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Tag: small business marketing

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.

How To Set Up A Google Business Profile

Want to know the best free way to promote your business online?

Google Business Profile!

Google Business Profile (previously known as Google My Business) is a free and simple tool for companies to manage their online presence across all Google services, such as Search and Maps. 

You can connect with your clients using Google Business Profile, keep your company profile up to date, provide pictures of your office/staff and keep track of how Google users interact with your company.

Businesses can now directly claim their profiles from Search and Maps, which is a brand-new feature that comes with the new name.

Google announced a name change for the platform in November of 2021, something that didn’t come as a surprise to many because this is not the first time Google has changed the name.

Read on to learn about the new changes to Google Business Profile and how to set up your profile with some optimization tips for each section!

New Changes for 2022

Access Options

The decision to discontinue the GMB app in 2022 and urge company managers to view their accounts through “an enhanced experience” on Google Search or Google Maps is a significant step. This option has actually been accessible for some time; all you need to do is type in a search for your company name, or, if you’re signed in, the term “my business,” and then click on the profile that pops up. If you’re a business with only one location, this could be an easier way to access your profile.

Setting Up Your Google Business Profile

To get started, you need to sign in or create a Google account.

If you don’t have a Google account, head over to the create an account page. If you already have a Gmail address, then you can use that to sign in.

Claim Your Google Business Profile

A quick way to see if your business already has a GMB listing is to do a search on Google. If you see your business pop up, great! If not, don’t worry, you can easily create a new listing.

If you do have a listing, but it’s unclaimed, you’ll want to claim it as soon as possible. An unclaimed listing means anyone can edit your business name, address, and hours- which isn’t ideal.

To claim your listing, head to the Google Business Profile homepage and click on “manage now” in the top right-hand corner.

If you don’t have a listing, you’ll be prompted to create one.

Enter Your Business Name

When creating your GMB profile, you will be prompted to enter a company name. Ensure that this information is correct in order for clients to locate your business. Your profile name, as well as the name that appears on your signs and logo, need to be consistent with one another.

Phone Number

It is crucial to have a company phone number in order to receive business. If customers can’t reach you, they may go to a competitor.

Address

How will customers locate you if you don’t have an address? Make sure to enter your address as accurately as possible. All abbreviations on your website, social media presence, and elsewhere should be consistent. The difference between “street” and “ST” may not appear to be important, yet it might result in your account being marked for inconsistency.

Website

By linking your website to your Google Business Profile, you may generate more leads while giving potential clients access to your contact information and a detailed description of what you offer.

Hours

Simply specify your business’s open hours to complete the hours section. Customers will know when to call, when to visit, and when you may be reached for business inquiries.

Profile Images

Photos are an excellent way to show potential customers what they can expect when they visit your business. Showing photos of your business’ interior and exterior will give searchers a realistic idea of your business’ space.

Photos of the people involved with your business can also be uploaded to show potential customers the faces behind your business. These could be pictures of employees, team members, or even yourself!

Including high-quality images is essential to building trust with potential customers.

Here’s what to include:

  • Pictures of the inside of your business
  • Photos from outside of your business
  • Images of those who work there

Business Description

This is possibly the most significant component of your GMB profile is the description. You want this to be enlightening and SEO-friendly (search engine optimized). An effective strategy for this is to respond to frequently asked questions about your company and include keywords that your website targets.

For instance, describe what you do, where you are located, and the people you work with.

This area has a character limit of 750, therefore we advise using every last one of them.

Service Categories

Categories describe your business. They expose you to people that are looking for your products or services.

Google gives business owners the option to choose up to nine other categories in addition to a primary category that best describes their company.

For example, as a painting company, these categories may include:

  • Painter
  • Painting
  • Painting company
  • Painting contractor

Keep in mind that the categories you select will have an impact on your organic search results. Ensure that these are as accurate as possible and reflect your company’s interests.

Logo and Cover Image

The minimum size for your logo is 250 × 250 pixels; make sure it’s not too big or too little, and that it’s square. Your logo is how customers identify and relate to your company. 

In addition to providing your company logo, you must also submit a cover photo. This has a minimum size of 480 x 280 pixels and a maximum size of 2120 x 1192 pixels. When submitting your cover image, make sure it’s in JPEG or PNG format to ensure the maximum quality resolution for your profile.

Ask and Answer a Question

As a business owner, you may use Google to ask and answer common questions. For example, as a painting company, you may ask, “Do you offer power washing?” “Can you paint my deck?” or “How do I contact you?” These questions and answers give users hassle-free responses without the need to contact your company ahead of time.

Reviews

Reviews on Google provide valuable information about your business to both you and your customers. Business reviews appear next to your listing in Maps and Search, and can help your business stand out on Google.

To get reviews on Google, encourage your customers to spread the word about your business by following these best practices:

  • Encourage your consumers to post reviews. Inform them that leaving business reviews on mobile devices or desktop computers is quick and simple.
  • Respond to reviews to gain the trust of your customers. Customers will see that your company appreciates their feedback and will be more willing to post additional reviews in the future.
  • Verify your business so that it can exist on Maps, Search, and other Google services. Only companies that have been verified may respond to reviews.

As previously stated, clients may post reviews based on their interactions with your business. You will be able to respond to these reviews after your account has been verified. Keep it short and courteous, and thank your reviewers regardless of their feedback.

Check out this article for further information on how to deal with both positive and negative reviews.

Verify Your Business

Verifying your business allows it to appear in search results and maps for customers. This will also enable you to reply to reviews, as well as provide other management benefits. Visit this page for more information about business verification.

Get Started Today!

You can help your customers find you, interact with your business, and learn more about what you have to offer by creating a Google Business Profile. Additionally, your Business Profile makes it easy for customers to reach you and creates a lasting impression after they’ve viewed your website or interacted with your business on Google.

Have questions about setting up or improving your Google Business profile? Contact IFTS today at 412-715-6266 and we will get you started with a free 13-point profile assessment.