"Driving It" Tips

Sure you can turn it all over to us but in case you’re trying some things on your own, here are some Bastion-approved top “Drive It” tips:

1) It starts with the target
Know who you are trying to attract to your site.  Deciding on word and phrase selection for keywords, tags, content, etc., are all difficult tasks.  However, once you get specific to your audience, everything falls into place.

2) Know your limitations
Limitations come in many forms; your expertise, your budget, your available time, the amount of content on your site, your online competition, and more.  Be realistic about what you want to accomplish and the resources you have at your disposal.  It’s better to rank highly in a few terms than to rank in the middle on a bunch of terms. It’s better to put out a quarterly email than an irregular one.

3) Competitors can pave the way
Looking for the best search phrases? looking for hidden gold in unusual search phrases? At least a few of your competitors likely have been down the path before you.  Check out their Title tags and content headings to get some ideas.

4) Competitors can miss a lot
Just as competitor sites and ad campaigns can give you insight, they can lead you astray. Verify competitor gained knowledge with other services and your own experiences.

5) You are not your prospect
You’re likely very knowledgeable about your industry.  Your prospect likely isn’t. Prospects will use different search words and will respond to different approaches than you would.  If you design your traffic driving strategy around your personal behavior, be prepared to buy a lot of your own products and services – you’ll likely be one of the few people visiting your site.

6) Be aware of new technologies
New technologies change behavior.  For example, many people are reading most of their email on their cell phones.  They’re less likely to choose to download images. Mix up your email formats.

7) Beware of new technologies
It’s often a trap to disregard the old in favor of the new.  Typically a new and exciting technology (e.g. latest mobile device), gets a lot of attention simply because it’s new – not because it’s more popular than the tried and true.

8) Diversify
All traffic driving methods are subject to fluctuation.  Don’t rely on just one. Your ranking position in organic search can change at the drop of a hat (and likely in your busiest season).  Your Pay Per Click campaigns can be quickly disrupted with the entry of a few new competitors.  New anti-SPAM software can mistakenly take out your email campaigns for awhile.  These fluctuations are often temporary, but if you’re relying on only one – temporary could kill you.

9) Consistency beats creativity
We don’t know if the early bird gets the worm – but we know that the bird that gets up early every morning is well fed. Whatever your strategy and technique, do it consistently and over time. People will often not click to your site the first time you place an ad or email in front of them.

10) Your website can never have too many good friends.
This is really all about linking. When other websites link to yours you get a double benefit.  You pick up traffic directly from their site, and the Search Engines see it as a vote of confidence (with your search page ranking often improving as a result). So always be looking for linking opportunities.