The content you create is one of the most important aspects when starting a blog, new website, or online business. However, at the end of the day, promoting your content and driving traffic to your site is the most crucial element in converting your visitors into customers.

With over a billion active websites on the internet today, the competition is fierce and it is basically a numbers game. Which means the more traffic you have, the better your chances of surviving and thriving online.

To compete in this field you need to create better content, provide more value compared to your competition and finally make sure that your audience finds your content by having a clear marketing strategy. Focusing only on great content will get you nowhere.

However, spending a huge budget each month to get traffic flowing to a site is not something everyone can afford. Fortunately, people can increase exposure, increase backlinks, and increase traffic for free using a variety of methods.

However, most people have said that it is impossible to do so. Also, very few people have the correct answer to this impossible questionnaire.

Twelve different Internet entrepreneurs from the YEC community were asked questions about how to increase traffic without a budget and here are some of their tips.

1. Improve your social networking game.

In recent years, social media has played a pivotal role when it comes to branding and marketing. Also, if you have spent any time on the internet, you will notice that large companies have embraced it, small and medium-sized businesses have embraced it, and so have entrepreneurs.

It is essential that you take advantage of the audience reach that comes from social networks. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+ are some of the social media channels that you should really focus on. They provide a platform to engage and engage with your customers as well as share the latest content with them and increase traffic without a budget.

How to promote website content on social media.

Make sure your follow buttons are visible somewhere on your site. This will also make it easier for people to follow your business. This is a great way to stay in touch with your customers and learn about their behavior and needs.

Make sure to post frequently and be consistent when creating high-quality custom images. Also, ask your customers to share the content to increase reach. This can be improved by adding a share button. You can start a chain reaction by sharing your content online, and it can be used to start an organic campaign that could even go viral.

Follow the one-to-seven rule.

This rule has been enforced by various companies over time and remains true even though it sounds like a cliché. This rule states that one in seven posts must be a promotional post. The rest of the six posts should focus on content of value and aim to inform your audience about your niche.

Get the opinions of your customers.

It has been shown that most people like to talk about themselves, whether they like to admit it or not. You should try to keep the questions engaging and interesting. This will allow you to identify the needs and preferences of the market. This will help you target your content to provide solutions to these needs.

Say “No” to distributed status updates.

Using sync and scheduled publishing software can cause your audience to lose interest in your content as they believe it lacks authenticity. This is because your customers vary from platform to platform and you should not use generic content to attract all of them. Customers can, in the long run, move to a different platform and end up abandoning you when they discover that you are not genuine.

2. Respond to comments.

It is important to interact with customers and website readers, but most businesses ignore it. This is because the lack of interaction between customers and the business will cause customers to ignore blog posts and most social media updates. Responding to comments will cause more people to post to your blog and thus increase the position of your blog or websites as a trusted and authoritative source of valuable content.

3. Create a blog.

According to a HubSpot survey, 60% of businesses with blogs attract more customers compared to those without blogs. A blog allows your clients to see the human side of your business and connect with you on a human level. This will also help improve your search engine ranking due to the volume of indexed pages.

4. Learn SEO.

Learn search engine optimization to improve your site’s ranking in search engines. This is because most people use search engines to find the services they may need. This is why you need to take search engine optimization seriously.

The basics of SEO.

Always use keywords appropriately, but avoid placing them throughout your post. This is because when people search for something online, they usually type in the keywords. Tools like Google Keyword Planner or Long tail Pro can be used to help you use keywords appropriately. However, Google will mark your site as spam if you use too many keywords in your content.

Always update your content because sites with new content always rank higher compared to sites with older posts.

Get quality links by having your website url on other trusted sites. This will cause search engines to identify your site as an authoritative site. This will make your site grow and appear higher in search engine results. To get these links, you need to provide great content, as well as giveaways, and also request a link back from people who have used your product.

5. Have a quality website.

Today, you can get a professional looking website without spending a fortune, which was not possible in the past. Squarespace and WordPress provide amazing templates and themes that can be used to make your site compete with professionally designed custom websites.

An informative “about page” is essential to guide anyone who comes across your page. This will increase the chances of conversion.

Using testimonials can also increase trust among users who are new to your website. Make sure your site is easy to navigate, as users generally disconnect from a site that has a difficult interface.

Final thoughts

As you continue to look for ways to increase traffic without a budget, be sure to use the information above consistently, you can learn more as you go. The tips above can be used as a reference point when formulating your strategy. Remember to update your content constantly and you will soon be an expert.