25 Proven Ways To Increase Website Traffic (Free and Paid Methods)

The most common advice that we get most of the time is “Write high-quality content and optimize it for SEO” so that your website gets organic search traffic.

But again the question arises, what is quality content and how to optimize it for SEO?

So, in this post, I’ll cover a bit about high-quality content and also share a list of optimation as well as strategies you can use to increase more visitors and traffic to your website.

Let’s get started!

How to increase website traffic?

There is no doubt that SEO is essential (Apart from paid campaigns) for anyone who wants to increase web traffic and improve their online visibility.

SEO or search engine optimization is the process of making your site more visible and relevant to search engines, which will in turn increase organic traffic to your site.

However, SEO is not a quick or easy fix; it takes time and effort to see results. But if you’re willing to put in the work, SEO can be a great way to increase website traffic and get your business noticed by potential customers.

So if you’re ready to get started, here is the list of tips on how to optimize your site for search engines and also some other tactics to grow your traffic.

1. Target keywords using keyword research

The very first step in your content marketing strategy effort should be to use targeted keywords in your blog posts and website pages using keyword research.

So not only do you get high-quality traffic but also get free traffic to your website over and again.

However, not all keywords are the same, and you want to make sure you’re targeting keywords that are relevant to your business and have a high enough search volume to be worth your time.

You can use free tools like:

• Google Keyword Planner
• H-Supertools
• UberSuggest
• Ahrefs or
• Semrush

To help you find the right keywords for your website. The best way would be to go for low-competition keywords if your website is new.

Usually, these kinds of keywords have low search volumes but they can be a great start to bring some early traffic to your website.

2. Use Long-Tail Keywords

Long-tail keywords are multi-word phrases that are more specific and targeted than single-word keywords.

They tend to be less competitive and easier to rank for, making them a great option if you’re just starting out with SEO.

For example, instead of targeting the keyword “Leather shoes“, you could target the long-tail keyword “Women’s black leather shoes“.

This may have less search volume than the single/double-word keyword, but it will be much easier to rank for and will be more targeted toward people who are actually looking to buy shoes.

3. Write high-quality content

Now that you have the keyword you want to target, it’s time to start writing some high-quality content.

When it comes to SEO, content is king. Google loves fresh, relevant, and informative content, so that’s what you need to provide if you want your site to rank higher in search results.

To write high-quality content, make sure you’re covering all the important points on the topic and including relevant keywords throughout your post.

Your content should also be well-written and free of any grammar or spelling mistakes.

If you’re not a great writer, you can always hire a freelance writer at places like Fiverr to help you create high-quality content for your website.

Or you could use a tool like Frase.io or Closerscopy to help you create content. Plus Grammarly can be a great addition to help you proofread your grammatical mistakes.

If you want to learn more about how to write and optimize your blog post. Read it here.

4. Align the content with the search intent

Make sure your content aligns with the search intent of the keyword you’re targeting.

If you’re not familiar with search intent, it’s basically what the user is looking for when they search for a particular keyword.

For example, someone using the search term “Best shoes” is probably looking to buy shoes, while someone who searches for “Types of shoes” may just be looking for information on shoes.

If your content doesn’t match the search intent of the keyword, it’s not going to rank well in search results.

So if you’re targeting a keyword with commercial intent, make sure your content is focused on selling products or services.

And if you’re targeting a keyword with informational intent, make sure your content is informative and helpful.

5. Place your keywords strategically

Once you have your content written, it’s time to start placing your keywords strategically throughout your post.

Your keywords should be placed in the following places:

• Title
• Headings and subheadings
• In the first 100 words of your content
• Throughout the body of your content
• In the last 100 words of your content
• In the alt text of images
• In the title tags and meta descriptions

By placing your keywords in these places, you’re giving search engines a better idea of what your content is about and helping them to index your content more effectively.

Apart from that, use tools like Surfer SEO to help you with placing different keyword variations strategically.

And if you’re on WordPress, the RankMath SEO plugin can also help you with that.

6. Optimize your SERP appearance

After you’ve written your content and placed your keywords strategically, it’s time to start optimizing your SERP appearance.

Your SERP appearance is basically how your website appears in search results.

