Your company website isn’t a baseball field in the middle of Iowa circa 1989 and you are definitely not Kevin Costner (unless you really are, in which case, we’re HUGE fans). And if you’re wondering what the heck your website has to do with this awesome Field of Dreams reference – well – just because you built it, that doesn’t mean they’ll come.
 
There are many ways to drive traffic to your website. Some work. Some don’t. Some are free. And some will cost you a kidney. For surgical reasons, we are only going to discuss a few cost efficient ways to help get the traffic to your site growing like a corn field in the Midwest.
 
But remember…
 
Kevin Costner didn’t build his baseball field for ghosts overnight, so don’t expect your traffic to surge overnight either. Boosting traffic and making sure you are obtaining the right kind of traffic (ie: real customers) takes time and effort. Be patient and be prepared to “go the distance”.

#FieldOfDreamsQuotesWorkForEverything
 
Here are 3 ways to help drive more traffic to your website:
 


1. Write All About It
 
It has been said time and time again…but we’ll repeat it once more in case you've been sniffing glue for the past 15 years – Content is King.
 
Plain and simple.
 
Without content, no one would know anything about your company, your brand, your products, your services, or why the heck you have a website in the first place. Keeping your web content fresh and funky adds endless value to your business in the form of better search engine rankings, more traffic, and loyal customer engagement.
 
One of the easiest, most effective ways to produce fresh content is to incorporate a blog on your website. If you keep feeding your blog with high quality articles on a consistent basis, you will give both search engines and visitors reasons to keep coming back for more, thus, driving more traffic to your website.
 
The regular addition of videos, images, press releases, company news, and events are also great ways to keep your content growing strong.
 
Don’t worry Shoeless Joe, we’re not going to throw in another Field of Dreams corn reference here. We’re over it.
 


2. Sharing Means Caring
 
So what do you do with this newly generated content on your website?
 
You become the biggest gossip queen of them all and spill the beans like a can of Campbell's. Share your story to everyone and anyone on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Instagram, YouTube…the works.
 
Distributing your content on social media outlets allows for greater exposure of your brand to your existing fan base and to those who don’t know about you yet. Why? Because social media users pass around information like it’s the flu virus in February. They share, post, pin, and retweet everything they see and then some.
 
Here’s how it works…
 
Betty reads your article on the importance of using organic hairspray and shares your content on her wall. Betty’s friend Frank sees it and shares it with Greg, who happens to have a disastrous hairline. Greg sees it and shares it on his softball teams page. Amy at 2^nd base shares it with her company. Amy’s boss Derick shares it with his 2,000 followers on Instagram. Follower Jamie shares it with her cousin Sven in Sweden…yada yada yada, 6 hours later you’re shipping 4 cases of your organic hairspray to a salon in Stockholm.
 
So show everyone that you care and give them something to share…especially if it’s for their hair (it rhymed, we had to throw that in). Your web traffic will thank you for it. 
 


3. Get Listed
 
No. We’re not talking about putting your house on the market and going on an episode of House Hunters International. We’re talking about getting your company listed on directories.
 
Being listed on multiple online directories will help get your business found, as your information is displayed on a variety of sites. It is important to understand however, not all directories bear the same weight. Just because it’s a directory, that doesn’t mean you should automatically submit your company information. When your information is listed with reputable directories that are popular with the public, you are viewed as a trusted source. When your information is listed on every directory that exists, it can be seen as spam. There is definitely a fine line to walk when it comes to directories, and coincidentally, with eating Spam.
 
So what directories should you start with?
 
Definitely, Google, Bing Places, Yellow Pages, Yahoo Local Listing, Yelp, Mapquest, tripadvisor, Foursquare, Angie’s List, etc.
 
All of these are reputable sites that are trusted by search engines and by customers. Be sure to include your company name, phone number, physical address, website, email, hours, and potential feedback with your submission.
 
FYI: The line “If you build it, they will come” is listed at #5 on the “Top 10 Film Quotes We all Get Wrong” directory.
 
The real line “If you build it, he will come” is listed at #39 on the “100 Most Memorable Movie Quotes of All-Time” directory.
 
Conclusion: Field of Dreams is an outstanding movie and directories are useful.

Author: Scriptable Solutions, LLC