Web traffic in the pits? Fix it.

Nothing is more disappointing than investing a lot of money and time in a website, only to find that your analytics are in the pits. Don’t get discouraged! There are a few immediate techniques you can try to improve your rank, number of visitors, visit duration and more.

1. Use quality metadata.
   When you post a new page or piece of content, be sure to properly complete the metadata fields. Use relevant alternative text descriptions (alt tags), keywords, page titles and descriptions, and photo captions for best results. It’s also digital marketing best practice to link to other relevant pages on your site, too. (See what I did there?)
2. Add content.
   Search engines love new content. Consider adding a regularly updated blog, fresh videos, a press release feed, a few case studies and more to feed the beast.  Doing so will improve your rankings over time and will draw visitors in. Once there, they’ll stay longer because you have stuff for them to get excited about.
3. Add search-optimized keywords.
   Don’t stop there. Research quality search terms and weave them into your content to improve the likelihood of being found online. Google’s keyword planner is a good resource and allows you to isolate your search to a geographic region or language, if needed.
4. Use your social channels.
   If you’re using social media, drive the majority of links you post back to your website. It’s fine to occasionally link to a third-party site, especially if it’s a good industry resource, but your social channels should be a major driver for your site.
5. Make it easy to use and friendly across devices.
   Check that your website is easy to navigate and friendly across mobile devices, tablets and computers. If not, consider simplifying the site map or adopting a new design or platform. Be sure to also reduce graphic file sizes to shorten site load times. If a visitor can’t view your website quickly and easily from his preferred device, it will be D.O.A.
6. Use digital advertising.
   Still not moving the needle? Drive users to your site with a digital marketing campaign, using Google Adwords, third-party sites or social channels. Just be sure to offer clickers something valuable upon arrival on your site to reduce bounce rates.

Even if you complete the above techniques perfectly, know that it will take some time (possibly a few months) to see a real impact. Be patient and keep at it. Your inbound marketing efforts will pay off as you go.