Online businesses and websites need a steady stream of traffic in order to build their brand, increase their customer base and expand their audience. While SEO (search engine optimization) techniques can be useful for achieving higher rankings on Google and other search engines, the constant changes in search algorithms means that businesses can no longer rely on high-ranking search engine listings for their website traffic. Savvy business owners have to find new ways to drive visitors to their site. Here are three quick ways to boost traffic to your website.

Social Media Competitions

Social media platforms have long been used to market businesses, as they are free to use and provide access to a global audience. However, social media users have grown wise to marketing techniques and will often ignore or block promotional messages. Therefore, business owners need to find compelling ways to grab the attention of their target audience. Competitions are always popular with social media users and are among the most widely shared, liked and retweeted messages, particularly if you are offering a valuable prize. Prizes can be anything from a free book to a brand new car. Running a competition can generate huge amounts of traffic for your website, so take the opportunity to grab each visitor’s email address for opt-in email marketing campaigns.

Email Marketing Offers

The power of email marketing is often overlooked by businesses, as many business owners focus on social media for their marketing campaigns. While social media allows you to reach a wider audience, email marketing can be much more effective, as the people on your list have already subscribed to your email communications and shown an interest in what you have to offer. This allows you to target a more specific audience and tailor special offers, discounts and vouchers that will appeal to your subscribers. Furthermore, if you use an email marketing service that allows you to analyze user data and responses, you can use this information to split your email list into smaller groups and narrow your focus.

Video Tutorials

YouTube hosts videos on almost every possible subject and is used by millions of people every day. Tutorials are among the most popular videos viewed and shared by YouTube users, with tutorials covering wide and diverse topics. Whatever type of business or website you are running, you should be able to come up with a few ideas for tutorials related to your business. For example, if you run a cosmetics company, you could offer tutorials on makeup application. Instructional videos and those providing do-it-yourself advice are always popular with users, so take some time to consider the kind of video content that might interest your intended audience.

Search engine traffic can no longer be relied on for most business owners, as the changing nature of search algorithms makes it difficult to achieve long-term success using traditional SEO techniques. To ensure a steady stream of website traffic, you need to come up with new ways to drive visitors to your site. Social media competitions, email marketing offers and video tutorials are three of the most effective ways to boost traffic to your website.