For years now, having an online presence has been essential when it comes to succeeding in business.
But as digital media advances, especially in terms of search engine algorithms and social media restrictions targeting advertising and spam, tempting visitors to visit your website is an ever-evolving battle. How can companies attract attention without tricking the system?
Two local businesses professionals—Jared Broussard, founder and CEO of BlinkJar Media; and David Maples, CEO of Catapult Creative Media Inc.—recently sat down with Business Report to offer advice on how businesses can get more visitors to their website and convert those visits into dollars.
The first thing businesses need to understand, says Broussard, is that there are five different channels of online traffic: organic, direct, referral, paid, and social. Organic traffic is derived from any search engine. Direct is defined as those visitors who type in an entity’s Web address and visit the site directly. Referrals come from another website other than a search engine that links to your site. Paid traffic is that which originates from a banner ad or Google AdWords. And finally, social traffic is that which comes from any social media channel.
“You take all of that, and you look at each sector and figure out how you can improve each traffic channel,” Broussard says. “All of the channels work together.”
Maples says companies can drive a significant amount of traffic by creating original content. One often-used method of doing so is a blog.
“Blogging is great because it does multiple things,” Maples says. “Blog posts aren’t necessarily sales pieces, but they increase your expertise in your industry.”
While a blog is just one option, Broussard emphasizes the importance of creating original content.
“Google rewards websites that have more index pages,” he says. “The more high quality content you create, the more visitors you get, because the more people share the content.”
Read the full feature for more advice from Broussard and Maples on how your businesses can improve and expand its online presence.
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