Traffic Jams – Wouldn’t We All Love Them! [INFOGRAPHIC]

There is a theory. That theory says that if you can simply load up content everywhere – on your blog and maybe 8 social media platforms – that you will increase your numbers. It’s the “law of averages” they say. Certainly, that is one “hack” that many have used. But that content had better be in image form – Google punishes you when you spread the same content in too many places, unless it is an image (e.g., infographic). You can also write a piece of content and then rewrite it 3-4 times, or hire someone else to do that. These two ideas are probably not the best ways to double your traffic - taking the easy way out rarely is. But there are ways to get huge traffic increases, and you won’t spend a cent in the process. You need time, determination, and some “smarts.” Here are 7 of them.

Share Your Content Multiple Times

This advice may seem counterintuitive to the previous statement about Google punishing for this, but if multiple publishing is done correctly, there will be no bad consequences, and you will get far more “bang” for your buck.

You’ve spend a lot of time creating a piece of content. It’s a shame to publish it, get very little traffic, and then just move on to creating the next piece. Instead, use the research that has been done and re-publish according to a schedule that has worked for many others. In general, these are the number of times you can and should re-post on social media. Here are just a couple of examples.

Twitter: This is one platform where multiple postings are beneficial. In fact, on the first day of publishing, you should publish at least two times on the first day, maybe two hours apart. The reasons for this is that while people may check their Twitter feeds often, it might not be close to the time yu publish. You should also re-publish the next day, the next week, and the next two months. You can use a different title/teaser each time you publish too. What may attract one follower to click through may not attract another. Your first post might just be the title of the article with a link; then you can ask a compelling questions (e.g., Want to double your website traffic in 7 easy steps?); the third time you can quote a statistic; next, post a compelling quote from your article; and finally, see if you can add some intrigue that will pique interest (Here’s how I doubled my site traffic n 7 easy steps). When these are accompanied by great images, you will get more click-throughs. This also allows you to measure which “teaser” works best with your audience.

Facebook: You have more leverage with Facebook. On the day of publication, you can post the title, a great image, and a link to the full article. But you also have more opportunity to provide longer “teasers” and more than one image. If the content was popular the first time, it will be again in a month, so publish again, with another great headline.

The Point is this: You have certain social media platforms you feel work for you. Set up a schedule for re-posting that seems to work for each platform. You may have to experiment a bit at first, so you will need to monitor traffic and feedback. You don’t want your target audience to see you as a spammer. They’ll never come back.

Headlines and Titles

There is no way that too much can be said about headlines. Think about how you respond to headlines yourself. You click through when they are intriguing, shocking, hilarious, or inspiring. You don’t when they are boring and dull. Never publish a piece of content without an engaging headline. There is just too much similar content out there. If you are not the creative type, there are dozens of free headline generator tools. Try a few of them to see which one or more come up with titles that bring you more traffic. You can also use these tools to generate the new teasers you want when you re-publish your content.

Run Contests, Polls, and Surveys

Advertise these on your social media platforms, and provide a link on your site to get to them or to get the results. Not only will people click through themselves, but if you put sharing buttons on both the post and on the item they click through to, you can increase traffic in large amounts. Just be certain that the contests have valuable prizes and that the surveys and polls will appeal to your demographic.

Get a Cause that Will “Pull on the Heartstrings” of Your Readers

Using photos to promote a cause, along with a compelling headline asking a viewer to participate can bring lots of traffic. Currently, the city of Flint, Michigan is dealing with a poisoned water system, and children have been affected. The city needs bottled water, and there is never enough. Suppose you promote a donation of a 6-pack of water for every purchase made and ask viewers to share this story and need with their friends. You can keep a long-term cause and stay with it (e.g. Toms Shoes or Headbands of Hope), of you can focus on more short-term crises that are in the news.

Develop Long-Tail Keywords

Searchers are using much longer keyword terms these days, and if you want to purchase them from Google, you will pay a pretty price. Instead of doing that, check out the ways to find these long-tail keywords on your own, at no cost.

Content Upgrades

Everything you write should be engaging and of high quality. But you don’t have to give it all away at once. Give upgrades within the article itself (cheat sheets, how-to videos, checklists, lists of relevant links, etc.). Post teasers to your article with the enticement of something extra to be found.

Multimedia, Multimedia, Multimedia

Nothing appeals more than images, infographics, photos, animation, and videos. And the more interactive you can make them the better. There are some phenomenal tools out there now, and you can create these easily and quickly. Embed them on your site and in your blog posts and drive people to them by posting a teaser on social media platforms.

Bonus infographic:

How to create content 10x better than competitors

Source: siegemedia.

So, here are 7 traffic-increasing tactics you can try. They have worked for many others, and you won’t spend a penny. Getting more traffic means getting more conversions, and if getting them hasn’t cost you anything, your ROI is “killer.”