Content Creation
Write attention-grabbing headlines. If the headline doesn't get people to click, the rest of your content doesn't matter. Spend at least 5 or 10 minutes brainstorming possible headlines before picking one that's clear, specific, and catchy (without over-promising). Some of the most effective approaches involve numbers, popular search keywords, directly addressing the reader, or answering a question. For example, "11 Breakfasts To Cure Your Hangover" tells the reader exactly what to expect, addresses them directly, uses a popular search term, promises a solution to a problem, and includes a number. You can use WordPress plugins or standalone tools to A/B test your headlines, running multiple versions to see how they perform. This is most useful once your site already has a fair amount of traffic, so you can gather data quickly.
Make your content authoritative. Stand out from lower-quality sites by creating content that relies on extensive research or expert knowledge. If you can, hire professional text or video editors to make your content more engaging and polished. These efforts will build your site's reputation as an authoritative source, which helps you climb the search engine rankings.
Include some evergreen topics. It's tempting to only cover trending topics, but it's tough for an up-and-coming site to compete over these. A good strategy is to hedge your bets with some content that can keep attracting a steady flow of visitors for months or years. For example, write a research report on your industry or an authoritative guide to getting into your hobby.
Experiment with shareable formats. In the world of social media, shareable content is king—but that means different things on different platforms, and to different target audiences. Can you turn your content into infographics on LinkedIn? Memes on reddit? Until you try it, you won't know what hits that viral sweet spot. Use your longer content as a source of raw material. That half-hour video tutorial probably has a dozen useful clips that you can share as standalone pieces of advice. You don't have to condense every post down to a paragraph. Write long-form content if that's a better fit for your topic, then brainstorm ways to package that info into bite-sized samples or headlines that you can share on places like Twitter.
Ask visitors to comment and engage with your site. Active participation keeps site visitors returning. This can be as simple as asking readers to comment with their feedback or suggest new topics for you to cover. To really build a base of visitors, dovetail these "calls to action" into other marketing efforts. For instance, ask readers to sign up for your mailing list or join your webinar. Another option is to start a forum for your site's community to gather together and discuss topics. Keep in mind that this requires at least one moderator.
Technical SEO
Research keywords in your topic area. If you want to tailor your content to attract visitors, it's a huge help to find out what search terms they're using. Try free services like Google Keyword Planner and Google Trends, and/or well-reviewed products like SEMrush, HyperSuggest, or Ahrefs. Use these tools to identify high-volume search terms that fit your website theme and your expertise. Once you've found some options, Google them and check out the top results. If you think you can make content that's more engaging, accurate, or comprehensive than them, you've found a great opportunity.
Look for "long tail" searches. It's not all about the highest search volume. Aim for a mix of popular terms and more specific "long tail" searches. These have less competition and attract more invested visitors. If you're selling products, prioritize high commercial intent keywords like "buy."
Use keywords as signposts to relevant content. The purpose of keyword research is to identify popular topics that you can write about with authority. Make sure the keywords flow naturally within the text, or use them in headers that accurately describe your content. Avoid over-stuffing your site with popular keywords, especially irrelevant ones, since this can result in a very low search ranking. Ignore the outdated advice to stuff keywords into the "keyword" tag; Google has not looked at that for years. Do include keywords in the meta "description" tag, as part of an informative summary for readers.
Help search bots with tags and metadata. Website owners can use meta tags and other HTML features to help search engines make sense of their site. Go through this checklist of best practices, and follow them either by editing your HTML directly or by using the features of your website creation service: Add a unique description tag to each page on your website. Make the description short enough to display in a Google search preview, include relevant keywords, and use natural-sounding language. Organize your pages with other metadata as well: title tags, image file names, image "alt" descriptions, and link anchor text. Use short, descriptive text whenever possible in these tags, as well as in URLs.
Keep your site and each page well-organized. Organize your pages by topic, date posted, or some other logical system, and create a sitemap. Break larger pages down into sections with descriptive headers. Headers are a great place to put relevant keywords, but use them only as needed to help readers find what they're looking for.
Maximize search engine function with structured markup. This web code helps search engines display your info. For instance, you can use this to make sure Google correctly lists your product names and prices, your opening hours, or even the right recipe names for your cooking blog. If you're feeling code-savvy, get started by copying the example code at https://developers.google.com/search/docs/guides/search-gallery, or by using the free Google Search Console service's "Data Highlighter" feature. If this all sounds like gibberish to you, you can hire a web developer to set this up for you pretty quickly.
Advertising and Social Media
Make a social media plan for your site. At this point, social media marketing is its own career path, but you can get the ball rolling on your own if you can't hire a professional. Research which social network is the most popular among your target audience, and start by building a fan base there. Post on a consistent schedule, and include posts that directly inform or entertain your audience, alongside posts that link to your site. Social networks have their own culture, and users are quick to mock people who don't follow the right etiquette. If you're not already embedded in the network you're using, do some extra research on the "do's and don't's" of that platform. For example, many Reddit communities have strict marketing rules and dislike people who market without first participating in some discussions.
Give other creators a reason to link to your site. Offer to write guest blogs, propose a collaboration with another creator, or ask a well-known user of your product to post a review. Backlinks from opportunities like these are incredibly important for traffic—not only do they attract visitors directly, they also puts your site higher in Google rankings. Go for quality over quantity: links from well-known sites with expert contributions are worth way more than links from tiny or low-quality sites. If your website is pretty new, don't be discouraged if people turn down your requests. Start by making connections with other creators, creating quality content, and linking to other people's content that you find valuable. The best links will come after you build up some trust and respect. Trading links with a professional contact or two is fine, but don't go overboard or make deals with sites you've never heard of. If Google suspects you're putting more effort into getting links than creating good content, your page ranking will suffer.
Post helpful content on forums and question-answering sites. If your website is based on your profession or hobby, join relevant communities on sites like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Reddit, or answer public questions on sites like Quora. Put in the time and effort to respond to questions and give helpful advice under your website name. Stay connected with other blogs that relate to yours. Leave comments on their posts and interact with the communities. Don’t advertise your site directly, but allow people to find their way to it via links on your profile or signature.
Attract visitors with free materials. Who doesn't like a freebie? When done right, they attract new visitors to your site and leave them wanting to return. To make this more effective, combine it with social media posts announcing the giveaway (maybe with an added chance at winning something bigger if you engage with the post). Here are a few ideas: Give away a free, short e-book. Hold free online classes or seminars. Give visitors a free entry into your contest or sweepstakes. Let visitors download free software, or a free trial version of your product. Offer free products to people who sign up to your email list, spend above a certain amount in your shop, etc.
Pay for advertising on Google or Facebook. To get the most out of Google search ads (the links that appear next to search results), research affordable keyword searches that fit your site. If you'd rather promote your content directly in people's feeds, look into Facebook, the other online advertising giant. Of course, there's a reason Don Draper gets the big bucks. You could spend years learning how to run effective advertising campaigns, and no quick guide can identify the best approach for your business. Use tools like Google Analytics to track your ad engagement, and keep experimenting! If you run a local business, don't forget about the real world. Look into advertising options at local newspapers, business brochures, magazines, and signboards.
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