There are a few things you can do to optimize your SERP appearance, including:

Creating a catchy title tag

Creating a short (Not more than 75 characters) and a catchy headline will help your website stand out in search results and entice people to click on your listing.

To create a catchy title tag, make sure you include your keyword and make your title as descriptive as possible.

Avoid using clickbait titles or anything that’s misleading, as this will just frustrate users and hurt your click-through rate.

Write a meta description that urges people to click on your post.

Write a meta description that accurately describes your post and includes a call to action.

Make sure your meta description is interesting and compelling, as this will help convince people to click on your listing over other listings in search results.

The other catch is not to exceed your words to more than 160 words on your meta description.

Although most search engines usually pick meta descriptions randomly from your posts,

With the help of plugins like RankMath, you can add custom meta descriptions which might increase the chance of search engines picking your custom meta descriptions.

Adding rich snippets to your listing

Rich snippets are basically additional information that appears in search results, such as star ratings, images, and prices.

Adding rich snippets to your listing can help it stand out from other listings and improve your click-through rate.

If you’re using WordPress, you can use a plugin like RankMath to add rich snippets to your listing.

8. Link internally

Linking to other articles on your website can help search engines understand your website better and can also help improve your website’s ranking.

When linking internally, make sure you’re using relevant and keyword-rich anchor text, as this will help search engines understand what your linked page is about.

To find out which pages on your website you should be linking to, you can use SEO tools like Surfer, Ahrefs or Site Explorer.

9. Add your site to the Google search console and Google analytics

Adding your site to Google Search Console and Google Analytics is super necessary, even if you’re not planning on doing any SEO.

Google Search Console will help you track your website’s search traffic, clicks and performance, while Google Analytics will help you track your website’s overall traffic.

Both of these tools are free to use and can be very helpful in understanding your website’s traffic, and understanding particular search terms your website is or might rank for.

Here’s a link to the tutorial that will help you add your site to Google Analytics and Google search console.

9. Improve your site speed

Good site speed is one of the main ranking factors when it comes to Google rankings.

So it’s important to make sure your pages are loading as quickly as possible. (This is one of the aspects that I’m struggling with too).

However, there are a few things you can do to improve your page speed, including:

• Optimizing your images
• Using a content delivery network (CDN)
• Enabling caching
• Minifying your code
• Using a faster hosting provider

These are just a few of the things you can do to improve your page speed. To help with the optimization, you can use plugins like 10Web Booster.

Serving ads on your website can slow down your website, So I suggest if you’re thinking of joining an ad network, I suppose you should consider trying Ezoic.

Ezoic has its own CDN and with its leap technology, you can do all the things listed above.

And for the hosting part, if you’re just starting out, you can go with Bluehost and then move up to managed WordPress hosting providers like WPX, 10Web or WP Engine when you start attracting more visitors to your site.

10. Regularly refresh your content

Even evergreen content loses its sparkle as time goes on. You might be surprised how much of a difference freshening up your content can make—not just in terms of improved ranking, but also in terms of increased traffic.

One study found that simply updating the release date for a given SERP result could significantly increase CTR and move the result up a few positions, leading to increased traffic.

But you can’t just update a few words here and there or change the publication date. Google is much smarter than that.

In order to really see results from refreshing your content, you need to put in some effort.

Here are a few tips:

• Add new and relevant data to keep your content up-to-date.
• revise any outdated information or references.
• Expand on areas that could be more fleshed out.
• Update your visuals, including images, infographics, and videos.

By refreshing your content on a regular basis, you can keep it relevant and engaging—both for your audience and for search engines.

11. Add more content regularly

One way to keep your content evergreen and let website traffic come in is to regularly add new content to your website.

By adding new blog posts every now and then, you will give your website a chance to rank for new keywords, and you will also have more contents to share on social media.

And if you can write at least 2,000 words per post, that would be great!

Remember, long-form content tends to rank better and gets more shares than shorter articles.

If you are someone who struggles to come up with fresh ideas and topics for your blog posts, I’ve shared a detailed post on how to come up with endless blog topic ideas. You can check out the post here.

12. Make your site responsive

A responsive website automatically adjusts to fit the device it’s being viewed on.

This is important because more people now use their mobile phones to browse the internet than desktop computers.

