Our view at Stack - ClickFunnels was founded by an online marketing legend Russell Brunson and it offers several benefits for online businesses and marketers:
- Time and Cost Savings: Efficiently create sales funnels without extensive development efforts.
- Maximized Conversions: Test offers, copy, and images to enhance conversions.
- Specific Landing Pages: Generate highly targeted landing pages.
- Predictable Pipeline: Create consistent, predictable sales paths.
- Increased Sales: On average, it boosts sales of lesser products by 15%
The post Top 3 Strategies To Effectively Market Your Website appeared first on ClickFunnels.
Today we are going to share our top three marketing strategies that you can use to drive traffic to your business website!
- Website Marketing Strategy #1: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
- What is Search Engine Optimization?
- Why You Need to Sort Out Your Technical SEO First
- The Four Types of Keywords
- How to Find Promising Keywords
- Target Keywords that You Can Realistically Rank For
- How to do Competitive Research
- How to Create SEO Content
- Don’t Fall Into the “Optimization for the Sake of Optimization” Trap!
- How to Build Backlinks to Your SEO Content
- Recommendation: Ahrefs’ Free “Blogging for Business” Course
- Website Marketing Strategy #2: Social Media Marketing
- What is Social Media Marketing?
- Which Social Media Platform Should You Choose?
- What Should You Post on Social Media?
- How to Increase Engagement on Social Media
- How to Stay Consistent Long Enough to Build a Social Media Following
- Website Marketing Strategy #3: YouTube Marketing
- What is YouTube Marketing?
- What Equipment Do You Need in Order to Start Shooting YouTube Videos?
- How to Build a YouTube Channel in 2024
- Don’t Worry Too Much About Production Quality: It’s the Content of Your Video that Matters!
- Recommendation: Vanessa Lau’s Video on Starting a YouTube Channel
- Want to Learn How to Drive TARGETED TRAFFIC to Your Website and Sales Funnels?
Website Marketing Strategy #1: Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
What is Search Engine Optimization?
Search engine optimization is a marketing strategy that revolves around optimizing websites and web pages for the purpose of attracting organic search traffic from Google.
Why You Need to Sort Out Your Technical SEO First
When people think about SEO, they typically think about keywords, content, and backlinks.
But before you start focusing on all of that you need to make sure that your technical SEO is on point. Why?
Because if your technical SEO is off, Google might penalize you by downranking your website.
Moreover, if your technical SEO is a complete mess, Google may not be able to crawl your website and index it so it won’t show up in the search results at all.
We recommend reading Backlinko’s “Technical SEO: The Definitive Guide”, checking your website for potential technical SEO issues, and then fixing those issues before you move on to creating content and building links.
And yes, all this technical stuff can be really boring, but it’s also really important if you are serious about SEO!
The Four Types of Keywords
There are four main types of keywords:
- Informational keywords that people use to find information about a particular topic
- Navigational keywords that people use to find a link to a particular website or web page
- Commercial keywords that people use to research potential purchases
- Transactional keywords that people use to find websites that sell something that they want to buy.
It’s probably safe to say that informational keywords are the most common type of keyword and transactional keywords are the least common one.
You can probably see that reflected in your own experience with using search engines: if you are like most people, you primarily use them to find information about topics that interest you.
Consequently, if you want to attract your dream customers to your website, targeting informational keywords that are relevant to them will give you the best shot at success.
Of course, other types of keywords have their place as well, but your SEO strategy should probably be primarily focused on ranking for the informational ones!
How to Find Promising Keywords
Not all keywords are made equal.
If you want to succeed with SEO, you need to pick the right ones. But how can you find them?
There are plenty of free keyword research tools but we recommend investing in Ahrefs.
It’s not cheap but it’s arguably the best SEO tool out there and is widely considered to be the industry standard by online marketers.
We recommend watching this video that can help you learn the basics of keyword research in just ten minutes:
Target Keywords that You Can Realistically Rank For
We want to emphasize the importance of targeting keywords that you can realistically rank for. Compete with websites that have a domain authority similar to yours.
You can use Ahref’s free Website Authority Checker to see the domain authority, the number of backlinks and the number of linking sites of any given website, including yours.
It’s best to start by targeting low-volume, low-competition keywords that the big players in your niche are ignoring.
If the websites that are currently ranking for those keywords have low domain authority, you might have a shot at outranking them.
If you patiently build your own domain authority, over time you’ll be able to target more and more competitive keywords!
How to do Competitive Research
Once you have chosen a target keyword, you want to read everything on the first page of search results. Why?
Because in order to get to the first page, you will need to push out one of those articles.
