50 free techniques to drive traffic to your website

Basically search engine optimization means to

• make search engines  index all the important pages of your website
• create quality and useful content, which will be closely linked to the theme of the website

In practice, there are many things that need to be taken into account in your SEO Website- architecture and site structure, content, and code optimization (single-page SEO), improved user interface, as well as tracking results.

I list here 50 techniques you can use to drive traffic to your website

 

1. Domain name. Carefully choose the domain name.

If you give a meaningful and interesting name to your domain, people will more likely want to see what interesting content it contains.

2. URL-addresses. Use static URL-address, not dynamic. Create concise, clear and short as possible URL. Try to include keywords in the URL instead of useless session ID and other parameters.

3. Navigation. Create a simple and intuitive site navigation. Use breadcrumb navigation to support the main site navigation.

4. The structure of the link URL. Use Categories to segregate your web content

5. Carefully choose the platform for an online store. Important to regularly update the platform, the presence of a large number of different plug-ins. Whether the selected platform uses other serious company? Does it have a community of users and developers?

6. Sitemaps HTML and XML. Sitemaps Create HTML and XML and use them in tools for developers of search engines. Submit your sitemaps to search engines regularly

7. Video Sitemap. If you have videos on the site, create a video card.

8. Session ID. Ensure that the session identifier does not appear in the URL, because it can lead to duplicate content.

9. Pagination. Note the number of pages and the most ordered in your online store products. Make sure that the most important / best selling / most popular items in the list are displayed first.

10. Robots.txt. Use the file robots.txt, to prohibit access exploratory scan sections of the site such as "add to cart", "fill the order", "add to favorites", etc. ...

11. Keywords. Examine keywords and find out which words and phrases are used to search for your products. Use Google AdWords and Google Trends to analyze trends in the use of the popularity of relevant key phrases your potential customers.

12. Tag title (title page). Develop a targeted, persuasive, descriptive page titles with original names. For example:

• "Buy a TV" - Home
• "Low prices for LCD TVs" - Home category
• "Buy LCD TV LG 42CS460" - product page

13 Meta description. Write original description meta tags for each page, regardless of its size. Each new page is added to the site should include the original title and meta description tag.

14. Contents. Add original, informative text on each page. Regularly create new content on your site.  It is a valuable resource for the promotion of information about your products and services.

As already mentioned, when a user enters a query, the search engines rank individual pages of a site, but not the entire site. Algorithms crawlers use text from your code and content to determine the content of the page. It also means that every page of your site should include keyword phrases that are relevant to the topic and in order to increase their chances to appear in search results for relevant queries.

Home page should contain text that describes the content of the site and / or company, to use the terminology that is relevant to the entire contents of the site. Category pages should contain text that describes the type of products that can be found in this category, and product pages - original, informative and unique product description.

15. Regularly update your site content. Ideas for new content: interesting video page with a detailed description of the product, instructions and tips for using the product ratings of the best products (for example: 10 safest cars in 2011, the 50 best-selling historical novels, 20 mandatory fashion accessories for summer 2012 ...).

16. Avoid creating unnecessary pages with very little content, because Google's algorithms assess the quality and the content as legitimate sites and online stores.

17. Description of production. Resist the urge to place a general description of the product from producers who have probably already been copied and posted on dozens of other sites. Write original content and description at least for the best-selling products. Original content is ranked in the search engines better. Check your original product description, using Internet tools. Write as much information as is possible, describe in detail the features of each product.

18. Start a blog. Set in the online store and blog regularly publish new articles. Benefits of creating a blog site for online sales are huge:

• allows you to build relationships with potential and existing customers, as well as other bloggers;
• can improve the internal structure of the links to your site if your article links to the products offered will meet;
• informative, professional and useful articles can increase your conversion rate and sales;
• highlights that demonstrate your experience, useful publications, educational and entertaining content.

19. Comments and customer reviews. Allow customers to leave comments on the product pages.

Comments and opinions of clients is useful for two reasons:

1. It is known that Google uses an algorithm users activity as a factor in ranking sites.
2. They increase the conversion of visitors into buyers, because site visitors on the one hand see the positive experience of other users who have already tried the product, but on the other hand, it increases your credibility as a seller, when you allow the public to make comments in relation to their products.

Customer Reviews for online shop is a great way to increase the content, as well as a mechanism to attract new potential customers.

19. Product images. Optimize images online store (file names and alternative title tags should contain keywords that best describe this product). You can increase the number of visitors coming to the site through an image search Google.

21. Site Search. Allow visitors to search your site. Place a search box on every page, in a prominent place, so that your visitors can easily find what they are looking for. This feature enhances the utility of the site. It is also one of the factors used in the Google search results ranking algorithm.

