How to Increase Traffic to Your Website: 7 Proven Steps That Actually Work

So you’ve got a website, but it feels like you’re throwing a party and nobody’s showing up. Frustrating, right? Here’s the thing—getting more traffic isn’t about gaming some secret algorithm or spending a fortune on ads. It’s about doing the right things consistently.

Whether you’re running a local service business or an online shop, the steps are pretty much the same. In this guide, we’re gonna walk through exactly how to increase traffic to your site—no fluff, no BS, just actionable stuff you can start doing today.

By the end, you’ll have a clear roadmap to get more eyeballs on your business. Let’s dive in.

Step 1: Figure Out Who You’re Actually Trying to Reach

Here’s where most businesses mess up right out of the gate. They build a website and start creating content for… well, everyone. And when you’re talking to everyone, you’re really talking to no one.

Think about it like this: If you’re selling plumbing services, are you targeting homeowners dealing with a burst pipe at 2 AM, or property managers looking for a reliable contractor? Those are totally different people with different problems, and they search for solutions in completely different ways.

Start by getting crystal clear on who your ideal customer actually is. What keeps them up at night? What problems are they actively trying to solve? When they pull out their phone to search for help, what exact words are they typing into Google?

You don’t need fancy market research for this. Talk to your existing customers. Read the reviews on your competitors’ sites. Hang out in Facebook groups where your audience lives. The patterns will jump out at you pretty quickly.

Once you’ve got a handle on who you’re targeting, create a simple customer profile. Nothing complicated—just document their main pain points, their typical budget range, and the language they actually use when describing their problems. This becomes your north star for everything else you do.

Tools like Google’s Keyword Planner or even just Google’s autocomplete suggestions can show you exactly what questions your audience is asking. Type in your main service or product, and watch what Google suggests. Those suggestions are based on real searches from real people—it’s like having a direct line into your customers’ heads.

The businesses that nail this step save themselves months of wasted effort. When you know exactly who you’re talking to, every piece of content you create hits harder, ranks faster, and converts better.

Step 2: Do Keyword Research That Makes Sense

Alright, now that you know who you’re targeting, let’s figure out what they’re actually searching for. And no, it’s probably not what you think.

Most business owners make the mistake of targeting keywords they would use, not the ones their customers actually type into Google. A lawyer might want to rank for “litigation services,” but their customers are searching for “how to sue my landlord.” See the disconnect?

Start with seed keywords—the basic terms that describe what you do. Then expand from there using tools like Google Keyword Planner, Ubersuggest, or even just Google’s “People also ask” section. You’re looking for phrases that have decent search volume but aren’t dominated by massive competitors.

Here’s the sweet spot: long-tail keywords. These are longer, more specific phrases like “emergency plumber in Austin for burst pipes” instead of just “plumber.” Sure, they get fewer searches, but the people searching them are way more likely to actually need your service right now.

Long-tail keywords are your fast track to traffic because they’re easier to rank for and they bring in people who are ready to take action. Someone searching “plumber” might just be doing research. Someone searching “24 hour emergency plumber near me” has water flooding their kitchen and needs help immediately.

Organize your keywords by intent. Some searches are informational—people just want to learn something. Others are transactional—they’re ready to buy or book. Create different types of content for each. Blog posts for the researchers, service pages for the ready-to-buy crowd.

Don’t obsess over exact search volume numbers. If a keyword is relevant to your business and has any meaningful search volume, it’s worth targeting. The goal isn’t to rank for the highest-volume keywords—it’s to rank for the keywords that bring in customers who actually need what you offer.

Keep a simple spreadsheet with your target keywords, their search intent, and which page or post you’re planning to target them with. This keeps you organized and prevents you from accidentally competing with yourself by targeting the same keyword on multiple pages.

Step 3: Create Content That People Actually Want to Read

Okay, you know who you’re targeting and what they’re searching for. Now comes the fun part—creating content that actually gets traffic and converts visitors into customers.

First rule: Match your content to search intent. If someone’s searching “how to fix a leaky faucet,” they want a step-by-step guide, not a sales pitch for your plumbing services. Give them the helpful answer first, then mention you’re available if they’d rather have a pro handle it.

Google’s gotten really good at understanding what type of content should rank for different searches. Search your target keyword and look at what’s already ranking on page one. That’s Google telling you exactly what format works for that query.

