We know that organic traffic can be vital in boosting a website’s popularity and creating brand awareness. However, organic traffic does require enormous work and high value content for Google to consider you a reliable source. There is no alternative for high value content, however, you might be able to use an alternative to drive traffic to your website. This evolution is called “referral†traffic and I use the term “evolution†because it plays a more important role now than ever. The concept has changed over time from simply being an affiliate term to one that everyone uses to grow their business and brand. For example, you now have local directories, social media, video platforms, etc., which all provide an amazing source for referral traffic. Not to mention, the type of people you attract through referral traffic has changed from buyers to content engagers.
Here are a few strategies to implement going forward to drive more referral traffic to your website.
Local Directories
After Google Places started to create a buzz, many business started to make use of their popularity in the SERP’s. It was a platform that Google created for locals to find businesses close by. When setting up a business account in Google Places, you can list your company information, description, and even your URL so people can directly visit your website for more information. Google understands how the user search experience is changing and becoming more “targetedâ€, so local directories are beginning to play a more important role. Google from the start ranks them high within the SERP’s, which is perfect for you.
When you do a quick search within Google for “find local businessesâ€, you’ll notice some of the top ones appear high in the results. Here are a few you should consider: Yelp.com, Google Places, Yellowpages.com, and 411.ca. During setup, fill in a complete profile and include your URL so people can visit your website.
Social Media
One of the best sources of referral traffic and the growth of these networks each year is amazing. Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ have millions of users who not only share content, but also go searching for relevant content on these networks. The use of #hashtags, which is the social media version of a “keyword†search, has made it very easy to find relevant content. You can add images, videos, and a link back to your website, which can lead to a growth in referral traffic.
If you own a blog or website, it’s important to have a social media presence by setting up your own account to share content. Make it easy for visitors to share your content by adding social media buttons above and below your content. Depending on the type of value your content provides, it can go viral quickly, sending hundreds of visitors to your website in a few hours.
Video Marketing
Video marketing has been around for years and is not new, however, has been growing in popular so it’s time you take advantage of the growing trend. YouTube.com makes it very easy to upload videos and even provides visitors a way to filter through the junk, finding high quality tutorials. I personally know bloggers who post high quality videos regularly and generate thousands of visitors through YouTube.com each month. It’s time you start finding ways to utilize video marketing to promote products, content, and services. Through a video, you can gain maximum exposure.
Here are a few things to keep in mind when uploading videos:
- YouTube.com  is popular so always upload there for maximum exposure. Google Hangouts ranks really well and are a quick and easy way to produce some videos.
- Add a title and description that outlines the content of your video. Make both unique and different from your competitors. Don’t forget to add a link in the description that can generate lots of referral traffic.
- Don’t forget to add “targeted†keywords in the title and description
- Add the video to as many of your local listings as possible. This will drive up the number of views and embeds, both of which are ranking factors on YouTube.
- Share your video across your social network and ask others in your niche to share your video, too. This will increase the chance of it going viral and generate traffic to your blog.
- Visit relevant videos on YouTube.com and leave a comment with a link to your video. For this to work, make sure your video is better than your competitors. This will cause others to leave a comment and share your video.
- It always helps to do some link building to the video. It will help build authority and give it a bump in the SERP’s.