If your website isn’t responsive, you’re basically telling visitors that they should go elsewhere.

Even a simple website needs to ensure its accessibility and viewability on multiple devices, including mobile phones.

Fortunately, making your website responsive is relatively easy. You can do it yourself if you’re familiar with code, or you can hire a web developer on places like Fiverr to do it for you.

There are also many WordPress themes that are responsive, so if you use WordPress for your website, you can easily find a theme that will work well on mobile devices.

Once your website is responsive, you’ll need to test it on different devices to make sure it looks and works the way you want it to.

This is important because what looks good on a desktop computer might not look so good on a mobile phone.

You can use a service like BrowserStack to test your website on different devices, or you can simply test it on your own devices.

Whichever method you choose, make sure you test your website on as many devices as possible before making it live.

Making your website responsive is one of the most important things you can do to ensure its success.

By making your site accessible and viewable on all devices, you’ll be able to reach a wider audience and improve your chances of increasing your website traffic.

13. Get backlinks

If you want your website to rank higher in search engine results pages (SERPs) and drive referral traffic to your posts, you need to get high-quality backlinks from other websites.

Backlinks are links that point from one website to another, and they indicate to search engines that your site is trustworthy and authoritative. The more backlinks you have, the better your site will rank.

Here are some common ways you can try to get backlinks:

• Reach out to other websites in your niche and ask for a backlink from them through collaboration.
• Write guest blog posts on other websites and include a link back to your website in your author bio.
• Create helpful resources, such as infographics or ebooks, and share them on other websites with a link back to your website.
• Add your website to online directories and yellow pages.
• Ask happy customers to leave reviews on popular review websites, such as Google My Business or Yelp.

Things to consider while reaching out for guest posts:

Before you start trying to get backlinks for your website, it’s important that you consider these points:

Build trust with guest posts

When you’re emailing someone asking for a guest post, it’s important to build trust with them first.

You can do this by writing quality content on your own blog and linking to their website in your posts. This will show that you’re familiar with their work and that you think highly of them.

Personalize your pitches

When you’re emailing someone asking for a guest post, make sure to personalize your pitch.

Address them by name, and let them know why you think they would be a good fit for your website. Include links to similar content that you’ve published in the past.

Offer something in return

When you’re emailing someone asking for a guest post, be sure to offer something in return. This could be a link back to their website, or a promotion of their work on social media.

Let them know that you’re willing to help promote their work in order to get a guest post from them.

Focus on reliable websites

When you’re looking for websites to get backlinks from, it’s important to focus on quality over quantity.

It’s better to have a few high-quality backlinks from reliable websites than a large number of low-quality backlinks.

Check the website’s domain authority

Before you get a backlink from a website, be sure to check its domain authority.

This is a measure of how trustworthy and authoritative the website is. The higher the domain authority, the better.

Look for do-follow links

When you’re looking for backlinks, be sure to look for do-follow links. These are links that will actually help your website rank higher.

Do-follow links are more valuable than no-follow links, which don’t have any effect on your website’s ranking.

Avoid low-quality websites

When you’re looking for backlinks, avoid low-quality websites. These are websites that are not trustworthy or authoritative. They can actually hurt your website’s ranking.

Don’t buy backlinks

When you’re looking for backlinks, avoid websites that sell them. These links are usually low quality and can hurt your website’s ranking.

There are many ways to get backlinks, but it’s important to focus on quality over quantity. Look for high-quality websites with high domain authority. Avoid low-quality websites and those that sell backlinks.

14. Create a linkable asset

Creating a linkable asset is a great way to get backlinks. A linkable asset is something that other websites will want to link to, such as an infographic, free ebooks or a resource page section.

To create a linkable asset, start by finding a topic that would be of interest to your target audience. Then, create something that would be valuable to them.

For example, you could create an infographic that compares different products.

Once you’ve created your linkable asset, reach out to other websites in your niche and ask if they would be interested in linking to it.

15. List your business on Google My Business

Google My Business is a free listing service from Google. It allows businesses to appear in Google Maps and Google search results.

If your website is correlated with your business, opening a Google business account and adding your website to the listing can make a significant increase in your website traffic.

My business combines both Google search results with Maps which can be a great way to show your website on search appearance alongside your physical business.

