You’ve built a website—now what? Without promotion, even the best website sits invisible in a sea of billions of web pages. The good news is you don’t need a massive budget to get traffic. Whether you’re launching a new site or trying to boost an existing one, these 12 strategies will help you attract visitors and grow your online presence.
1. Search Engine Optimisation (SEO)
SEO is the foundation of organic website promotion. When done correctly, it brings free, targeted traffic from Google for months or years after your initial effort.
Focus on these three areas:
On-page SEO: Optimise individual pages by including target keywords in your title tags, meta descriptions, headings, and body content. Use descriptive URLs and add alt text to images. Make sure each page focuses on one primary topic.
Technical SEO: Ensure your site loads quickly, works on mobile devices, has no broken links, and uses HTTPS. Submit a sitemap to Google Search Console and fix any crawl errors.
Off-page SEO: Build high-quality backlinks from reputable websites in your industry. This signals to Google that your site is trustworthy and authoritative.
SEO takes time—expect 3-6 months before seeing significant results. But once rankings improve, you’ll get consistent traffic without ongoing ad spend.
2. Content Marketing
Creating valuable content attracts visitors and establishes your expertise. Content marketing includes blog posts, videos, podcasts, infographics, and downloadable guides.
How to do it effectively:
- Start a blog: Publish articles that answer questions your target audience is searching for. Use tools like Google’s “People also ask” to find topics.
- Create video content: Short explainer videos perform well on YouTube and can be embedded on your site. Keep them under 5 minutes and focused on solving one problem.
- Develop lead magnets: Offer free downloadable resources like checklists, templates, or ebooks in exchange for email addresses.
- Repurpose content: Turn a blog post into a video, then into social media snippets, then into a podcast episode. One piece of content can reach audiences across multiple channels.
Aim to publish content consistently—weekly if possible. Quality matters more than quantity, but consistency signals to both Google and your audience that your site is active and reliable.
3. Social Media Marketing
Social media drives traffic and builds brand awareness. But rather than trying to be everywhere, focus on platforms where your audience actually spends time.
Platform-specific strategies:
- LinkedIn: Best for B2B. Share industry insights, company updates, and thought leadership content. Engage in relevant groups.
- Instagram: Visual-first platform ideal for lifestyle, food, fashion, and creative businesses. Use Stories and Reels for engagement.
- Facebook: Good for community building through Groups. Live videos and event promotion work well here.
- X (Twitter): Great for real-time engagement, industry conversations, and driving traffic to blog content.
- TikTok: Short-form video with massive organic reach. Works for businesses willing to be creative and authentic.
- Pinterest: Often overlooked but drives significant traffic, especially for DIY, recipes, home décor, and visual content.
Always include calls-to-action directing followers to your website. Use link in bio tools for platforms that don’t allow links in posts.
4. Email Marketing
Email remains one of the highest-ROI marketing channels. Unlike social media, you own your email list—algorithm changes can’t take your audience away.
Building and using your list:
- Add signup forms: Place email signup forms in your header, footer, sidebar, and as exit-intent popups. Offer something valuable in exchange for subscribing.
- Segment your audience: Send different emails to different groups based on their interests, behaviour, or where they are in the buying journey.
- Provide value: Don’t just send promotions. Share useful tips, exclusive content, and personalised recommendations.
- Include website links: Every email should give subscribers a reason to visit your site—whether it’s to read a new blog post, check out a sale, or access a resource.
Tools like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, and Klaviyo make email marketing accessible for businesses of any size.
5. Guest Blogging
Writing articles for other websites in your industry puts you in front of new audiences and earns valuable backlinks.
How to get started:
- Identify websites in your niche that accept guest posts. Search “[your industry] + write for us” or “[your industry] + guest post”
- Study their existing content to understand their style and audience
- Pitch unique topic ideas that haven’t been covered on their site
- Write high-quality content that provides genuine value—don’t just write for the backlink
- Include a relevant link back to your website in your author bio or naturally within the content
Focus on quality over quantity. One article on a respected industry site is worth more than ten on low-quality blogs.
6. Pay-Per-Click (PPC) Advertising
When you need traffic quickly, paid advertising delivers immediate results. PPC lets you appear at the top of search results or in social media feeds right away.
Main PPC platforms:
- Google Ads: Appear when people search for keywords related to your business. Best for capturing high-intent traffic.
- Facebook/Instagram Ads: Excellent for brand awareness and reaching specific demographics, interests, or behaviours.
- LinkedIn Ads: Higher cost but effective for B2B targeting by job title, company, or industry.
- Microsoft Ads: Similar to Google Ads but often cheaper. Good for reaching an older demographic.
Tips for success:
- Start with a small daily budget (£10-20) and scale what works
- Target long-tail keywords with lower competition
- Create dedicated landing pages for your ads—don’t just send traffic to your homepage
- Test different ad copy and images to find what converts best
7. Online Communities and Forums
Participating in online communities where your target audience hangs out can drive highly targeted traffic. The key is providing value, not just dropping links.