22. Sort and search products. Allow users to sort and search for products by name, brand (manufacturer), price (descending, ascending) characteristic.

23. Quality photos and video products. Represents the most popular products and new items from the online store with the help of video and quality photos.

24. Offer useful options on the product page:

• Add to list
• Notify me when to be on sale
• Print
• Compare Products.

25. Payment method. Offer your customers more payment options (cash on delivery, credit card, pay stubs, etc.)

26. Delivery. Provide different ways of delivery.

27. Contact Information. Add contact page and give customers the opportunity to communicate with you in a different way. Please enter a physical address and phone numbers, hours of sale. You can use the chat (eg, Skype) or add these services to your site.

28. Page About Us (About About the seller or store). Add the information about the founders and managers of business with their photos to show visitors - for online store are real people you can trust.

29. Add Disclaimer:

• Privacy Policy and guarantees;
• Terms of use of the product;
• Help;
• Instructions for ordering and purchase of goods;
• Insignia (certificates activities, prizes, awards and prizes for his contribution to the development of consumer goods USSR ...)

30. Mobile site. Creates a simplified mobile version of the online store.

31. Download speed. Use caching and Minimize the size of CSS / JS / image files to increase the speed of loading web site. Download speed affects the mood of its visitors and making them a decision on buying a product. Speed ​​of the site also affects the position in search engines.

32. Ensure that your website is well displayed in a variety of Internet browsers (Google Chrome, Firefox, Internet Explorer).

33. Add links from the main page for the most popular products, new products and special offers (stocks, etc.).

34. Internal text links. Include links from the text so that the link text contains relevant keywords (links to individual product categories, blog posts on products, ...)

35. Related Products and Accessories. Insert section with similar products on each product page. Use your keywords in the text of links pointing to a similar product. Use description of the product to create text links to related products and additional accessories.

This can increase sales because on every page of the proposed product will be additional items that visitors and clients may be interested in and then buy. For example, the client may be interested in a laptop bag when buying the laptop.

For example, on Amazon writes: Customers who bought this item also bought (Customers who bought this item also bought:)

36. From page "Frequently Asked Questions" or FAQ make links to the most important pages of the site.

37. Make links from the blog on the goods themselves. Ideas for articles in the blog: written and / or video product reviews, best-selling products for the month, commodity trends, product A vs. product B, etc. The blog ... may provide links to product pages.

38. Links competitors. Research and analysis links the competition is an integral part of any SEO campaign, first of all, to learn how and why they are ranked in the search for the keywords that you have chosen for their goods. Determine the quality and credibility of sites that link to your competitors and get links from the same sources.

39. Blogosphere. Contact bloggers covering topics that are relevant to your product (such as an online store for the sale of computer equipment can agree with bloggers who write about Internet technologies). Try to build contacts with selected bloggers and regularly keep track of what they write, which comments on the articles leave users, whether they are constructive and reasonable, determine their share articles on social networks. In general, communicate with bloggers to submit their e-mails or contact by phone. You can ask them to write an article about your product or leave a review on your blog.

40. Guest texts. Contact bloggers, magazines and online publications who are looking for quality content. Many of them are ready to publish at your quality article with a link to your site.

41. Ask your manufacturers, wholesalers, suppliers and distributors on their websites to link to your site.

42. Social networks. Use social networks to make a permanent presence (group in Contacts, Facebook fan page, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google Plus). Set in a prominent place the site the button "Share with Friends" to share content on social media.

43. Contests and gifts. Organize contests and promotions. People love free stuff and gambling, they are happy to share this information with your friends.

44. Avoid prohibited methods of site promotion or "black SEO." Google and other search engines scrutinize your links.

45. Use Google Tools for Webmasters. Receive service from Google information about your site in the search. Add them to XML site map. Get a notification from Google about problems on the website. Solve problems and improve your website's position in search engines.

46. ​​Use web analytics service, such as for example a free Google Analytics. Monitor traffic on the site - the behavior of visitors to the site and how they navigate through the online store.

47. Identify and track trends in visitor behavior on the pages of best-selling products.

48. Notice the conversion rates, and make appropriate changes to the site to increase sales. Follow multidimensional and A / B tests to improve customer service and increase sales.

49. Monitor that the Internet say about you and your products, for example, through the service, notifications from Google.

50. Constantly tracks your online store in search engines, as well as the level of achievement of the goals of online business.

Internet shopping is a "living" organism that is constantly changing and improving!

If you have all that is described in this article too new and you do not know where to start work on optimizing your store, or if you need a new, unique, quality content - leave your comments below!