And if you want Google to give you someone else’s spot, your content needs to be better than theirs.
So ask yourself this: how can you make your content better than everything that is currently ranking for your target keyword?
How to Create SEO Content
First and foremost you need to make sure that your SEO content meets the search intent, whatever that search intent may be.
So ask yourself what people are looking for when they type your target keyword into Google and then make sure that your content provides that.
Next, as we explained in the previous section, your content needs to be better than everything that’s currently ranking on the first page for that keyword. But how can you achieve that?
Here are some ideas:
- You could make your content more comprehensive by covering the subject in more detail – Note that this isn’t the same thing as unnecessarily padding the word count!
- You could make your content more readable by breaking up the text with subheadings, sub-subheadings, bullet points, numbered lists, and images.
- You could make your content more data-driven by citing relevant statistics and research.
- You could make your content more unique by sharing your own experiences, relevant data and original images.
- You could make your content more engaging by letting your personality shine through in your writing.
Ideally, you want to do all of the above whenever possible. Really go the extra mile to create great content that exceeds all expectations.
Finally, you want to optimize your SEO content with a content optimization tool like Clearscope or Surfer.
Don’t Fall Into the “Optimization for the Sake of Optimization” Trap!
Suggestions provided by tools like Clearscope and Surfer are based on the content that’s currently ranking for that keyword.
The reasoning behind that goes like this: if the content that’s currently ranking has certain attributes, then creating content with the same attributes should help you rank as well.
That is all well and good until optimization starts getting in the way of meeting the search intent.
Runaway word counts are a good example of this phenomenon. One person writes a long article and ranks on the first page, other people see that and start writing long articles as well, then optimization tools pick up on that and start recommending this approach to their users.
Next thing you know, the first page of search results is full of rambling articles that take ages to get to the point. But that’s not what people who type that keyword into Google are looking for!
(Cooking articles that consist of a 2,000+ word autobiographical essay and a <500-word recipe are a meme at this point. Just tell us how to make chicken pasta!!).
Meanwhile, Google’s search algorithm is believed to be primarily optimizing for meeting the search intent, so it eventually catches on to this and starts downranking articles like that.
In short: people who optimize for anything other than meeting the search intent always lose in the long run.
That’s why you should use search intent as your North Star and ignore content optimization suggestions that might get in the way of meeting it!
How to Build Backlinks to Your SEO Content
It may be tempting to write a great article, publish it on your blog, and then just leave it at that.
But then you’ll almost certainly fail to rank on the first page of search results for your target keyword, regardless of how good your blog post is. Why?
Because publishing high-quality content is not enough anymore, you need to also build as many high-quality backlinks to that content as you can. So how can you do that?
Hire a Marketing Agency that Specializes in Link Building
Arguably, the most straightforward way to get backlinks is to simply hire a marketing agency that specializes in link building.
You just need to make sure that this agency uses whitehat link-building techniques that are approved by Google and that the links they provide are high-quality links from reputable websites.
Something to keep in mind here is that low-quality links from sketchy websites can get you in trouble with Google so you need to be really careful and do your due diligence!
Write Guest Posts for Other Websites
Adam Enfroy, who came to prominence in the SEO scene by making $1 million in less than two years with his blog, is one of the best link builders out there.
Initially, he got his blog off the ground with an aggressive guest posting campaign where he published 85 guest posts in just one year.
Here’s how he did it:
However, as he discusses in his article about guest posting, things have changed since then because Google rolled out several important search algorithm updates.
Predictably, these updates were designed to better meet search intent, which led to a lot of keyword salad content getting downranked.
Enfroy emphasizes the importance of a human-first approach to guest posting:
Besides making sure that your content is actually helpful, you also need to be careful when it comes to what websites you choose to guest post on.
Basically, if a website has a bad reputation in the eyes of Google, then guest posting on it and linking back to your site will damage your reputation by association.
Interestingly, it’s not just the obviously sketchy websites that you need to be wary of, it’s also seemingly legitimate websites that are gaming the system behind the scenes.
That’s why in his article Enfroy goes into detail on how to evaluate potential guest posting opportunities, how to choose the right ones for you, and what red flags to look out for so that you can protect your reputation.
In short, guest posting can still work well in 2024, but you need to be much more strategic about it because the old “spray and pray” approach is not only outdated but can seriously backfire!
We recommend reading Enfroy’s article about guest posting because it contains up-to-date information and is written by someone who has a proven track record of success with this link-building method:
“Guest Blogging: 7 Steps to Get More Traffic and Links in 2024”
Create “Link Bait” Content for Your Own Website
Finally, if you create content for your own website that other people want to link to, you might be able to build some links passively.
