Do you have a website for your small business that simply isn’t serving you?
Maybe you built it a few years back when you first started your business, and since then, it’s been crickets?
Radio silence on the other end.
No one ever says, “I found you from your website!” or “I saw you online.”
If your website isn’t getting clicks, traffic, or leads, your site is NOT living up to its fullest potential.
Your website is supposed to be this incredible digital asset that represents your business online and generates you qualified leads that turn into paying customers.
Whether you invested time building it yourself or invested a significant amount of money with a designer, your website was not meant to sit and collect dust.
But, there is good news here! There are REASONS why your website isn’t getting any traffic, and I’m here to tell you why.
Let’s get to it.
Problem 1: Your Site Is Not SEO Optimized
SEO, otherwise known as search engine optimization, is the process of optimizing digital assets like your website to maximize visibility online. SEO is how you can get your website to show up for keyword phrases on search engines like Google. So when someone types in your service or product, you show up at the top of search results and get clicks and traffic to your site.
Your website is one of the biggest factors that Google looks at when determining where to show you to its users. If your site is not SEO optimized, you are most likely not going to get found in organic search results.
Solution: Optimize Your Website for SEO
So, what’s the solution to this?
In order to optimize your site for SEO, you have to consider a variety of factors like keywords.
Keywords are the phrases that someone will type in Google to find your business, products, or services. Having keywords throughout your website will help Google learn who you are and what you do and start the process of getting your site organic traffic.
In order to find out what these keyword phrases are, you can use a tool like Ubbersuggest or Keywords Everywhere. Using these tools will help you find which phrases have search volume. Then you can place those strategically throughout your site. You can place these keywords in your headings, your copy, your images, your title tags, and meta descriptions, and so many more impactful places that will help Google categorize your site.
Mobile Optimization. Another SEO rank signal that will drive traffic to your site is mobile optimization.
You want to ensure that your website is responsive, fast, and looks good on mobile devices. If your site is not mobile optimized, Google is literally punishing you. Way back in 2015, Google updated their algorithm to prefer mobile-friendly websites compared to non-mobile optimized sites. This update was dubbed as mobilegeddon because it impacted so many websites. Google knows that the majority of people use their mobile devices more than computers and, therefore, consider mobile optimization a major rank signal. So, if your site does not function well on mobile, you are missing out and need to get that updated asap.
There are many other ways you can optimize your website for SEO, including
- Website Speed
- URLs
- Title Tags & Meta descriptions
- Image Optimization
- Schema Markup & Structured Data
- Optimized Sitemap
and more.
I would love to dive into all of these and what they mean, but we would be here all day.
That’s why I’ve got a comprehensive blog post on On-Page SEO linked for you in the show notes. You can dive into this resource to learn specific action items that you can do to optimize your site for SEO and get more organic traffic.
Problem 2: Your Site Doesn’t have Compelling Title Tags & Meta Descriptions
So, if you have been investing in SEO and are ranking for some keyword phrases, but you still aren’t getting any clicks or traffic to your site, then the problem could be that your search result isn’t compelling enough for people to click.
I’m going to explain what I mean. I think the best way to define what title tags and meta descriptions are is to have you see it for yourself. So, while you’re listening to this episode, take out your phone and do this with me.
Type in any keyword phrase like “Meal kit delivery,” for example, and take a look at your search results. The big headline you see for each website is your title tag, and the small sentence or two below is your meta description. Now using your own perception, which is the most compelling to you? What title intrigues you, and makes you want to learn more? Which one is written specifically for you and your needs? Which ones seem generic, basic, or not representative of the site itself?
Solution: Customize Your Title Tags & Meta Descriptions
You can customize title tags and meta descriptions on your site!
If you aren’t customizing these, then Google is doing it for you. They are either re-writing your results or taking from the default settings on your site. Either way, you want to be in control of how your website shows up to your audience. So get writing!
My best tips here are threefold:
- Make sure your title tag and meta description includes the keyword phrase your page is trying to rank for.
- Make sure that they are representing the actual content on the page (you want it to be specific to the content it’s linking to)
- Be compelling and persuasive. Think “click-bait,” or however else you can speak directly to your target customer and get them so interested that they can’t help but click.
Optimizing your title tags and meta descriptions can help you generate more traffic to your site in combination with an SEO campaign.
