up some animated stickers and icons to add to your post.

You can also click on the “animate” tab in your design screen’s toolbar, which will allow you to choose from a number of motion effects that can be applied to the text, entire page, or graphics.

Then, just hit the play button at the top right corner of your screen, and you’ll see the animated graphic start to move.

With Canva’s Pro feature, you can even speed up or reverse the direction of certain types of animation.

When you’re done, click “share” and choose the option to download as an MP4 or GIF file (just remember that a GIF can’t be downloaded with sound but will play on auto-loop).

Check out one of our previous articles on how to film a video on your smartphone and turn it into a social media post.

Can You Hear Me Now?

Hack #8: Quickly and Simply Add Audio to Your Social Media Posts in Canva

So you’ve made an animated design in Canva, but something’s missing. What could it be?

Yes, Sound! You can add music or sound effects to your social media posts with Canva.

Just like the animated graphics, you can find a number of audio files from inside the design screen by clicking on the “audio” tab in the toolbar and selecting from one of their available options.

Here, you’ll find a variety of royalty-free soundtracks and sound effects that can easily be added to any post.

You can also upload your own music if you have a purchased track or sound file that you want to use.

Once you’ve uploaded the music, you can change the volume and add fade-in and fade-out effects right in Canva’s editor.

The Lowdown on Downloading

Hack #9: Quickly and Simply Download Your Social Media Posts

When it comes to sharing your creations online, Canva makes it easy to export your designs directly from the platform. Just click the “Share” button at the top of the page and select how you want to share it. You can then copy the link or download your design as a PDF, JPEG, PNG, etc.

Image Size Guide for Social Media Posts

Social media platforms are constantly changing their size and dimensions for images, which means that creating posts with consistent sizing can be tricky. To make sure your social media posts look great on any platform, here is a handy image size guide:

Facebook Landscape Post: 940 x 788 pixels

Twitter: 1600 x 900 pixels

Instagram: 1080 x 1080 pixels

Pinterest: 1000 x 1500 pixels

LinkedIn: 1200 x 1200 pixels

YouTube Thumbnail: 1280 x 720 pixels

No matter which platform you’re using, make sure to keep your images optimized for the best quality.

Canva makes it easy to resize and crop images so that they fit within the recommended dimensions of each platform, and it will automatically give you their suggested format for your download.

Canva’s Pro feature even allows you to copy and resize your design using the “resize” tab near the top left corner of the screen.

Sharing and Scheduling

Hack #10: Quickly and Simply Share Your Social Media Posts

Last but not least, automating social media posts is one of the best ways to save time on posting content for your business. There are plenty of platforms out there that offer scheduling capabilities, so you can set up all your posts ahead of time and never worry about rushing through them again. 

Canva has recently launched its own scheduling feature for Pro users, which lets you quickly and easily post your designs to your social media accounts. You can even schedule posts for specific days and times so that your content is tailored to the right audience at the right time.

With this new feature, you don’t have to worry about manually posting your content every day. Just schedule it and let Canva do the rest!

Canva’s free plan allows you to share to multiple social media channels, but you cannot schedule them in advance.

By following these simple hacks, you can now use Canva to make beautiful social media posts with ease!

Think of your designs as stories that help build relationships with your customers; use images and animations to really bring them to life. And finally, use the scheduling feature to save time and make sure your posts are shared on a regular basis.

Good luck, and happy designing!

And if you need any more help, contact our social media experts at IFTS, and we will get the job done for you! Give us a call today at 412-715-6266, and we’ll get you started on creating visuals that will take your business to the next level.