It’s probably safe to say that the vast majority of written content online is produced by freelance writers who are either publishing it under their own names or ghostwriting for someone else.
Typically, these freelance writers are expected to include real-world examples, recent statistics, and relevant images in their articles.
Of course, they are also expected to cite their sources, meaning, they need to link back to websites that originally published those real-world examples, statistics, and images.
Consequently, freelance writers are always searching for material that they can use in their work. If you can provide that material, they will give you backlinks.
That can mean:
- Sharing your experiences
- Publishing original research
- Creating helpful images
What’s important is that you produce something unique that freelance writers can then use to make their own content better!
Recommendation: Ahrefs’ Free “Blogging for Business” Course
If you are serious about search engine optimization, we recommend going through Ahref’s free “Blogging for Business” course that’s available on YouTube:
Website Marketing Strategy #2: Social Media Marketing
What is Social Media Marketing?
Social media marketing is a marketing strategy that revolves around building a social media following and then using it to promote your products and services.
Which Social Media Platform Should You Choose?
We recommend focusing on one social media platform, building a following there, and only then expanding to other platforms.
Here are some of the factors that you should take into consideration when choosing a platform:
Your Natural Talents
Social media platforms tend to be either text, image, or video-driven.
If you have a natural talent for one of these mediums, it might make sense to choose a platform that will allow you to capitalize on that.
Your Existing Skills
You can always learn the skills that you need in order to succeed on a particular social media platform.
That being said, it’s probably better to start with a platform that allows you to leverage the skills that you already have.
Your Resources
The three key resources that you should consider are:
- Time
- Energy
- Money
Also take stock of your talents, skills, experience, accomplishments, connections, and anything else that you might be able to leverage in order to build a social media following.
You want to choose a platform that will allow you to make the most out of what you have!
Your Products and Services
If you are selling digital products that are created using a particular medium, then it’s probably best to promote them using that same medium.
Say, if you run a paid email newsletter or sell ebooks, then Twitter might be the best place to promote them because it’s a text-driven platform.
Meanwhile, if you are selling online courses with video content, then YouTube might be a better option because it’s a video-driven platform.
There’s a huge overlap between the user bases of the major social media sites so these aren’t completely different pools of potential customers.
However, it’s probably safe to say that people tend to favor the platforms that are driven by their preferred medium.
That’s why text-based digital products are likely to be more appealing to Twitter users and video-based digital products are likely to be more appealing to YouTube users!
Your Target Audience
You can use Statista to look up the demographic breakdowns of various social media platforms and learn which platform is favored by your target audience.
That being said, you can probably reach your dream customers anywhere.
For example, Facebook has a reputation of being a place dominated by Boomers, but in reality, around 60% of Facebook’s user base in the United States is Gen Z and Millennials.
So it’s less about picking the platform with the highest percentage of users that meet your dream customer profile and more about picking a platform that allows you to play to your strengths and that you can stick with for the long haul!
What Should You Post on Social Media?
Okay, so now that you picked a social media platform, the next question is what should you post on it?
Here’s what we recommend including in your content strategy:
- Educational content that provides helpful information – That can mean sharing tips, blog articles, how-to videos, etc.
- Entertaining content that is relatable, interesting, or funny – That can mean telling stories from your own life, sharing links to interesting content from around the web, posting amusing memes, etc.
- Promotional content that showcases your products and services – That can mean sharing news about upcoming launches, letting your followers know about special offers, and posting social proof such as customer testimonials and case studies.
It’s probably best to primarily focus on educational content, regularly sprinkle in some entertaining content and directly promote your products and services once in a blue moon when you have some special offer.
Something to keep in mind here is that people who follow you on social media will probably eventually check out your products and services of their own volition. There’s no need to badger them with sales pitches!
How to Increase Engagement on Social Media
It’s widely believed that engagement is the primary metric that social media algorithms are optimizing for.
This means that the more engagement you can generate, the more likely your profile is to get boosted by the algorithm. So how can you do that?
We recommend ending each post with a question and encouraging your followers to let you know what they think in the comments.
Then, make sure to like and reply to every comment that you get, as that will encourage more discussion and incentivize your followers to continue commenting on your posts in the future.
One exception here is online trolls: if someone says something nasty in your comments, it’s best to completely ignore them.
Don’t feed the trolls by arguing with them. They are seeking attention so if you refuse to provide it they will eventually give up and go look for it elsewhere.
Also, we recommend blocking trolls immediately so that they won’t be able to comment on your posts anymore.
Remember that as a content creator, you have an obligation to your audience to make sure that conversations in the comment section remain civilized.
