How to Boost Your Website Traffic Using Google Tools
This guest blog post was written by our friends at Found It Digital.
Whether you run a service-based business or an online store, your main goal is usually the same: to drive more people to your site. To increase your website traffic, the first step is to improve your search rankings using Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO.
With the use of SEO, you can maximize website traffic, and more importantly, website traffic that converts. This is because the traffic will be targeted for your specific business through the use of the right keywords -- so the people coming to your site are your ideal clients; individuals who are actively looking to purchase your products or services.
To put it simply, a higher search ranking = more targeted website traffic; which ultimately leads to an increase in potential customers and sales.
This all sounds great, we know... but where do you start? The good news is Google already has tools that you can utilize to start boosting your search rankings and optimize your site (and they’re free!). To give you some more insight, we’re going to break down three valuable Google Tools to get you started on your path to SEO success, increase your website traffic and track your progress along the way.
#1: Google Analytics
Before you do anything else, you should set up a Google Analytics account if you haven’t already.
Building a growth strategy for your online business is nothing without the ability to track your efforts. Having access to analytics is a crucial step in understanding how your site is performing and where it could be lacking in terms of traffic and conversions.
Google Analytics is a great resource to get key insights such as who your visitors are, how they got to your website, and your top Google search queries. You can also uncover more about your visitors’ demographics such as their gender, age, location and other websites they are visiting. This can arm you with more knowledge about who your digital customer is and how to better capture their attention on your site.
Wondering which metrics to track? Here is a list of the top analytics that matter for ecommerce businesses:
Total Users
Page Views
Pages Per Session
Bounce Rate
Top Acquisition Channels (paid media, social, email marketing, etc.)
Top Referrals
Top Exit & Landing Pages
Conversion Rate
With this data in your possession, you can then start to make changes to your website and marketing strategy to better target your visitors and increase your traffic.
#2: Google Keyword Planner
Keyword Planner is another free tool provided by Google. It was originally designed to help advertisers build ad campaigns, but it can be super helpful for ecommerce business owners to uncover the keywords that their target customers are using to search for brands or topics similar to theirs. This makes it the perfect tool for those who are searching for the right keywords to start optimizing their site for.
With Google Keyword Planner you can locate keywords that relate to your business and discover the following about them:
Average Search Volume: estimates on the number of searches a keyword gets each month
Cost: the price you would pay for each click if you were to use the keyword in a marketing campaign
Keep in mind that in order to access the Keyword Planner tool, you will need to set up a Google Ads account; however you don’t have to run any actual campaigns to start using the tool.
If you don’t want to create an ad account, an alternative resource for keyword research is Google Trends, a tool that highlights current trending searches.
#3: Google My Business
Google My Business (GMB) is a tool that is especially important for small or local businesses who have both an online and offline presence. With an optimized GMB profile, you can increase your credibility, build customer trust online and drive more traffic to your store’s online platform.
If your business is not listed on GMB yet -- now is the time! It’s a great way to get your business seen online and eliminate any doubt that your customers might have about your store, hours or offerings (which can be particularly important during these times).
It is also predicted that having an optimized GMB profile will be an important aspect in determining your overall search ranking in Google’s future algorithms.
Want to start building your Google My Business profile or find out how your current one stacks up? Download our free GMB Checklist and start placing yourself right in front of your audience with an optimized listing.
If you’re looking for some more guidance on your digital marketing journey -- we can help! Found it Digital specializes in helping local boutiques and small businesses get found on Google to increase their website traffic. By partnering with us we can turn your website into a thriving online business.
How can ranking on Google improve your business? Find out by heading to our site to schedule a free consultation call with us.
In the meantime follow us on Instagram for more resources and tips on all things digital marketing and ecommerce. You can also join our upcoming Facebook group, The Ecommversation, which will be launching in May -- request to join the group here!