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Nowadays, increasing numbers of people are deciding to set their small business online. This is an entirely logical step for any first time business owner. Why? Well, the world of E-commerce is seriously taking off right now. Online businesses are experiencing skyrocketing success, with online giants such as Amazon taking multiple other high street companies completely out of business. Operating online means that you can offer customer lower prices on the goods and services that you offer, as operation costs are significantly reduced – you don’t have to fork out for commercial property rent, commercial property energy bills, staffing costs, security costs, or other expenses. Selling online also means that your products are available for purchase around the clock. Potential customers can log on, browse your stock, and process transactions whether you are present or not. This is convenient for consumers who work awkward hours. What’s more? With the simple addition of international postage, you can also reach out to a worldwide audience. However, when you set up online, you need to take active steps to direct traffic to your page. Here’s how to achieve this!

Understanding the Importance of Traffic

If you have a web page, you need to understand the importance of encouraging traffic to pass through. Think of traditional brick and mortar stores. Traditional brick and mortar stores benefit from being located in high footfall locations, as the more people who pass by their storefront, the more people who are likely to step in, which means more people browsing your stock, being exposed to your goods, and making purchases. This logic also applies to online stores. The more people you get onto your webpage, the more people who will browse your stock, be exposed to your goods, and make purchases!

Getting People Onto Your Page

So, by now you may be wondering how to get more website traffic. There are literally millions of websites out there and the online consumer market is pretty saturated at the moment, so you’re going to have a whole lot of work on your hands. But with the right techniques you can start shifting attention to your page and increase your number of hits. Here are a few to incorporate into your business plan!

SEO

The first step in your mission to boost website traffic is to engage with SEO. SEO stands for “search engine optimization”. This is a process where you help links to your page to get into high positions in search engine results. Why would you want to rank highly in search engine results? Well, think about it. When you’re looking for something that you’re interested in buying, what do you do? You google it! Then you proceed to click one of the top links in the list presented to you. Extremely few people go beyond the first place, so, you want the link to your page to rank as highly as possible. The best way to get your page as high in search engine results is to use the services of a professional SEO company or agency. They know the ins and outs of the process and will be able to take the responsibility off your shoulders.

Linking to Social Media

Social media is an extremely powerful tool for businesses. Sure, it may mostly be used by individuals for personal reasons, but if a lot of people have their attention focused on a given social media platform, you can use it to your advantage, using the platform as a means of exposing your brand to them. Create social media profiles for your business and draw in the attention of potential customers. Then ensure that your page or bio includes a link to your website. This allows people who are interested in your products the opportunity to find the space where they can make purchases.

Keeping People On Your Page

Getting people onto your page in the first place isn’t the end of the journey. You need to keep them on your page to benefit from the page hit! Studies have found that when people access a webpage, it only takes them a matter of moments to decide whether they want to consider browsing, or whether they are going to quit the tab and look elsewhere. Here are just a couple of ways to keep people on your page once they have accessed it

A Well Designed Landing Page

Your landing page needs to be as captivating as possible. Generally speaking, a good approach to take is to have some sort of slideshow showcasing your featured and most popular stock or new launches, as well as clear category links to different products that you have to offer. A professional web designer will be able to implement these into your web design on your behalf.

Clear Navigation

Many small businesses make the mistake of making their page too complex. You need your customers to be able to find their way from one page to another seamlessly with simple navigation options. This will prevent frustration and ensure that they can find everything that they need and make purchases without problems developing. Again, a competent web designer will be able to achieve this for you.

As you can see, directing as much traffic as possible to your webpage is essential when it comes to your small online business’ success. So, start implementing the above steps into your professional process and your web design as soon as possible!