Polite disagreement and constructive criticism are fine but unhinged behavior shouldn’t be tolerated!
How to Stay Consistent Long Enough to Build a Social Media Following
The most common reason why entrepreneurs fail at social media marketing is a lack of consistency.
It’s easy to post regularly for a few weeks but what happens when life inevitably starts getting in the way?
Most people start posting less and less frequently until they stop altogether, abandon their profiles, and move on to something else.
That’s why it’s so important to create a content strategy that will enable you to stay consistent long enough to build a social media following.
Here’s what we recommend:
- Have a publishing schedule that you can keep up with indefinitely – You can start with just one post per day, seven days a week for a year.
- Set aside time every week for creating and scheduling social media content – This should be a regular time slot in your calendar.
- Set aside time every day for replying to comments – It’s probably best to do it at the end of your workday because it can be distracting.
Finally, make a commitment to stick with your content schedule no matter what for at least a year.
The longer the timeframe that you commit to, the higher the probability of success will be, provided that you actually keep that commitment.
In fact, if you can manage to consistently post high-quality content for a decade, you will almost certainly amass a substantial social media following. It’s really that simple!
Website Marketing Strategy #3: YouTube Marketing
What is YouTube Marketing?
YouTube marketing is a marketing strategy that revolves around building a YouTube channel and then using it to promote your products and services.
It’s a subcategory of social media marketing but we decided to discuss it separately because there’s so much to cover.
What Equipment Do You Need in Order to Start Shooting YouTube Videos?
It might seem counterintuitive but when it comes to video content, audio quality is more important than video quality.
That’s why the most important piece of equipment that you need in order to start shooting videos is a professional-grade microphone.
As for what you should use to film your videos, your smartphone camera is probably good enough to do the job.
You might also want to get a tripod for your smartphone, especially if you intend to film everything by yourself.
Finally, consider investing in some camera lights. Even a simple ring light can make your videos look much better.
We would caution against spending a ton of money on equipment and recommend starting with a minimum viable setup!
How to Build a YouTube Channel in 2024
It’s still possible to build a YouTube channel in 2024 but you need to be strategic about it.
You want to make sure that each video you make targets a popular keyword that your dream customers are searching for on YouTube.
Here’s a quick overview of the video production process:
- Keyword research – Start with a generic keyword related to your niche. Type it into YouTube’s search and look at the search suggestions that come up. Pick one of these search suggestions as your target keyword.
- Competitive research – Watch the top three videos that are currently ranking for your target keyword and read through the comments. Figure out how you can make your video better.
- Scripting the video – We recommend using the “Hook, Story, Offer” copywriting framework for this. Make sure that your video meets the search intent.
- Shooting the video – You can build a basic filming set at home and shoot the video with your smartphone.
- Editing the video – You can either edit the video yourself or outsource it to a freelance video editor.
- Creating the thumbnail – You can either create the thumbnail yourself or outsource it to a freelance graphic designer.
- Publishing the video – Make sure that the video title, the video description and the video tags are all optimized for your target keyword.
- Promoting the video – If you have a social media following on another platform you can use it to promote your YouTube videos.
You can learn the skills you need on Udemy. Wait for one of the company’s seasonal sales and buy an online course.
Alternatively, if you want to outsource various video production tasks to freelancers, you can find them on Upwork and Fiverr.
As for the publishing schedule, you want to figure out what publishing schedule will allow you to post new videos regularly while maintaining content quality.
Don’t Worry Too Much About Production Quality: It’s the Content of Your Video that Matters!
If you don’t have any previous video production experience, then your first few videos will probably look terrible. And that’s okay.
The truth is that as long as the video has genuinely helpful content and high-quality audio, the viewers will almost certainly be willing to overlook low production value.
In general, if you continue making videos, you’ll get better at it and your production quality will improve as a result. So don’t overthink it!
Recommendation: Vanessa Lau’s Video on Starting a YouTube Channel
If you want to learn more about what it takes to build a successful YouTube channel from scratch, we recommend watching this video by Vanessa Lau:
Want to Learn How to Drive TARGETED TRAFFIC to Your Website and Sales Funnels?
Our co-founder Russell Brunson used sales funnels to take ClickFunnels from zero to $100M+ in annual revenue in less than a decade.
Needless to say, he had to drive a TON of targeted traffic to those sales funnels in order to achieve that.
In his best-selling book “Traffic Secrets”, he shares proven marketing strategies that YOU can use to drive targeted traffic to YOUR website and sales funnels.
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…and so much more!
“Traffic Secrets” is available on Amazon where it has over 2,500 global ratings and a 4.7-star overall rating.
But you can also get it directly from us for free…
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