Here\u2019s how to simply and effectively\u00a0promote a small website and help your SEO efforts go further with a content strategy, social media marketing, link building, and PPC marketing.<\/p>\n
Content Strategy<\/h3>\n
The following process will help you craft a detailed content strategy and produce content that matters.<\/p>\n
Be Smart & Realistic<\/h3>\n
If your\u00a0site is small and drives no traffic<\/a>, you\u00a0must<\/em>\u00a0have plenty of content and a solid content plan. High-quality articles, infographics, videos, and e-books should become\u00a0a cornerstone of your growth strategy.<\/p>\n You can\u2019t be everything to everyone, though. Be realistic when you set your content goals.<\/p>\n If you want to drive traffic, you need\u00a0some content. If you can only post one single, high-quality article a week, then do so.<\/p>\n Your goal is to put something useful and powerful, something that can help people resolve their problems and soothe their pain points. Don\u2019t break your back trying to produce tons of low-quality content that nobody needs.<\/p>\n Analyzing what your competitors do (or don\u2019t do) can help identify sweet spots for your content in the same niche. Some\u00a0tools you can use to\u00a0gain\u00a0many content insights:<\/p>\n If you lack funds to purchase the subscriptions of the listed tools, consider using SimilarWeb and Ahrefs. You can use SimilarWeb for free pretty efficiently to sift out your competitors by traffic and distribution channels. Ahrefs will help when researching top content and content ideas. It is worth trying even if you are working with little to no resources and have to choose one tool to purchase.<\/p>\n Once you find the perfect role model for your site\u2019s content, don\u2019t just copy its strategy. Rather than\u00a0parroting what everyone else is doing, you want to find your own unique content approach. Eventually, this will make optimizing your small website much easier.<\/p>\n Getting the inside scoop on your competition is important. But if you want to scale your business, you should do everything you can to\u00a0know\u00a0your audience<\/a>. To do this, you have to answer two questions that may appear simple, but really are quite tricky to answer:<\/p>\n Answer these two questions and you will never have problems getting your point across to your prospects. You\u2019ll also never fall short of ideas when generating content.<\/p>\n Once you have a list of ideas on the table, you have to dedicate a chunk of your time and resources to content production. For many, the actual production of content can often be difficult and tedious, but this is a critical step to move your content strategy forward.<\/p>\n High-quality content depends on many factors and everyone has their own way of creating content. While there is no one-size-fits-all formula, here are some\u00a0basic things<\/a>\u00a0you should keep in mind:<\/p>\n With this simple framework in mind, you can come to grips with content generation. Practice makes perfect.<\/p>\n You\u2019ll inevitably face different challenges and might not see the results of your content strategy right away, but don\u2019t let this discourage you. Content pays off in the long run.<\/p>\n Once your site is optimized and your content is published, it\u2019s time to share it. While this step doesn\u2019t deal with SEO directly, sharing your content, and nurturing a loyal following on social media are keys to drive traffic, improve engagement, and increase conversions.<\/p>\n Simply sharing\u00a0your blog posts on\u00a0Facebook and Twitter isn\u2019t a terribly effective\u00a0strategy, especially if you own (or promote) a small company. So how do you build a solid base of brand advocates?<\/p>\n To nurture a following, you need to know who you want to target. Failure to do so can spell death for your online efforts. To nurture a following, you need to connect with your audience on an emotional level.<\/p>\n To\u00a0research your target audience<\/a>, access Google Analytics\u2019 Audience feature. Make sure you look through every tab but pay specific attention to the\u00a0Demographics<\/em>\u00a0and\u00a0Interests<\/em>\u00a0tabs.<\/p>\n This will give you a clear picture of who your prospects are then you can figure out how to appeal to them.<\/p>\n Trust and authority are absolutely key to your success. If people neither trust you nor view you as an authority in the industry, why would they visit your site or \u201clike\u201d your Facebook page?<\/p>\n Here are some ways to establish yourself as a credible site:<\/p>\n These are your pillars to building trust and authority. For additional methods to try, I recommend looking\u00a0here<\/a>.<\/p>\n Most digital marketers and small business owners fall into the trap of targeting the mainstream social channels like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, Pinterest, and Snapchat all at once. This is a huge mistake, especially if you lack the budget.<\/p>\n Start by\u00a0targeting one social network. Then replicate your strategy on other platforms\u00a0later.<\/p>\n Start with Facebook. Pretty much everybody\u00a0uses it. Share educational and entertaining\u00a0content (e.g., links to blog posts, GIFs, memes, videos).<\/p>\n Also, allocate a portion of your marketing budget to boost your Facebook posts. This way you not only increase post reach but also target your demographic more specifically.<\/p>\n After Facebook, Twitter is your\u00a0next logical step. Again, don\u2019t just share the same content on your Twitter feed. To get on the radar of your target demographic, post and retweet great content, follow influencers, and press as many red hearts as possible. You have to hustle\u00a0on Twitter to get noticed.<\/p>\n Tip:<\/strong>\u00a0If your brand includes plenty of visuals (like in fashion or beauty), it makes sense to target Instagram and Pinterest. But make sure you share high-quality\u00a0pictures. Posting subpar content won\u2019t\u00a0work here and can actually hurt\u00a0your marketing efforts and brand perception.<\/p>\n On top of major social networks, I strongly advise targeting\u00a0Quora<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Medium<\/a>\u00a0as well.<\/p>\n Quora can work miracles setting you up as an authority in the industry. Write useful answers to relevant questions and you will quickly build a solid base of followers. Then, start placing links that point to your content and a steady stream of prospects will visit\u00a0your site.<\/p>\n If your digital marketing and SEO strategies are mostly content-focused, establishing a separate Medium publication can boost your business authority. It can help you refine and reinforce your message while pushing out more natural, conversational content.<\/p>\n While your main focus may be on your brand following and on-page elements, don\u2019t forget to dedicate some of your precious time to off-page, too. For an established, large corporation, off-page optimization is typically already taken care of because:<\/p>\n But as a smaller company with a limited budget, you will have to give your backlinks a nudge and take time nurturing your off-page factors. Here are a few easy\u00a0ways to strengthen your backlinks:<\/p>\n All of this will slowly start building links to your site. Just remember that you\u2019re not aiming for quantity here \u2014 be picky because the most helpful links come from relevant and\u00a0trustworthy resources.<\/p>\n This one is optional, so I won\u2019t go into too much detail here. If you lack the budget or don\u2019t have previous experience running a cost-efficient pay-per-click campaign (or any campaigns whatsoever), you may want to wait on launching a PPC strategy. A poorly executed campaign can eat up your budget and return zero results.<\/p>\nAnalyze Your Competitors<\/h3>\n
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Figure Out What People Really Want<\/h3>\n
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Just Write It!<\/h3>\n
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Social Media Marketing<\/h3>\n
Analyze Your Target Audience<\/h3>\n
![\"Blog](\"https:\/\/link2city.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/blog2photo2.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBuild Trust and Authority<\/h3>\n
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Share on Select Social Networks<\/h3>\n
Select Smaller Social Media Platforms to Target<\/h3>\n
![\"Blog](\"https:\/\/link2city.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/08\/blog2photo3.jpg\")
<\/p>\nBuild Links\u00a0to Blog Posts &\u00a0Landing Pages<\/h3>\n
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PPC Campaign<\/h3>\n