Problem 3: The Site Doesn’t Add Value
Take a long, hard look at your site. What value does it add for your customer? Is it outdated? Are you just talking about yourself the whole time and not how you solve your customer’s problems? Do you have anything helpful and educational like a blog? Do you have an interactive portfolio with pictures of your work, or videos that your customers can engage with? If your site is a bland billboard with no real value, then it won’t get any traffic and it won’t keep any user on it for long.
Solution: Turn Your Website Into An Asset For Your Customers
The solution here is to make your website an ASSET that your customers value and appreciate. Create and incorporate content on your site that ADDS VALUE, helps your customer, and solves their problem. You may need a refresh on your design and user experience. Maybe you need to start creating quality content that your customer can benefit from and share with their friends. If your website is really cool, odds are it’s going to get more traffic, whether that comes from organic searches–because good quality content helps your SEO–or whether it comes from people sharing and linking to your website. Regardless, think about how your site can add value to your customer.
Problem 4: You’re Not Promoting Your Website
What good is a beautiful website that no one sees? If your website is up to your standards and represents you well online, then it deserves visibility! If you want more traffic to your site, then you need to be putting the work in to get your site out in the world.
Solution: Incorporate Your Website In Your Marketing
Take a look at your marketing strategy and see how you are intentionally driving people to your website.
Are you posting on social media? Start incorporating links to your website in your calls-to-action! Share that new blog post you wrote, or share your portfolio page to highlight the work you’ve done. Are you out networking? Try adding a QR code to your business card that sends people to your site.
If you want more ideas like these, I’ve got a fantastic episode on 10 Ways to Generate Traffic to Your Website For FREE! I’ll link it in the show notes for you to tune in!
You can invest in paid advertising as well to promote your site and get more traffic. Using pay-per-click campaigns on a place like Google Ads is a fantastic way to generate web traffic and leads quickly.
The bottom line here is that even though things like SEO happen in the background, you should be actively promoting your website as part of your marketing strategy. Especially if your website adds value to your customer, you want to be incorporating your site in as much of your marketing material as possible.
Problem 5: You Don’t Have Any Backlinks
Backlinks are one of the pillar rank signals for every search engine optimization campaign. A backlink is a hyperlink that points to your site from another place on the internet. So, for example, if you are accredited with the Better Business Bureau, you have a unique profile with a link to your website. People who are looking on the BBB to find trustworthy professionals may come across your profile and click to your site.
Backlinks will not only support your SEO efforts and help you rank higher for your primary keyword phrases, but they can drive traffic from the people who are browsing the internet.
Solution: Acquire Backlinks from High-Traffic Websites
Think about high-traffic websites that your audience spends time on and acquire a link from that place. If you are a local service-area business, then getting featured in the local news could drive a generous amount of traffic to your site! Or, if your target audience is parents, you can sponsor a local little league team and get a backlink from their site. That way, parents browsing the next game schedule may see your logo and click to your site from there. You can also get nominated as the best in your profession from in places like Expertise.com or other industry-specific directories.
Backlinks are so beneficial in more ways than one. The key here is to remember quality over quantity. You don’t want a backlink from just anywhere—you want them from high authority, relevant sites that align with your business. As you start to build a solid backlink profile for your small business, you can expect an increase in traffic to your site.
Recap: 5 Reasons Your Website Isn’t Getting Any Traffic
So, there you have it. The five reasons why you aren’t getting traffic to your site:
- Your Site Is Not SEO Optimized
- Your Site Doesn’t have Compelling Title Tags & Meta Descriptions
- The Site Doesn’t Add Value
- You’re Not Promoting your Website
- You Don’t Have Any Backlinks
Bonus Tip: Install Google Analytics
My bonus tip here is to make sure you have Google Analytics installed on your website! Google Analytics is a free tool that you can use to track the traffic that comes into your site. You can see how many people visit your site, what pages they view, and where people have come from (whether that be an organic Google search or a click from social media). Also, you can set up and track conversions like when people fill out a contact form on your site or click a certain button. Data is power in the digital marketing world, and the more you are informed on how people engage with your digital assets, the more strategic you can be.
So I hope these action items can be a great first step towards re-vamping your website and getting your small business the visibility it deserves.
Until next time, keep succeeding small.
