Five Easy Ways to Use Content to Generate Traffic

Robust online traffic sets off a domino effect on your business. More site visitors mean more opportunities for conversion and, therefore, higher revenues. Greater traffic could also affect your SEO rankings, albeit indirectly: the more site visitors, the higher your authority in the eyes of Google, which in turn, could increase your chances of ranking.

As such, the quest for ever greater traffic never ends. So, apart from hiring SEO companies, many businesses take it upon themselves to find ways to increase online traffic.

Your competitors are probably tweaking their sites, right this very moment, to attract more customers. And so should you.

Here’s a fool-proof plan to increase online traffic. Focus on what your visitors came to your site for: the content. In this article, we’ll focus on five easy ways to use your content, new and old, to draw more costumers to your site.

Let’s start with what you can work with immediately: your existing content.

Working with Old Posts

Don’t look at content as something that ends with its publication on a digital platform. Your old posts still have the potential to bring traffic to your site; you just have to tweak them and give them a brand new shine.

Update Old Posts

The older the post, the less attention it receives. These pieces of content, however, can still bring visitors to your site, if you update them and maintain their relevance.

1. Choose Viable Content – Search your archives for content that can be still be repurposed, preferably content that could do with a little updating (e.g., easiest breakfast omelette recipes).

Trend-dependent or best-of-year lists (e.g., fashion staples of Fall 2017), however, would no longer be viable.

2. Update the Keywords – If you’ve implemented a change in SEO strategy, now is a good time to make use of fresh keywords. This integrates your old posts into your new SEO campaign.

For instance, if your SEO company uses “Denver mixed martial arts gear,” on your new website pages, place these keywords in your old content, as well.

3. Find the Content Gap – Determine which sections of the blog post can be expanded or improved. Here are a few questions to guide you:
   
   
   • Are there any old statistics or figures you should update?
   • What topics have been covered by competitors that aren’t included in this blog?
   • What new information are my readers currently looking for?

4. Beef Up Links and Meta Data – Remove broken links and, if possible, link the article to newer resources. Don’t forget to insert internal links, as well. Then, supply a fresh meta title and descriptions, especially if you have new keywords.

Promote, Promote, Promote

Now that you’ve updated old content, you need to inform search engines and potential site visitors that you’ve improved upon the original content.

1. Save on WordPress – Simply save an update on WordPress, and Google will be notified of the new changes.
   
   
2. Post on Social Media – Post updates about your blog content on your social media profiles. This is an excellent way to reach out to your followers. Also, make it easy for readers to share your content; make sure there are social buttons on your blog.
   
   
3. Use Email Marketing – If you have an email marketing campaign, send an email about your refurbished content.

Creating New Content

New blog posts are a fresh opportunity to attract site visitors. You, however, need to write articles that pique reader’s interest and encourage them to explore your product pages. How do you go about this?

Write Topics with Search Potential

A well-written, keyword-rich article won’t generate buzz if it doesn’t answer the needs of your target market. You need to focus on topics that your readers care about.

The best place to start looking for promising topics is in your keyword pool. After all, these key phrases bring the right type of visitors to your doorstep.

1. Use Topic Generation Tools – Moz recommends tools that generate questions related to your keywords, such as Answer the Public and FAQ Fox. Use these as your starting points.
   
   
2. Choose Unique Questions – Creating content that explores common questions won’t do well for your traffic. Your readers have most likely read similar articles before. Moreover, it’s difficult to dethrone older, more authoritative articles and steal their traffic share. Your best bet is to explore topics that 1) people look for, but 2) have not yet been covered.
   
   
3. Find a Niche – Take your topic a step further and narrow down your question to specifics. Take “social media marketing” for example:
   
   
   • Social Media Marketing
     1. Facebook Marketing
     2. Twitter Marketing

• Instagram Marketing
  1. Product Photography
  2. Influencer Marketing
     1. Macro-influencers
     2. Micro-influencers
        1. Micro-Influencers Have Higher Engagement
        2. Micro-Influencers Are More Cost-Effective

• Micro-Influencers Are Seen As More Authentic
  
  

From this expansion, we have narrowed down from a general topic (“social media marketing”) to a more focused subject (“Why Micro-Influencers Are Seen as More Authentic”).

Publish Evergreen Content

For fast-paced industries (science and tech, digital marketing, etc.), it’s near impossible to explore evergreen topics as even best practices evolve over time.

Some lifestyle industries, however, can cover topics that remain fresh for months, even years (think timeless gym tips, interior design pieces, travel photography techniques). If it’s possible to create evergreen content, do so because:

• It Establishes Your Identity. Because evergreen content is an article that people would likely come back to, it shows readers the spirit of your brand. It reinforces your voice and identity, setting you apart from the other hundred-and-one brand voices online.
  
  
• It Needs Fewer Updates. If you embrace the update-old-posts strategy, then evergreen content will be an easy task. It needs fewer updates, and you can easily insert the subtopics that are popular and relevant.
  
  
• It Becomes Link Bait. A definitive, in-depth evergreen piece will be a lightning rod for back links. People will look to your content as a resource and consequently, link back to you.

Diversify Your Content

Text articles are tried-and-tested content powerhouses, but it doesn’t hurt to branch out to other types of content. Visitors can get tired of the same content format, even if your articles explore novel topics.

So, diversify your content by producing the following:

• Infographics – It’s visually pleasing, information-rich, and easy to share. For example: Fast Facts on Fast Fashion, Calorie Counter for Keto, etc.
  
  
• Video – One of the most powerful, non-text content platforms, video is perfect for content that requires a demonstration. For example: Yoga Poses for Work, Bake the Best Brioche, etc.
  
  
• Checklists – It’s concise, straightforward, and helps people make smarter decisions. For example: Winter HVAC checklist, A Guide on Child-Proofing Your Shed, etc.

Your content presents a golden opportunity to attract new users. But to sustain and improve traffic, you have to look back on promising old posts, be clever about publishing new articles, and keep producing stellar content as you move forward with your digital campaign.