Google is not the only pathway for people to find your website. With such an enormous emphasis on SEO (Search Engine Optimisation) these days, it can be easy to neglect other avenues.

As website owners, we can be guilty of focusing primarily on SEO to attract traffic to our sites. Google has become such an omnipotent force that when the term ‘SEO’ is used, it usually refers to optimising for Google. Yet, amazingly, other search engines do exist including Yahoo, Bing and even Alta Vista is still lurking somewhere in the bowels of the Internet.

But aside from search engine traffic, have you considered the plethora of other ways your visitors reach your website? Depending on the kind of business you run, they may be even more significant in driving traffic than any Google search result. In fact, some businesses don’t rely on search results at all because they are so niche that no one even knows the services they offer exist!

It’s time to pay a little attention to the other pathways to your website so that they work more efficiently for you. Here are 9 and I’d be very keen to hear of more so please leave your comments after this post.

Hyperlinked click-through opportunities

1. Social media – Any mention of your business on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube or other social media platforms can direct traffic to your website. In fact, creating those links is a wonderful way to generate traffic to your blog posts, special offers, latest announcements and so on. Get people talking about your business on social media, respond to their comments and aim to link back to your site or blog.
2. Signatures – Whenever you post a comment on a blog or a forum, you have the opportunity to include your web address (usually hyperlinked) in your digital signature. Even better if you can use anchor text that includes keywords used on your site. And don’t forget to use a digital signature in your emails. Find out how to have them appear by default in every email you send.
3. Reviews sites – You can join review websites and put your business up for consumer feedback, or you could even find your business spontaneously reviewed without your knowledge. Your web address will be hyperlinked for easy and instant access.
4. Other websites – When your business is mentioned on other websites, it will often include the hyperlink to yours.
5. Directories – Free or paid directory listings feature your hyperlinked web address to enable users to click straight through to your website.
6. Print marketing – Whether or not yours is a bricks-and-mortar business, your web address is often the most easily accessed location to find information, buy products or make appointments. Don’t make your potential customers search for your web address. They probably won’t. Make it as clear as day and easily legible. Your web address should be included in all your print materials such as business cards, letterhead, fridge magnets, loyalty cards, Christmas cards, print advertisements, packing cartons.
7. Visual branding - Wherever your brand is seen by existing and potential customers, your website address should be front and centre. Include it on car signage, store/building signage, loyalty cards, promotional giveaways and uniforms.
8. Verbal communication - How many times have you been asked over the phone for your website address? Hopefully you will have thought long and hard before registering your domain name so that it’s easy to spell and easy to verbalise. Imagine always having to explain the following: www.ez4u2csignage.com.au. You’d constantly have to say: “www dot ez as in the letters e and z; 4u as in the number four and the letter u; 2c as in the number two and the letter c; signage.com.au”. And you’ll probably have to repeat it several times before the other person gets it right.
9. Media mentions - If you’ve been fortunate (or clever/experienced) enough to gain some media attention, then interested people will either find out or seek out your web address from the article, broadcast or telecast.
10. Word of mouth - When people talk to others about your business, it gains exposure and your website gains visits.

Have I missed any pathways? What other ways do you know of that people are finding your website? Leave your comments below.

If you’d like to discuss ways that I can help you with your website content, whether you’re in Brisbane or anywhere in Australia, call me on 0404 879 100.

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