How many times do you come back to a website which you’ve already visited? Not very often, don’t you? Try to estimate what percentage of your website’s visitors does return. Sound pessimistic? Imagine, that now you have an opportunity to change it!
Just for you, we have created a list of the most useful and working hints and tips which are going to stimulate repeat traffic on your website.
Determine the target audience
We know, that you’ve already heard about it thousands of times – but believe, it does matter. Try to think a while about people who come to your page.
- What age are they?
- Mostly men or women?
- Are they well educated?
- What else can you assume about them?
Now, according to these questions think about possible ways of advertising. Various things appeals to different people, but remember not to underestimate the ‘level’ of your visitors.
Make the page friendly for everyone. Take care about the colours, layout and all the details which comes to your mind. People can be easily driven away by something as trivial as an illegible font or too bright background.
If you’ve completed your average visitor’s profile, look for blogs and websites with similar content which could appeal to him and try to exchange banners with the owners of those sites. You can always try to put your banners everywhere, but if your website is specialist don’t expect thousands of people coming to it from pages on entirely different subject.
A good piece of advice is invaluable
Undoubtedly, one of the wonders of the Internet are discussion forums. And among all of them, the best are those, where replies are being written by an undisputed expert. The point is that crowds of people are looking for solutions of their problems in the Internet. Therefore if you can provide:
- a forum
- an advice column
- a tip of a day
- newsletter with some hints
or any of those, you will reap the benefits. Remember to keep it adequate for your target audience, not too long, and written in a good style. As long as the forum is concerned – make sure that it is well moderated, too.
When the possibility of sending a piece of advice which you particularly liked to your friend is available, you’ll benefit twice – your visitors are going to increase traffic on your website on their own.
If you dispel someone’s doubts, you can be sure that he will return to your page for more – hopefully not only once.
Awards, prizes, rewards. – can they want something more?
Imagine that everyone, who comes to your website, wants to take something for himself. It doesn’t matter whether it will be some information, advice, opinion – people need to fell that they got something, and if it is free – all the better!
Now, let’s assume that you can provide your visitors with a kind of competition. Almost all of them will want to try, it’s a natural and subconscious reaction. Now it’s up to you:
- who will be allowed to take part: everyone / those who bought something at your website / those who submitted for a newsletter / those who send info about the contest to e.g. five friends
- will it be connected with some questions about your products / will you ask people to make up a slogan or a logo for your company or a product / will you choose the best picture with your product / will you ask them to write an opinion of a product and reward the best one
- will the prize be: a discount / a free product / a certain amount of money / publishing a photo or opinion on your website / something else
- will you offer any sort of runner-up prizes
Imagine how many possibilities there are to make a contest which will keep people return to your website every day! And not necessarily has it to be expensive and unaffordable. What’s more – if you take their fancy, information about your contest will spread widely among people, attracting more and more.
Let the opinions make the rounds
Opinion pages are one of the most popular in the Internet. Surveys show that most of the people take into consideration opinions which are written on websites, although they do not know the personalities of authors.
Allow your visitors to add opinions of your products – to encourage them you can always give them small discounts or points, which can be later exchanged into something tempting. If your products can be rated by everyone, you become more trustworthy for new clients.
When you notice the need of exchanging ideas and opinion between people, set up a forum – larger space where they can talk about your company and unwittingly contribute to your profits. Help them with some questions – an opportunity to write directly to an owner or expert and get a reply is enticing. People will for sure come back to a place where they started a talk.
Be aware that everything has to be under control – just not to get people slander etc. Remember that even a small percentage of negative opinions will not deter people and everything will look realistic enough to believe. Do you also think it is worth the try?
Remind people about yourself!
It’s quite a common situation that you lost address of a website you’ve once visited and/or you forgot the name of the company. The more people submit to your newsletter, the better for you. If you do not provide a frequent e-mails, remember to send information about great discounts, special offers or new, valuable content on your website from time to time. Just in case someone wanted to visit you, but found it too difficult to browse for your page. Another one, reminded that your website still exists, will maybe come and find something for himself.
Anyway, there is no risk – you won’t lost anything!
We recommend: trust be constantly built, your brand be reinforced and therefore the repeat traffic be stimulated.