Structure your content so it’s easy to scan. Most people don’t read every word—they skim looking for the specific answer they need. Use short paragraphs, clear headings, and get to the point quickly. Nobody’s got time for a 500-word introduction about the history of plumbing before you answer their question.

How often should you publish? Here’s the truth: One really helpful piece of content per week beats five mediocre posts every time. Quality wins. A single comprehensive guide that actually helps people will bring in more traffic than a dozen thin posts that barely scratch the surface.

For service businesses, certain content formats tend to perform especially well. How-to guides, comparison posts, and local area pages consistently drive traffic. If you’re a roofer in Dallas, a post comparing metal roofs vs. shingle roofs for Texas weather is gold. It answers a real question your customers have, targets relevant keywords, and positions you as the expert.

Don’t forget to update your existing content. Google loves fresh, current information. Go back to posts you published six months or a year ago, update any outdated info, add new sections, and republish. This can boost your rankings faster than creating brand new content from scratch.

And please, write like a human. Nobody wants to read content that sounds like it was written by a robot trying to stuff in keywords every other sentence. Be conversational, be helpful, be yourself. That’s what actually keeps people on your site and coming back for more.

Step 4: Nail Your On-Page SEO Basics

Alright, you’ve got great content. Now let’s make sure Google actually understands what it’s about and shows it to the right people. This is where on-page SEO comes in, and it’s way simpler than most people think.

Start with your title tags—that’s the blue clickable link that shows up in search results. Include your target keyword near the beginning, but make it compelling enough that people actually want to click. “How to Fix a Leaky Faucet in 5 Minutes (No Plumber Needed)” beats “Leaky Faucet Repair Guide” every time.

Your meta description is the snippet of text that appears under the title in search results. Google doesn’t use it for rankings, but it absolutely affects whether people click on your result or your competitor’s. Write it like an ad—what’s the benefit of reading your content? What will they learn or be able to do?

Header structure matters more than you’d think. Your H2s and H3s help Google understand how your content is organized and what topics you’re covering. Use them to break up your content logically, and include relevant keywords naturally where it makes sense.

Internal linking is one of the most underused SEO tactics out there. When you mention a topic you’ve covered in another post, link to it. This helps Google discover and understand your content, spreads authority around your site, and keeps visitors clicking through multiple pages instead of bouncing after one.

Images need love too. Every image should have a descriptive file name (not “IMG_1234.jpg”) and alt text that describes what’s in the image. This helps with accessibility and gives Google another signal about what your page is about. Plus, optimized images can bring in traffic from Google Image Search.

Keep your URLs clean and descriptive. “yoursite.com/how-to-fix-leaky-faucet” is way better than “yoursite.com/post?id=12345.” Simple, readable URLs help both users and search engines understand what the page is about at a glance.

Don’t overthink this stuff. Get the basics right, and you’re already ahead of most of your competition. The fancy advanced tactics can wait—nail these fundamentals first.

Step 5: Make Sure Your Site Doesn’t Drive People Away

You can have the best content in the world, but if your site takes forever to load or looks broken on mobile, people are bouncing before they even read a word. And Google notices.

Page speed is huge. When your site loads slowly, visitors get impatient and hit the back button. Google tracks this stuff, and sites that load faster tend to rank better. Use Google’s PageSpeed Insights tool to see how your site performs and what’s slowing it down.

Common speed killers: massive uncompressed images, too many plugins or scripts, cheap hosting that can’t handle traffic. The fixes are usually pretty straightforward—compress your images, clean up unnecessary code, and upgrade your hosting if needed. These improvements can make a noticeable difference in both traffic and conversions.

Mobile experience isn’t optional anymore. Over half of all web traffic comes from phones, and Google uses your mobile site to determine your rankings. If your site looks terrible or doesn’t work properly on a phone, you’re losing traffic and rankings.

Test your site on your own phone. Can you easily tap buttons? Is the text readable without zooming? Does everything load properly? If you’re struggling to use your own site on mobile, your visitors definitely are too. A well-designed mobile landing page can dramatically improve your conversion rates.

Simple user experience fixes can have a big impact. Make sure your navigation is clear and easy to use. Put your contact information where people can actually find it. Remove annoying popups that cover the entire screen two seconds after someone lands on your page.

