Already got a website? Want to increase website traffic?

If you already have a website and just want some tips on how to improve your website performance and boost your website traffic then these tips are for you.

I am going to show you two sets of basic information which I hope you find useful for your business website. Starting with website SEO and how it works. Then how to improve your website and boost your web traffic....

How does Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) work
Search Engine Optimisation also known as SEO is based around the use of your websites "keywords" and your website link popularity. "Keywords" are the queries we use when we conduct a search, for example "print Northampton". The search engines then categorise websites based around their relevance to a particular keyword. The search engines analyse your keyword usage in the following elements of your website.

HTML title tag
Website Designers should use the TITLE element to identify the contents of a document. Since users often consult documents out of context, web designers should provide context-rich titles. Instead of a title such as "Welcome", which doesn't provide much contextual background, web designers should use a title like " Graphic Design Northampton".

H tags (h1 to h6) on your website
Promote your website on as many forums as you can. Forums will normally let you add a link to your website with a sentence of promotional text. This text should be enticing enough for users to click onto your website for a further look. Forums are also great for finding out things you need to know. Promote your website and talk about your business as much as you can. See if anyone needs your help and advice.

Web page content
Content is king to both search engine spiders and visitors. Content needs time and thought and should never be rushed. It should be informative, not be too short or long, show benefits and have a call to action.

Image alt text
Alt tags let visitors know an image is being formatted before it is displayed on a web page. For example an image with an alt tag "pic1.jpg", would be meaningless for our visually impaired visitors, those who have images turned off in their browser preferences and search engines. The alt tag should be a short description that explains what the image.

Internal links within your website
There are many ways you can use to improve your internal linking structure. Three main ones are:

1. Text link navigation - Most websites include some form of navigation on the left hand side. This makes it one of the first things read by a search engine spider
2. Footers - Keep your footers clean, use the anchor text well, and link to the key internal pages of your website and you will have a well optimized footer.
3. External links to your website - External HTML links are those HTML links that go to another Web site. Having external HTML links on you Web site is very important because if you have a good set of HTML links that your visitors are interested in it will keep them coming back to your Web site to access those HTML links. Do not link to competitors. It is also worth remembering that search engines will, not read websites that are built in Flash alone. A website needs to contain the right amount of relevant text to make it work.

Improve your website's performance and boost your website traffic
On the internet, content is King. The more focused your website's content, the better it will perform in search engines like Google. I am briefly going to talk about what you can do to give your content a boost and improve your website performance. If you have a web designer who maintains your website on your behalf ask them to make the changes for you. If you're in the process of setting up a new business and choosing a domain name then keep it short and keep it simple. It should contain a word to represent what you do i.e. CRE8 Website Design.
It is also a good idea to register several similar domain names, particularly if you own a trademark for a certain name. If possible register the .co.uk and the .com at least. These are the most popular domain names and by registering them you can help to prevent cyber squatters and losing website traffic.

1) Use short, easy to read sentences:
People scan rather than read websites. Aim for 10 words or less per sentence

2) Make sure your spelling and grammar is perfect:
Use a spellchecker

3) Use lists:
They help people understand your message quickly

4) Use keywords that describe your business & location:
For example if you're graphic designers then use "graphic designer" and "Northampton" on every page. This will help boost your search engine results.

5) Use original content:
Articles offering free advice and are useful will be loved by search engines – try adding a news page to your website.

6) PDF's:
Don't feel the urge to load tons of information onto your website as this makes for hard reading. Instead give short snippets and a link to a PDF to get more information. Search engines love pdf's.

7) Add and rewrite frequently:
Add new pages, refresh and update others at least once a month to keep it fresh. Search engine robots will visit updated website more often than those who do not update.

8) Social Media:
Set your company up a Twitter, LinkedIn or some other social media site. Add content regularly with a link to you news page or article on your website.

9) Commenting on blogs:
You are looking for relevant blogs and forums that are likely to be potential prospects. By helping someone they will remember you.

10) Newsletters and E-mail marketing:
A good newsletter or e-mail marketing campaign can work really well in reminding your clients to use your services again or get new clients interested. Again a small snippet of information to entice them to your website.

1) Networking:
Just like you are doing now, getting to know people and passing around your business cards and flyers. Add and offer to get them onto your website to see more.

12) Postcards and E-mail marketing
It's really cheap to get postcards printed and mailed to your clients, people you have met networking and new prospect clients. So get a database going, send them a postcard all about your free report, and tell them they've got to go to the website to get it. Get a capture form on your website to collect data. You put together a free report or tips booklet that they receive when they sign up.