Tips for Increasing Web Site Traffic

The Internet and the World Wide Web are touted as the great equalizer. Via the Internet, small
companies now have the means to compete with larger established companies in the marketplace.
The following are tips for increasing Web site customer traffic1 :

• Include your businesses Web address on all collateral marketing material (i.e., brochures,
business material, stationary, newsletters, fliers) as well as correspondence materials (i.e.,
fax cover sheets, quotes, invoices). The purpose of including your Web address on all
business material is that it allows you to expose current and potential customers to your
address. The objective is to get your Web address in front of as many people as possible.

• Get your Web address on as many directories as possible. Make sure your Web address is
added to the directories of the various organizations in which you are involved. This does
not have to be limited to professional organizations. For example, add your Web address
to any trade organization in which you or your company is a member but in addition, make
sure your Web address is added to your health club’s membership directory or any other
directory where your business may be listed.

• Make sure your Web address is identifiable with your company name. For example, Coca-
Cola’s Web address is http://www.coke.com. It is a good idea to have your company
name in at least part of your Web address.

• Register your Web site, Web address, company name, products and services, and any key
words that can be used to describe your company or product with all Internet search
engines. A search engine is a remotely accessible program that lets you do keyword
searches for information on the Internet. The search engine enables people browsing the
Internet to search for words or phrases anywhere on your Web site.

• Monitor the Web Site’s or Web page’s meta tags which contain key words or strategic
words used to describe the Web sites or Web pages contents. These key or strategic
words need to be to be monitored and updated periodically to make sure that the various
search engines properly index the Web site or Web pages and that the key words list is
sufficient to have the site or page register as high as possible on the search engines results.
Make sure that identified key or strategic words appear in the page title, if they do not the
Web page may be poorly ranked by the search engines.

• Try to develop many “hot links” to and from other Web sites. Many Web sites are glad to
include a “link” to and from Web sites that offer similar topics (i.e., trade associations,
vendors, customers, chamber of commerce, state or local governments), especially if your
site has something of value to offer. This will allow you to attract the attention of Web
browsers who visit sites linked to your Web site. For example, a person visiting a
chamber of commerce Web site may decide to look at the chamber’s membership list. By
having your Web site linked to the chamber of commerce’s Web site, the visitor can “link”
to your Web site by simply clicking on your Web address. E-mail other Web sites to see if
they will allow you to link.

• Generate promotional programs (i.e., electronic coupons) that can only be obtained by
visiting your Web site. This helps to attract customers to your Web site where they can
learn more about your business and its products and services.

• Web site developers can provide a Web site log which provides information on tracking
web sites traffic, determining where visitors are coming from, where they are going,
whether or not they made a purchase and other information. The site’s “log” can provide
invaluable information to help more effectively manage the Web site.

• Make your Web site attractive and appealing. The Web site needs to be informative and
interesting. It is tempting to include too much information about your business. Customers
visit your sight seeking information about specific products and services you have to offer,
not to learn every aspect of your business and its entire history. This is not to say that an
abbreviated, interesting version of your company and it history is not needed. There is a fine
line between providing the visitor with enough information about your business and its
products and providing too much. For example, a brief description of how your company’s
family recipe was discovered and finally brought to market is a good way to covey your
company’s marketing position (i.e., family owned small business producing homemade
products). On the other hand, a pain stakingly detailed account of description of Aunt
Paulies life is not necessary and may end up boring the visitor.

Wrote by :
Dr. Kent Wolfe
Assistant Extension Specialist
Agricultural Development Center
Taken from
http://cpa.utk.edu/pdffiles/adc35.pdf