Before Google My Business used to have an app of its own where you could list your business but now it has been merged with Google Maps.

To list your business on Google:

• Go to Google Maps.
• Click the menu on the top left.
• Then select “Add your business” from the dropdown.
• Add your details on the nest page that appears and create your listing.

After you’re done with that, your business will need a verification check from Google.

Your business will show up on Google search and Maps after your business’s successful verification.

Why use Google My Business?

Google My Business comes with a lot of benefits. It lets people see the results of businesses in their area if they want to find a certain type of business.

Google My Business offers a lot more – it can be an ideal way for attracting customers that are close to your physical business.

Apart from that, it can be great for:

• Great for SEO.
• Can help your website rank higher on Google.
• Can generate traffic to your website.

And the most important part, it’s free!

17. Create amazing visuals

One of the most important things that can bring more traffic and success to your website would be to add amazing visuals to your posts.

People are more likely to click and share an article that has an amazing visual along with it.

You can use Canva’s design tools to create visuals for your website. If you’re not aware of what’s possible with Canva, you can find out in this post where I shared how you can even make a Link-in-bio page with Canva.

Including visuals in your posts can help increase website traffic as well as your chance of being featured on Google.

Google is putting more emphasis on images in their search results, which gives you more opportunities to get your website seen.

Make sure that when other websites use your images, they are linking back to your website. This will help increase traffic to your site as well as improve your search engine ranking.

18. Focus on evergreen topics

When it comes to generating traffic, not all topics are created equal. Some topics will always be popular and generate consistent traffic over time. These are what we call evergreen topics.

Evergreen topics are those that remain relevant and interesting even years after they’ve first been published.

They’re the kind of topics that always have an audience, regardless of the current trends or news cycles.

Focusing on evergreen topics is a great way to generate consistent traffic to your website over time.

Not only that, but because evergreen topics are always relevant, they’re also more likely to be shared and linked to, which can further increase your traffic.

19. Add videos to your website

A video is a powerful tool that can be used to improve your website in numerous ways.

Not only can videos be used to entertain and engage viewers, but they can also be used to attract new visitors to your site.

By adding videos to your website, you can increase the amount of traffic that you receive and you can also encourage people to spend more time on your site.

There are a number of ways that you can use videos to increase website traffic.

You can add videos to your website directly, or you can embed videos from other sources such as YouTube or Vimeo.

You can also create video sitemaps, which are XML files that help search engines index and rank your videos. The other way around is to use RankMath on WordPress to create a sitemap for your website including videos.

20. Run webinars

A popular webinar format for businesses is the most effective method to interact directly with your audience and drive more traffic to your website.

Although the webinars can sometimes take some preparation, the idea can still have potential.

When running a live stream, it’s essential that you market your event beforehand so people know when to tune in.

You can use social media, email marketing, or even paid ads to get the word out about your upcoming webinar.

It’s also important to have a strong offer in place so people have a reason to sign up. This could be a discount, an exclusive piece of content, or access to a live Q&A.

How to run a webinar?

To run a successful webinar, you need to ensure that you have the following:

• An engaging and interesting topic
• A well-designed landing page
• A compelling offer
• Promotion leading up to the event
• Clear and concise instructions for attending the webinar
• An engaging and personable presenter
• A professional and high-quality recording

21. Invite others to guest blog on your site

When you have a blog, one of the best ways to increase traffic is to invite others in your field to guest blog.

This gives them exposure to your audience, and it also allows you to show off your expertise. If you can get high-quality guest bloggers, it will also improve the overall quality of your site.

To find guest bloggers, you can search Google or social media. You can also look for sites that specialize in guest blogging.

Once you find potential guest bloggers, reach out to them and ask if they’d be interested in writing a post for your site.

Make sure to give them guidelines on what you’re looking for and what type of content would be appropriate. You should also give them a guideline on what you expect from their post.

Remember to allow only original content to be published on your site in order to avoid any penalties from Google. This will also help you maintain a professional brand for your site.

When they guest blog on your site, be sure to promote their post across your social media channels. You can also reach out to other bloggers and ask them to share the post.

22. Start a YouTube Channel

If you’re not using YouTube to promote your website, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity. YouTube is the second-largest search engine, behind only Google.

