6 SEO Tips to Grow Your Site Traffic

If you’re struggling to increase site traffic with search engine optimization (SEO), you’re not alone. Many site owners want more traffic but don’t know where to start. 

But SEO doesn't have to be a guessing game. In this two-part guide, we'll walk you through proven strategies to diagnose your site's SEO performance and apply targeted changes to your site.

First, we'll show you how to assess your website's SEO strengths and weaknesses. Then, we'll share simple yet effective improvements you can make to attract more visitors.

This article will focus on a non-technical approach to SEO by answering this basic question: Would I spend time and money as a visitor on my website? 

Part 1: How to analyze your SEO like a pro

Start by giving your site a thorough SEO checkup. Think of it like a visit to the doctor: You need a diagnosis before you can find the right treatment.

By understanding what's working and not working, you'll know exactly where to focus your energy for maximum impact. Your first two steps will help you get a clear picture of your SEO health so you can start making strategic improvements.

Tip 1: Unearth SEO insights from your analytics

Some of the best optimization for your website will come from your analytics. You can tap into search tools like Google Analytics and Google Search Console for many of these insights. 

Your website builder may also offer analytics. For example, you can connect a Squarespace site to Google’s tools and Squarespace analytics can also help you understand and improve your site’s performance. 

Beyond checking your visitor count, assess the following.

• Top pageviews: Which pages and content is most engaging on your website? Review which pages people spend the most time on and ensure they’re easy to access, contain relevant information, and have clear calls to action.

• Exit rate: High rates may indicate issues with content relevance or user experience. Are your visitors finding what they’re searching for?

• Time on page: Low times might suggest the content isn’t engaging. Could you benefit from brushing up on copywriting skills? Is the page confusing or lacking in information?

• Acquisition sources: Where is your traffic coming from? Is it aligned with your current marketing strategies?

• Button clicks & form submissions: Review which buttons people click and which forms on your website they fill out. They can reveal a lot about how people actually use your website (versus what you assume).

After you’ve assessed the items above and done the work to improve your website content, it’s time to go a bit deeper and review your user experience.

Tip 2: Check your site’s user-friendliness

A first step to any assessment will include a walkthrough of your website’s user experience. Make sure everything is simple and working as intended. Go through your website as if you were a potential user—or recruit a friend—and check that the following is clear.

• Purpose of the website: Every website should have one main goal. To help you define the purpose, answer this question: When a visitor lands on this site, what is the one action they should take? Everything throughout the website should support this primary call-to-action.

• メイン navigation: The main navigation should get someone closer to taking action on the primary call-to-action. If it isn’t intuitive, rework your layout and navigation. 

• Mobile experience: Great design is user-friendly. Use mobile preview to tweak your pages for a seamless look across all screens. Your site should be simple, intuitive, and easy to use on any device.

• Typography: The copy of your website should be easy to read so double check that the font is easy to skim. Focus on size, legibility, and contrast between the background and text color. 

• Written words: Your copy doesn’t need to be clever, it just needs to connect.. A great question to ask as you review your copy: If I was a user, what questions would I be asking and is it easy to find the answer?

• Broken links: Ensure all of your links are working throughout your website. A broken link could lead to people landing on your website and leaving because they end up on a dead page. This applies to every link on your website, from your main navigation to your call-to-actions to your footer.

See more features that impact your SEO

Part 2: Actionable SEO strategies to attract more visitors

Now that you've given your SEO a thorough checkup and taken action on those initial findings, you're ready to level up. The non-conventional SEO strategies below are easy to implement but often overlooked.

Tip 3: Leverage social platforms

When you optimize your business for search engines, don’t forget search engines built into social platforms.  

Social media platforms can extend your reach and increase engagement. With millions of users scrolling their feeds every day, each platform is a great way to reach new audiences. 

• Think like your customer. Personalize your social media presence by creating different messages targeted to specific groups. Use phrases people may search to find for your business like “Best therapist in San Diego” or “Custom Cakes in Manhattan”

• Include calls to action. Always include a clear call to action in your captions and posts. It’s your chance to encourage your followers to reach out or visit your site.. 

• Share your story. People love stories that humanize a brand. Share quick snippets from your work or life and encourage users to visit your website for more.

• Share visually appealing content: Where possible, include high-quality images, as well as short videos to attract and keep your followers’ attention. 

Optimizing your social media is less about always updating your profile. It’s more about ensuring it’s easy to find your business, what you offer, and clear ways to take action. 

Tip 4: Make engaging content

Engaging content for SEO usually revolves around blog posts; but, don’t just focus on blog posts. Focus on crafting content that your audience will actually find valuable and engaging and want to share. Here are a few tips.

• Use different formats. Optimizing your web pages is a good way to boost your SEO, but so is posting different content formats. Think about what your audience wants, whether that’s engaging blogs, instructive videos, or eye-catching infographics.

• Write for readers. Write content that your real, live readers will benefit from. Create content that’s high-quality, informative, and engaging—from their point of view. 

• Address user intent. Why did someone click on your page or blog post? What solution are they seeking? Your content needs to answer the questions your audience is asking. What’s written on your page or blog needs to reflect what the title promises. Always deliver on that promise.

Engaging content that’s relevant to your visitors’ needs will bring them to your site and keep them there longer.

Tip 5: Build your site reputation

If you visit someone else’s site and find a link back to your site, that’s called a backlink. The more backlinks to your site from reputable organizations, the better your reputation. Over time, your site’s SEO ranking can improve thanks to these backlinks because they signal the helpfulness of your content. 

How do you generate backlinks to your website? Try one of these DIY SEO tips.

• Guest posts: When you create guest content for a related site, the post should link back to your site. This is typically done alongside a short bio, but you may be able to link back to your site within the content itself.

• Interviews: Share your knowledge and insights via podcasts. This is a great way to reach a wider audience and get links back to your website. 

• Communities and forums: Engaging in online communities and forums is another way to create backlinks for your site. People are always looking for answers on forums. Address someone’s issue and link back to a place on your site that offers the solution they’re looking for.

• Shareable content: Whenever you post a guide, infographic, or other content your visitors can share, include backlinks within your shareable content. Create something that has value, attractive visuals, and a strong emotional trigger to encourage sharing.

Don’t wait for others to link back to your site. Be proactive and intentional about the process of building backlinks to improve your SEO and increase traffic. 

Tip 6: Create a lead magnet

People enjoy getting freebies, especially if it helps them solve a problem or learn something new. 

A lead magnet is a complimentary resource given in return for providing an email address. A few examples of these resources include templates, ebooks, case studies, reports, videos, guides, and checklists. 

• Offer value: Deliver valuable content you’ve compiled in a downloadable guide, checklist, or cheat sheet.

• Target a need: Address a specific challenge your audience members commonly face.

• Promote: Use social media and email marketing to promote your downloadable content and attract visitors. 

As you practice the SEO techniques you’re learning, you’ll start to gain more confidence in your ability to grow your site traffic.