Where to participate:
- Reddit: Find subreddits relevant to your industry. Answer questions helpfully and only share your site when it genuinely adds value.
- Quora: Answer questions related to your expertise. Include links to detailed resources on your site when relevant.
- Facebook Groups: Join groups where your target customers spend time. Be helpful first, promotional second.
- Industry forums: Many niches have dedicated forums where professionals discuss topics. Becoming a valued contributor builds trust.
- Discord and Slack communities: Many industries now have active Discord or Slack communities for networking.
Focus on building reputation over time. Community members can spot self-promotion from a mile away, but they’ll gladly visit the site of someone who genuinely helps.
8. Local SEO and Google Business Profile
If you serve customers in specific locations, local SEO helps you appear in “near me” searches and Google Maps results.
Essential local SEO steps:
- Claim your Google Business Profile: Add accurate business information, photos, services, and respond to reviews
- Get listed in directories: Submit your business to Yelp, Apple Maps, Bing Places, and industry-specific directories
- Ensure NAP consistency: Your Name, Address, and Phone number should be identical across all online listings
- Encourage reviews: Positive Google reviews improve rankings and build trust with potential customers
- Create location pages: If you serve multiple areas, create dedicated pages for each location with unique, relevant content
Local SEO can drive significant traffic for businesses with physical locations or service areas.
9. Partnerships and Collaborations
Partnering with complementary businesses or influencers exposes your website to established audiences.
Types of partnerships:
- Cross-promotions: Partner with non-competing businesses that serve similar audiences. Promote each other’s content or offers.
- Podcast interviews: Appear as a guest on podcasts in your industry. Most hosts allow guests to promote their websites.
- Webinars and live events: Co-host educational webinars with partners. Each partner promotes to their audience.
- Influencer collaborations: Work with micro-influencers (10k-100k followers) in your niche. They often have higher engagement than mega-influencers.
- Affiliate programmes: Create an affiliate programme where partners earn commission for sending customers your way.
Start by identifying businesses that share your target audience but don’t compete directly. Reach out with specific collaboration ideas that benefit both parties.
10. Press and Public Relations
Getting featured in media outlets—even small ones—can drive traffic and build credibility.
PR tactics that work:
- Help a Reporter Out (HARO): Sign up at helpareporter.com to respond to journalist queries. When quoted, you’ll often get a link to your site.
- Write press releases: Share newsworthy announcements—new products, milestones, research findings, or community initiatives.
- Build media relationships: Connect with journalists who cover your industry. Provide value before asking for coverage.
- Create newsworthy content: Original research, surveys, and industry reports attract media attention and backlinks.
- Respond to trending topics: Offer expert commentary on breaking industry news through reactive PR.
Even small local publications or niche industry blogs can send valuable traffic and improve your domain authority.
11. Optimise for Mobile and Speed
Promotion efforts are wasted if visitors leave because your site is slow or unusable on mobile. More than half of web traffic comes from mobile devices.
Key optimisations:
- Test mobile experience: Use Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test to check your site. Fix any usability issues.
- Improve page speed: Compress images, enable caching, minimise code, and use a content delivery network (CDN).
- Check Core Web Vitals: Google’s ranking factors include Largest Contentful Paint (loading), Interaction to Next Paint (interactivity), and Cumulative Layout Shift (visual stability).
- Simplify navigation: Make it easy for mobile users to find what they need with clear menus and search functionality.
- Optimise forms: Keep forms short on mobile. Use appropriate keyboard types and enable autofill.
A fast, mobile-friendly site improves both search rankings and visitor retention.
12. Track Results and Adjust
Promotion without measurement is guesswork. Set up tracking to understand what’s working and double down on successful tactics.
Essential tools:
- Google Analytics 4: Track visitors, traffic sources, user behaviour, and conversions. See which promotion channels drive the most valuable traffic.
- Google Search Console: Monitor search performance, identify ranking keywords, and find technical issues affecting visibility.
- UTM parameters: Add tracking codes to links you share so you know exactly which posts, emails, or ads drove traffic.
Key metrics to monitor:
- Traffic by source: Which channels bring the most visitors?
- Engagement rate: Are visitors actually interacting with your content?
- Conversion rate: What percentage of visitors take desired actions?
- Cost per acquisition: For paid channels, how much does each conversion cost?
Review your data monthly. Stop doing what doesn’t work and invest more in what does.
Which Strategy Should You Start With?
Don’t try to do everything at once. Choose based on your situation:
- No budget, have time: Focus on SEO, content marketing, and community participation
- Some budget, need quick results: Start with PPC advertising alongside organic efforts
- Local business: Prioritise Google Business Profile and local SEO
- B2B company: LinkedIn, guest blogging, and partnerships often work best
- E-commerce: Email marketing, social media advertising, and SEO should be priorities
Start with 2-3 strategies, execute them well, measure results, then expand. Consistent effort over time beats sporadic bursts of activity.
Need help creating a promotion strategy tailored to your business? Get in touch with our team for expert guidance.
Author
