Okay, so you’ve launched your new, beautiful site and announced it to the world on Instagram (because nothing is truly “official” until it’s on one of your squares, right?!) But once the confetti has finished falling, you might ask yourself, “now what?” Creating a website for your brand is a huge milestone! But the process of developing an outstanding online presence doesn’t stop there. Let’s dive into what you can do after the big website launch to keep the momentum you had on day one and GROW your audience!
How to Drive Traffic to Your Website Long After Launch
Your business is ever-changing and constantly growing, and your website should be evolving right along with it! A brand’s home on the internet should always be a top resource for clients (and potential clients) and provide value to your niche. It’s one thing to set that as a goal for your business, but how do you become a go-to resource? What things can you do after a website launch that will keep the visitors coming?
Keep Adding New, Fresh, and Shareable Content to Your Site
The best way to keep people returning to your site is to post new content consistently! When strategizing with my clients to develop their post-launch plan and set them up for success, I always recommend releasing at least two monthly blogs. Blogs help build brand familiarity and trust – especially when you post on a regular schedule! Even more than that, blogs keep a site’s content, SEO, and resources updated – it’s where you can offer of-the-moment information to readers and clients. Blogs are just the beginning – once you’ve started posting at least twice each month, you can promote your posts on social media and turn that content into amazing freebies for potential clients.
Write Blog Content that Will Connect with Readers
According to Hubspot, 55% of marketers say blog content creation is their number one inbound marketing priority! Blogging is an excellent way to consistently connect with potential clients, build trustworthiness in your niche, and keep your website content fresh. You might update your website branding, design, and copy every few years, but update your blog frequently (remember – at least twice a month!)
Deciding What to Write on Your Blog
Coming up with ideas for blog posts might sound like a difficult task, but if you think about it, you probably already have a lot of the information you need to create great content! A vital part of the branding process (which you might have done before launching your business or your website) is figuring out your ideal client, knowing these answers will give you the starting place for your blog ideas.
- What stage of business or life are they in?
- What are their struggles?
- What questions do they have before working with you?
Another way to get inspired for your blog is to consider the questions you get from clients often. Or, even if you haven’t gotten the question from a client yet, what information would you love for them to know when it comes to understanding the ins and outs of success in your niche? Now is a great time to do a little investigating and dig into SEO – what are the Google search terms that send people to your site? My two favorite sites to see what questions are being asked are Answer The Public and Quora! Using a combination of the questions you are being asked, and the questions that are being asked online all make an excellent starting point for an entire blog post!
Research SEO Keywords for Each Blog
Even if you’ve already thought of an amazing topic for a post, spending a little time on SEO pays off big time when it comes to making sure your post shows up in search results – and that WILL bring readers to your site! I always provide clients with a bank of SEO-ready words and terms to use with their site – and that’s a good place to start when it comes to using SEO in blog posts! I recently wrote a post on How to Name Photos for Your Site on WordPress, where I lay out the basics of choosing SEO keywords using Ubersuggest (my favorite!) You can head over there to get a refresher before finding keywords for your next blog post!
Writing & Publishing a Blog Draft
Once you’ve decided on a subject for your next blog and narrowed down keywords, it’s time to write and publish your blog! Stay focused on delivering your core message or answering your audience’s questions as you write. Creating a basic blog outline is a great way to get those creative juices flowing! Ashlyn Carter has a wonderful Youtube video about her blog content creation process that I’ve used before when creating my own posts. After your draft is ready, WordPress makes publishing blogs a breeze! Just log into your dashboard, go to “Posts” and select “Add New.” Once you’ve added your post and are ready to go, just press the “Publish” button! If you are more of a visual person like me, here is a quick screen recording of how to upload your post.
Share Your Blog on Social Media
This next step is crucial – after you’ve written a blog, your next step should be creating graphics and sharing it on your social media channels. Promoting your content on social media will help drive even more traffic to your site. The easiest way to do this is to post updates to your Instagram, LinkedIn, and Facebook profiles to let everyone know you’ve just published a new blog and provide a link where they can check it out. Take this strategy to the next level by repurposing your blog into social media posts and shareable graphics that hit some interesting hooks or critical points from your content that will encourage people to visit your site for the full details! One more tip: don’t skip out on posting to Pinterest – the right pin can send TONS of new visitors to your site!
Once you’ve crafted a social media post, use relevant hashtags in your caption to help people find your posts. And don’t be shy in the comments! When you interact with and reply to followers, your brand stands out as personable and human – and that brand recognition will pay off with readers! If someone asks a question you’ve already answered in a blog, that’s an excellent opportunity to share a link directly to your content. Then you get the double benefit of building relationships with followers AND getting more eyes on your website!
Make the Most of Freebies, Quizzes, and Opt-Ins
Another way to exercise your expertise and utilize valuable content is by adding “freebies” to your site. You already have the knowledge your clients want – a freebie makes that information into something that’s meaningful and helpful to your potential clients. You could even repurpose a blog post into a downloadable guide or template! Some common examples of free resources you could offer on your site are:
- Podcast episodes
- Templates
- Downloadable PDFs, like guides or checklists
- Quizzes to help them determine which of your services would be the perfect match. My two favorite platforms to creat a quiz are Typeform and interact – (here is an example of a quiz one of my past clients added to her site!)
Deciding Which Free Resources to Offer
Of course, just like with blog posts, you will get more traffic to your site if you know your client’s profile, can place yourself in their shoes, and think of something that would REALLY be of use to them! Analytics for your site can also help you narrow down what might be a good resource to develop – check out which search terms and questions land people on your site from Google, and I bet you might get a few ideas! Once you’ve decided what you’d like to make, programs like Canva make designing PDFs easy, even if you don’t already have design experience. You could also hire another small business owner to create downloadables for you!
Monthly Checklist to Drive Traffic to Your Website
After your website has launched, keep visitors coming to your site with a little bit of intention and strategy – I’m always cheering you on in your next phase of growth! As long as you provide value to your ideal client, you WILL see increased traffic to your site and connect with aligned clients & potential customers. We’ve covered a lot of ground today (whew!), so I want to leave you with a quick recap of my best strategies to keep you on the fast track to website growth!
- Add new, fresh, and shareable content to your blog twice monthly
- Promote your latest content on social media
- Offer valuable resources like freebies, quizzes, and opt-ins
Thanks so much for hanging out with me on the blog today! If you are ready for more ways to drive traffic to your site, head over to part two of this blog post here. If you are ready to partner together to build a strategic WordPress site that will bring users to your site long after launch, fill out my contact form!
