How to promote and drive traffic to your website

A few simple ideas to help spread awareness of your website and make it work even harder for you.

• Incorporate your website address onto all of your stationery, such as business cards, letterheads, compliments slips and printed envelopes.
• Include your website address in all your press and other advertising, including radio if applicable.
• Have a corporate email address—such as info@yourcompany.co.uk&mdashand don’t use one from Hotmail, BT connect, AOL and so forth for business emails. Not only does this look much more professional to your customers, it promotes your website.
• Why not change your answer phone message to advise people of your website address, where they can find out more information about your company. Many people don’t like leaving messages and personal details on answer phones, so this gives them an alternative and could stop them losing interest.
• One of the best places to display your website address is in your shop window and are a multitude of firms in most areas who can provide you with pre cut stick on letters. Make your web address large enough to stand out as people pass by.
• Contact your local authority and other local organisations. These often run websites and provide free or low cost listings to local companies, as well as provide links to useful websites such as yours.
• There are lots of free business directories. Get yourself listed on them and if possible add you website address.
• Make sure all your colleagues and staff are aware of your website. It amazes us when calling companies how many people did not know they had a website, or if they did what the address was. Some people even gave out the e-mail address as the website address. Placing reminder notes on phones or computer screens can help staff remember the address when needed.
• When finishing a call with a client always remind them they can get further information on your products, services and opening times on your website and give them the address. You could also incorporate a paragraph or footer into correspondence to clients giving the same message.
• If you provide cars to your staff why not have lettering of your website address put on the sides, or on the back windows.
• Google Business Maps – this is free and all businesses should be on there, with a link and as much detail as you can fit in. Your web designer should do this but you can do it yourself if they haven’t as you don’t need to be technical.
• Update your website. Have a news section so that you can advertise offers and special events; interest keeps people returning.
• Ensure the home page has at least the basic search engine optimisation building blocks and that is says what you do and which areas you serve.