The very idea of having a website is to have as many persons as possible visit and view your content. So having sent your web address to all your family members, friends and co-workers, you realise that your traffic is still at a minimum. Unless you have a really huge family, friends who has friends who has friends who has friends that may share your website or co-workers who will run to every department and go an extra nine miles, you may not see the level of traffic you really want. What then is your next step? The answer to how to advertise a website online for FREE is easier than you may think. You may not even have to employ the help of your family, friends or co-workers. All you may need is time and to be pointed in the right direction. In this article, you will learn 6 easy ways how to advertise your website for FREE. Ready? Let’s go!
How to advertise your website online
1. Email marketing is still king
Email Marketing is a worthwhile option when exploring your options of how to advertise your website online for free. Having crafted the message that benefits your potential clients/visitors because no one likes spam, build a mailing list that has all the addresses of persons you intent to market your website to. The message should suit your recipients and should be so crafted that a certain level of interest will be invested in the content. You may decide to set a mailing schedule so you don’t bombard your visitors with messages and having done this you can disseminate your emails accordingly. Additionally, you may use an email marketing service that allows you to send large volumes of emails in a strategic fashion. Sharing an option to allow users to opt-in to be emailed also helps in building your mailing list.
2. Blogging - Write or connect with bloggers
The good thing about adding a blog to your website is that visitors will be treated to additional content that will encourage them to return. If you make your blog content current (about trendy topics), creative and relatable, the probability of your website being shared will increase. The addition of high-definition images and high-quality videos will bolster the overall presentation of your blog and website making it more marketable and entertaining.
3. Giveaways stir up excitement and build loyalty
Employing different promotional strategies is key to any marketing initiative. Getting visitors to your website may require you to develop a list of strategies and tactics that are completely free or inexpensive. With that said, there are merchandise you can giveaway for free. Giveaways allow you to gain attention and build loyalty and a strong relationship with your visitors. Offer products like ebooks or if you have an inventory of items already in your possession, consider offering up those items as giveaways on your website. The consistency of your giveaways will guarantee returning visitors to your website and also will coerce persons to share your site with others. Once you have gained your audience’s attention, it is important to sustain the traffic by sharing different types of giveaways periodically.
4. Get your site on search engine listings
Search engines such as Google, Yahoo or Bing are effective free tools that aid in advertising your website. Indexing your website on these sites will lead to an increase in traffic which is your ultimate goal. A major part of indexing your website so it shows up on these sites it to provide regular, unique and fresh content to your target audience. When persons type in key words in search engines, the results that are more likely to be shown are those that are most relevant. Using a search engine listing is not only free but easy to do. Manually, you can submit your website to be indexed for instance on Google by using this tool. Additionally, your website ranking can be optimised when you utilise SEO tools. The key is to align your content with the subjects your audience may search for within a search engine.
5. Engage with followers on Instagram
Social Media in and of itself has a plethora of benefits to your website and when used in the correct fashion you can yield great results. Instagram is by far one of the most popular of these social media sites with over 1 billion active users. If you have not yet signed up for a free account on Instagram, you should consider doing so. On your profile, include visually stimulating content that will make persons interested in what you have to share. Your stunning images should be accompanied by engaging captions and hashtags that match up with your goals and target audience. One key element to being successful on Instagram is making regular posts. Algorithms on the platform are friendlier to persons who post regularly which in turn improves your engagement with your audience and generates the right attention you need. It may help if you schedule your posts by day, time of day and per week. Some days can be more active than some and some times of day are more favourable than some. For instance your audience may be more logged on to Instagram in the evenings after work versus in the morning. Hence, make your posts in the evenings. All your content can and should be linked back to your website.
6. Use Facebook tools to make your site seen
Since its inception, Facebook not only connects people but it's also used to promote different products and services. Unlike Instagram, Facebook allows you more leverage to directly share your website’s URL with your audience. This means you get more direct traffic to your site. With that said, there are many ways to promote your website on the platform. It all depends on your taste and what you have time to do. Besides setting up a general profile with an inviting picture and space to post content, you can explore Facebook Pages. Pages allow you to generate fans of a desired audience to whom you can share specific content from your brand. Building your Page’s presence will depend on how engaging your posts are thus generating likes, shares and positive comments.Facebook groups allow you to meet your target audience in a group setting. Here you can utilise the option of having an open group or a closed one. Plus, you can join other established groups. With a still active and growing audience, Facebook is a viable option for promoting the content of your website. Paid promotion is a profound way to advertise your website however, this route can be an expensive venture. It will prove very beneficial to your website’s success if you utilise these 6 free ways of promotion. With some time invested in using their tools, you may not only save but generate a worthwhile income.