With over 2 billion users and billions of videos watched each day, there’s a good chance that some of those viewers will be interested in what you have to say.

Creating a YouTube channel is a great way to build an audience and redirect traffic back to your website. You can also use your channel to promote your brand, products, or services.

23. Start a Podcast

If you’re looking for ways to increase website traffic, starting a podcast can be a great option. Podcasts are becoming increasingly popular, with 75 million Americans tuning in each year.

And that number is only expected to grow, with an estimated 164 million listeners by 2025. If you have a podcast, you can add the link to your website in the show notes.

This is a great way to get more website visitors, as well as subscribers to your podcast. To get started, all you need is a microphone and some recording software.

Once you’ve created your first episode, be sure to promote it on social media and other channels to help increase traffic to your website.

24. Press releases

When you have something newsworthy to share, a press release can be a great way to generate traffic and build buzz around your website.

Press releases are often picked up by news outlets, which can help to increase exposure for your website.

In addition, press releases can also be syndicated on other websites, which can help to improve your website’s SEO.

If you’re not sure how to write a press release, there are a number of templates and resources available online.

Once you’ve written your press release, be sure to distribute it through a press release service such as PRWeb.

25. Use social media platforms

Social media campaigns are a great way to promote your blog and are one of the best traffic generators for a website.

There are a number of different platforms to choose from, such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Linkedin and Quora.

Each platform has its own unique audience, so it’s important to choose the one that makes the most sense for your business.

For example, if you’re a visual business, Pinterest might be a better option than Twitter.

Once you’ve chosen a platform, it’s important to create engaging content that will interest your target audience.

You should also make sure to post regularly and interact with other users on the platform.

26. Create Web-Stories

Start adding web stories to your website. It can be a gamechanger for your website traffic.

Web stories are a new way of storytelling using short videos and images that appear in a full-screen format.

You can think of them as mini-movies or slideshows that are easy to consume and engage. The best part is that they are interactive and support touchscreen gestures like tap and swipe.

This makes them perfect for mobile users who are always on the go.

Web stories are also great for SEO since they are indexable and can lead your visitors to the actual posts from your website.

The best part is, that they can also be monetized with Google AdSense.

All you need to create web stories is a plugin called Web-Stories for WordPress websites. You can learn more about web stories here.

27. Use Email marketing

Email marketing can be a great way to promote your website and increase traffic.

By sending out regular newsletters, you can build an audience of interested users who will be more likely to visit your website.

You can also use email marketing to send out special offers and promotions. This is a great way to encourage users to visit your website and make a purchase.

If you’re not sure how to get started with email marketing, there are a number of resources and tutorials available online.

You can also read one of my earlier posts that I’ve written about getting started with email marketing and growing your email list.

Once you have a system in place, be sure to monitor your open rates and click-through rates to ensure that your campaigns are successful.

28. Paid ads

Paid ads are a great way to generate traffic to your website. By placing ads on search engines, social media platforms, and other websites, you can reach a wide audience of potential customers.

Paid ads can be a great way to get immediate results, but it’s important to keep in mind that they can also be expensive.

You’ll need to carefully consider your budget and your target audience before deciding if paid ads are right for you.

There are lots of different kinds of platforms that you can use to run your ad campaigns. It all depends on the end goal that you have with your website.

To run ad campaigns you can use platforms like:

• Google AdWords: You can use Google Ads to place ads on Google’s search engine and other websites that are part of the Google Display Network.
• Facebook Ads: You can use Facebook Ads to place ads on Facebook and Instagram,
• Twitter Ads: You can use Twitter Ads to place ads on Twitter.
• LinkedIn Ads: You can use LinkedIn Ads to place ads on LinkedIn.
• Native ads: For native ads, you can try platforms like Taboola, MGID, Outbrain etc.

Conclusion

So, these were the best ways to increase website traffic. If you are looking for more organic traffic, then I suggest trying some of the methods I’ve listed above.

Such as improving your website content and using social media marketing, guest blogs and all.

However, if you are an eCommerce store and need immediate results, then paid ads may be a better option for you.

Regardless of which strategy you choose, make sure that you track your progress so that you can see what is working and what isn’t.

And yeah, don’t forget to comment below and let me know how your traffic generation efforts are going!