Whether you’re a budding online business owner or a seasoned one, there’s going to come a point in your career where you’re going to hit either a plateau or not be able to move the needle at all. It’s not necessarily anything to “call it quits” over but it’s definitely an issue that needs some investigating to remedy the issue and get your business back on track.
Driving traffic to your site is without a doubt one of the hardest and sometimes most daunting parts of running an online business, especially with all the competition out there. But the issue of traffic doesn’t just come out of nowhere… There’s usually a source or contributing factors that cause so many online businesses to not have the necessary online visibility to get the desired amount of traffic.
Typically, the lack of traffic to a site is due to three major reasons:
- Technical issues with the site itself
- Content utilisation
- The promoting of the site
So, how can you draw traffic? Well, there are different tools for outreaching customers, but before you can even begin to answer that question, you first need to get to the bottom of why your site isn’t gaining traffic in the first place. Once you’ve determined why your site isn’t getting the traffic you desire, then you can start implementing the different digital and content marketing tactics to drive traffic and increase conversions.
Take a look at some of the biggest reasons why your online business isn’t gaining the traffic you want.
Technical issues
Website loads too slow
Technology has spoiled us with the luxury of speed, meaning, we want what we want, when we want it… which is usually, immediately. The need for speed in every aspect of our daily lives has forced business owners to make sure their site is optimized for fast page loading speeds.
According to Dotcom-Tools, you want your website to load within two to five seconds; ideally, you want it to load in no longer than three seconds… anything longer than three seconds, visitors to your site will leave and increase your bounce rate.
Bad SEO
In short, SEO is the art of just how easy it is for users to find your site organically on basic search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo. In other words, does your business show up in the results when someone looks for products or services related to your industry? If not, it could be due to bad SEO.
SEO is something that’s not learned in a day and it’s very time-consuming; attempting it on your own could do quite a bit of damage to your business when you don’t know what you’re doing. Consult with a reputable SEO firm to help you gain better online visibility.
Hard to navigate
Navigation is something that also surrenders to speed. If a user visits your site and it’s too difficult to navigate, they’re not going to spend time trying to figure out how to use your site… they’re going to leave and go to a site that’s easier to navigate.
It’s all about the user’s experience on your site… think of it as a digital version of customer service. Your site should be available in mobile versions, all links should work and redirect to the appropriate landing pages, and overall, finding information should go without a hitch. Any misstep in ease and convenience could cost you tons of potential conversions.
Content issues
The content isn’t helpful or useful
Have you ever watched TV shows that made you feel like you lost a few brain cells after watching? Well, that’s how online content is that isn’t relevant or helpful to visitors. People consume content for many different reasons but it’s mainly to serve some type of purpose or meet a specific need.
Whether it’s to learn how to do something, be entertained, or to just be informed on certain information, they’re seeking information for some reason, and if the content you produce doesn’t give them what they need, they’re more than likely not to visit your site again.
Yes, there are other content issues like your content being outdated, it not being shareable, and your site simply not having enough content, all play a role in the possible content issues your site can face but the number one turn off with users is content that doesn’t serve a purpose or meet a need. When creating your content, make sure it’s meaningful and actually helps your readers.
Promotion issues
You’re spending too much time creating content and not promoting it
All too often, businesses get their priorities mixed up and put all their time and energy in the wrong areas of their business… This is very apparent when businesses spend too much time trying to create content and not enough time promoting it.
Not to get things confused, great content is a very important part of driving traffic to your site but your business will never grow if you spend all your time in creating content. Just take advice from top SEO and marketing solutions company Stellar SEO…
According to Stellar SEO, “About 80% of your time should be focused on promoting content and the other 20% on producing it. We have seen a lot of really good content that never gained traction simply because people didn’t know it existed.”
The 80 to 20 percentage on content promotion to creation is a good rule of thumb all businesses should go by. Promotion is one of the top driving factors that put businesses out of business. If you can get your priorities in order now and implement these tactics, the world will not only know your business exists but they’ll also see just how much they can benefit from your business as well.
You’re targeting the wrong audience
If you’re targeting the wrong audience, all your efforts are for nothing because they’re not benefiting the audience you’re aiming at. Finding the right target audience is something you need to figure out in the very beginning stages of starting your business. By targeting the wrong audience, you could be tanking your business before giving it a real chance at success.
Do a thorough assessment of the products and services you’re offering and really think about who will benefit from it the most. You can even look at competitors in your market to see who their target audience is to have a better idea of who yours might be.
Leave a Comment