Traffic is all well and good, but you know what really gets me excited when I login to my Analytics account? The repeat visitors. The more someone comes back to my site, the more valuable I know the content I’ve offered.
Something in my content or products is so good that the visitor wants to come and read more about it at a later date. They’re practically begging you to sell them something. So, how do you generate all that repeat traffic? Here are 7 top methods that have worked wonders for my sites:
1. Create an Authority Site – Imagine the sites that most people visit every day. At the top of the list are social media and news. What do they both have in common? They provide a comprehensive view on a subject important to the reader.
If you can offer a similar resource for the niche in which you’re marketing, your readers will continue coming back regularly to review your newest articles and thoughts. The goal here is not just comprehensive content, but regularly updated content.
2. Provide Free Online Tools and References – Another valuable resource that many visitors will keep on their bookmark bar is the free tool. A site analyser, dictionary, forum, or list of websites for research are all great tools for Internet marketers.
Developing these tools can be expensive, but they will continuously draw back highly valuable traffic in the form of loyal users.
3. Add Forums or a Blog – Readers are fond of engagement and it is easier than ever to create tools that encourage such engagement. A forum can be created for free with PHPbb or you can pay for Vbulletin and install a high end forum.
Additionally, a forum from WordPress will provide the necessary tools for reaching and staying current with your readers on a daily basis.
4. Create Scarcity in Email Marketing – If you have an email list of users that have visited your site, use it to drive return traffic. Offer incentives for return visits, telling them that they will receive a bonus or that certain content will only be available for a limited amount of time.
Every email you write should provide some level of direct interaction with your readers, encouraging them to return to your site for additional information, free tools, or just another post.
5. Cross Promote Your Site in Multiple Venues – As an Internet marketer your website should not be the only presence you have online. You should have a Twitter feed, a Facebook Page, a blog, and whatever else fits your niche. Crossover between each of them to provide additional sources of traffic.
6. Personalize Your Posts – It’s a lot easier to forget someone that has a pedantic, dull voice that you could find anywhere. Be yourself, tell jokes, and keep your content as personal as possible. As people come to know you, they’ll return to your site for social reasons more often than not.
7. Create a Unique Brand – Along the same lines, start generating a recognizable brand that your readers will follow across the net. Use a standard logo, utilize your face and start using tools like video and podcasts to personalize what you present.
The more recognizable you make yourself, the more likely someone will pick up on a guest post or video you place elsewhere, returning to your site.
A website is a commodity. No matter what the goal of your content is, it should be presenting something unique and valuable to your readers. Like any brand, you should develop loyalty and recognition and then rely on the value you present to keep bringing visitors back day after day.
