Driving traffic to a website is a difficult and sometimes frustrating task that many people in ecommerce are familiar with. As a result, a lot of ecommerce sites are sinking in lost opportunities and lost conversions.
Simple mistakes such as wrong link building practices and poor digital marketing techniques are driving potential clients away to competitors. So, in this article, we will take you through 3 simple steps to help you draw traffic to your website and boost your sales while increasing your clientele base.
What is referral traffic?
When it comes to visitors finding your website, you don’t have to solely rely on search engines. While an SEO agency is a huge part of online marketing, other techniques can give you an extra boost.
Referral traffic refers to the views or visits that reach your website through other websites or other platforms (referral platforms). For example, when someone clicks a link on Facebook and is taken to another website, it is counted by tracking software as referral traffic. The term referral is used because the website hosting the link is known as the referrer.
Why is referral traffic so important?
Referral traffic comes with a lot of advantages which all bottle down to boosting revenue. It gives potential visitors the chance to visit your website even if they have not heard about it before. In other words, it gives your website extra visibility. Thus, you are able to reach a wider number of viewers or visitors with your content – these viewers could well be potential customers or clients.
But it does not end there.
Referral traffic also comes with huge SEO advantages. The links referring to your website – as long as they’re credible – will act as valuable ‘link juice’ which impacts organic rankings as a result. The more strength your business builds through this added traffic, the better your website will perform.
How to increase referral traffic in 3 simple steps
Read on to discover 3 simple steps that will help to improve your referral traffic.
Step one: off-site content (link building)
Every website owner is aware (or should be aware) that ethical link building can hugely impact a site’s authority and rankings. This involves creating shareable content that other websites would be happy to share alongside a link.
This is all fine and well, but it’s a time-consuming process. When you’re busy running an online business, how often do you truly consider publishing content for your own blog – let alone for the blogs of other related websites or ecommerce sites? This is where our link building services can help.
Check out our link building tips for more guidance!
Step two: social media marketing
A recent study conducted by the Bulldog team found that around half of all internet traffic goes to social media platforms. Almost every digital marketer can testify to the immense benefits that come from taking advantage of the several social media platforms that are currently available – Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube; you get the gist.
Publishing regular posts on social media and including links to your ecommerce site or blog is a simple yet effective way to increase referral traffic.
According to research performed by Social Media Examiner, almost 90% of marketers indicated that digital marketing through social media gave them more than double the exposure they originally had.
But that’s not all.
In the same report, respondents indicated that digital marketing increased their referral traffic by almost 80%. These are impressive figures, and they go to show just how valuable social media marketing is.
Perhaps the most effective way to utilise social media marketing for what it really is comes from paid social advertising. These ads allow you to focus on a more specific, valuable, audience.
Step three: get involved with the community
Getting involved with your community/industry is another great way to gain some referral traffic. If you’ve done something worth commending, then individuals/other websites are more likely to give you a mention.
Taking part in online forums, speaking at or sponsoring local events and giving back to the community are all great ways to get your brand name out there.
Always make sure that the purposes or focuses of such forums and events fall in line with your niche. Here are a few tips to guide you:
🌍 Only participate in an active forum: If an online forum has not had any posts for over a month, then don’t waste your time participating in it.
👻 Never register or participate as an individual: Your focus is to promote your brand or website. Thus, it is always important to register using your company or brand name, as doing this will give your visibility a boost.
🗣️ Look for speaker opportunities: There are many events which are actively seeking for guest speakers. If the event is in line with your niche, then why not give it a go? You’ll not only get the chance to promote your brand there and then, but you’ll also have the chance to gain some referral traffic from event highlights/summaries published online.
📈 Sponsor an event: If you have the budget, sponsoring an event that falls in the area of your expertise is a very effective way to bring in traffic to your site. Just make sure that your website will receive some credit in the form of online advertisement – with links included of course.
Final Notes
Increasing your referral traffic through link building is absolutely essential for ecommerce success. Get in touch with our experts today if you would like more information on digital marketing and all it can bring to your business.