Firstly I think it's important to remember that a lot of people in the world don't speak Webbabble, most people from this part of the world (the North West of England) prefer a little straight talking in plain English.  I come from Wigan and know that the people of Wigan are known to enjoy the odd bit of Wiganese, if only to lighten a topic :-).  So this post will hopefully keep everyone happy including my fellow Wiganers.

So for those people who have limited or no prior knowledge of marketing websites here we go, I hope it's simple enough to understand, a starting point to learn more and who knows a little entertaining.

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How to get more visitors to your website?

The quick answer to the question is, there are a few ways to get more visitors to your website and all of them work in different ways.

Here's a bit more detail for those who want to know more.

Firstly where do visitors come from?

There are lots of routes a visitor can take to get to your website but the main ones are:-

• Direct Requests - A direct request is almost always when someone knows your website address and enters it directly into the address bar at the top of most web browsers.  There are also a number of other ways visitors can arrive at your site via a direct request, but for this, we don't need to think about them.
• Organic Search - On Google, the organic search results are the list of websites you get when you enter a search.  The organic results are the ones listed below the ones marked Ad and below the local results that have a postal address and a link to maps.
• Referrals - Referrals are visitors who click links for your website that appear in other locations around the web such as other websites, directories, blogs, forums and social media.
• Paid for internet advertising - this should be included in referrals, but for this, I want to keep it separate, only because it's the one way of attracting visitors where you have to spend money on online advertising.  The rest you can improve yourself free of charge.

For those who hasn't getten a yed warch (Wiganese for 'got a headache) read on....

 

How to get more visitors to your website from Direct Requests.

Some may argue that the tips below are so simple they should be done as a matter of course, that may well be true for thoose whoor well up on tinterweb (Wiganese for 'those who are knowledgeable about the internet')  all the same the things listed below are missed all too often.

1. Make sure your website address is on everything.  Vans, business cards, email replies, fliers, posters, you name it.  The more opportunity you have to get your website out there the better, people will remember it, especially those hot leads who want to buy from you.  Remember to use an email address that ends in your domain too, it's just another way for your website address to be seen.  For those who don't understand this, if your business is called Toms Cabin and you have a website address of www.tomscabin.co.uk then make sure you use an email address such as info@tomscabin.co.uk.  I so often see companies using email addresses like tomscab32@gmail.com which has no reference to the website or to the company name.
2. If you think your domain name is too long, looks odd or isn't snappy enough - use two! Ok, this may sound drastic but it's not that crazy and easy to do too.  This is how it works, if your business was called for instance John Smiths Rugby League Coach Trips Company it can register the long domain name of - johnsmithsrugbyleaguecoachtripscompany.co.uk. But it's hard to use on fliers and vans and may get lost, be too small or just look a mess  Not many people realise you can have more than one website address that takes you to the same website.  This means you could in this instance also have rugbycoachtrips.co.uk and BOTH domain names will go to the same address.  The shorter domain name that's easier to remember is the one you can use all the time for posters and vans etc, and the other you can reserve for other occasions.  Plus the shorter one is sure to get you more direct requests than the longer one.  If you don't believe this is common practice when domain names are too long or a name just doesn't look right as a website address try clicking this website address www.bandq.co.uk for those who can't be bothered it leads to www.diy.com which is the B&Q DIY Website.
3. Encourage visitors to bookmark your website, I know this is a bit 'owd fashiont' (old-fashioned) but people do still use bookmarks, especially business-to-business customers.

Value your direct request visitors, these are probably the most loyal and regular visitors to your site.

How to get more visitors to your website from Organic Search.

Organic search is the real long-term and sustainable winner when it comes to getting more visitors to your website.   Here are 3 tips to get you started.

1. It's important to have content on your website that potential customers find useful and valuable.  Think about what you say to your customers when they meet you or enter your physical premises, what questions do they ask, what top tips can you give them.  Make sure this sort of content is on your website.
2. Identify the right keywords people are using to search for your products and services, there are a few tools you can use or ask your friendly organic SEO expert.  When you have the right keywords make sure they are used in the content.  Remember just because you don't use the keywords yourself doesn't mean your customers don't use them.  You can call a business a 'limousine company' but if your customers are looking for a 'big prom car' and you have no content to reflect this on your website.  Then your website won't show up in search engines very well, if at all when people search for big prom cars.
3. Make sure your website is running as fast as possible.  Websites bogged down with poor code are a bit like having a shop with a sticking door, people struggle to get in.  If people struggle to get into your website then so will search engines when they come and have a toot (look).  Search engines like fast access, keep the search engines happy with a fast and optimised website and it's sure to score you points.

Lastly with organic search.  Results take time, Google and other search engines are sometimes really slow to re-rank and re-index websites, but once they've done their fettling and fixing (sorting out) you'll start to see some benefit.

How to get more visitors to your website from Referrals.

I like to look at good quality referrals as recommendations from other complimentary websites and the main search engines such as Google certainly do.  Here are 3 tips to get more visitors from referrals.

1. Exchange links with your suppliers and business associates, and get them to publish your link in exchange for a link to their website from yours.  The value of these links is tremendous and especially valuable for newer websites.
2. Take an active part on industry-specific websites and forums, leave comments and suggestions, and make sure to add your website address as a link when you comment.  If the website is potentially of value to your customers publish the link to the industry site on your website too.
3. Of course get your customers to like your website on their favourite social media platform or even better get them to wax lyrical about your service on Facebook or Twitter, remind them to link to your site though.

Conclusion.

There's much more that can be done by professionals than the points listed here, and yes I know other industry professionals will be able to add the odd 'yeh but' and 'it's not comprehensive enough' comments, my reply is 'it's a starting point, tips not for professionals and those with experience but for people who are new to this.  All the same, I know all the tips here work and will benefit your website, I use them all along with other techniques.  As a starter these tips can be employed by almost anyone who has a website, if you haven't got the time, find someone to do it for you.

Try, as with all forms of marketing and promotion to spread the cost or time across many areas, and always try to keep within the spirit of fair practice.  Almost always 'dodgy practices' will get found out and Google and other search engines WILL punish in less than fair practices - I've seen it before and will surely see it again.

Remember, remember, remember ... I cannot stress this enough.   Getting more visitors to your website takes time, sometimes months and months.  DO NOT LOSE FAITH AFTER A MONTH!

If you need instant visitors, then buy advertising online or otherwise, but keep on top of the non-paid marketing too like Organic SEO, it should almost certainly reap the most valuable rewards and bring you the biggest returns year after year.

Of course, if you need any help or advice on how to get more visitors to your website get in touch.

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And finally, a little and light-hearted Wigan 'fact'

Before I start this 'fact' and to help educate those none Wiganners about this superb and creative town of Wigan.  I need to let you in on a little secret, it's a little-known 'fact' that the majority of things in the world originated in Wigan and I have a story about each of them :-).

One such story is the one about the Thapple Thadding Up Machine fot thaccants thoffice, invented in 1589 by Bob Whittle of ThHindley Wigin. - this translated means The Apple Adding Up Machine for the Accounts Office.   The device it's said eventually became the inspiration for a famous brand that many people love today.

Images used in this post were described as royalty-free and free for re-publication at the time of posting.