Check for technical issues using Google Search Console. It’ll tell you if Google’s having trouble crawling your site, if pages aren’t mobile-friendly, or if there are other issues hurting your visibility. Fix the errors it flags—they’re literally telling you what’s holding your site back.

Core Web Vitals—loading performance, interactivity, and visual stability—are confirmed ranking factors now. Your site doesn’t need to be perfect, but it should provide a decent experience. If pages are shifting around while loading or buttons don’t respond quickly, that’s hurting both your user experience and your rankings.

Step 6: Build Backlinks Without Being Spammy

Let’s talk about backlinks—when other websites link to yours. They’re still one of the biggest ranking factors Google uses, basically serving as votes of confidence in your content. The more quality sites linking to you, the more Google trusts you.

But here’s the thing: Link building has to be done right. Buying links or participating in sketchy link schemes can get your site penalized, which tanks your traffic overnight. Stick to legitimate, white-hat tactics that actually help your business.

For local service businesses, start with the low-hanging fruit. Get listed in local directories and citation sites like Yelp, Yellow Pages, and industry-specific directories. Make sure your business name, address, and phone number are consistent across all of them. These citations help with local SEO and provide legitimate backlinks.

Your Google Business Profile is gold for local traffic. Optimize it completely—add photos, respond to reviews, post updates regularly. It won’t directly give you a backlink, but it massively boosts your visibility in local searches, which drives significant traffic. If you want to dominate local results, learning how to rank in Google Maps is essential for any service business.

Create content that naturally attracts links. Comprehensive guides, original research, or helpful resources that solve real problems tend to get shared and linked to organically. That ultimate guide to choosing the right roof for your climate? Other local sites and blogs might reference it.

Reach out to local business associations, chambers of commerce, or industry organizations you’re part of. Many have member directories with links back to member websites. These are legitimate, relevant links that can help your rankings.

Guest posting on relevant blogs in your industry can work, but only if you’re providing genuine value. Don’t just write fluff to get a link—create something their audience will actually find helpful. The link is a bonus; the real value is getting in front of a new audience.

What NOT to do: Don’t buy links from random websites. Don’t participate in link exchanges where you agree to link to each other just for SEO. Don’t spam blog comments with your link. These tactics can trigger penalties that are way harder to recover from than the slow grind of building legitimate links.

Step 7: Track What’s Working and Double Down

You can’t improve what you don’t measure. Setting up basic analytics is way easier than most people think, and it’s absolutely essential for growing your traffic consistently.

Google Analytics and Google Search Console are free and give you everything you need to track your progress. Analytics shows you how much traffic you’re getting, where it’s coming from, and what people do on your site. Search Console shows you which keywords you’re ranking for and how you’re performing in Google search results.

Don’t get lost in vanity metrics. Total page views are nice to see going up, but they don’t pay the bills. Focus on metrics that actually matter: organic search traffic, conversion rate, and which pages are bringing in customers who actually contact you or buy from you. Understanding how to track your AdWords ROI applies the same principles to paid campaigns.

Check which content is performing best. Look at your top traffic pages and figure out what they have in common. Are they all how-to guides? Local area pages? That tells you what type of content to create more of.

Here’s a pro tip: Look for content that’s ranking on page two or at the bottom of page one. These are quick win opportunities. A few improvements to these pages—updating content, adding more detail, building a couple links—can push them up into the top positions where they’ll drive significantly more traffic.

Set up a simple monthly review routine. Spend 30 minutes looking at your analytics. Which pages gained traffic? Which ones dropped? Are there any technical issues flagged in Search Console? What new keywords are you starting to rank for?

Track your keyword rankings for your most important terms. You don’t need fancy tools—just search for your target keywords once a month and note where you rank. Watching your positions gradually improve is motivating and helps you see what’s working.

Don’t freak out over short-term fluctuations. Rankings and traffic bounce around week to week. What matters is the trend over months. Are you generally moving in the right direction? That’s what counts.

Use what you learn to inform your strategy. If your how-to guides are crushing it but your service pages aren’t getting much traffic, maybe you need more content that answers specific questions and naturally leads people to those service pages through internal links.

Putting It All Together

Alright, let’s wrap this up. Increasing traffic to your website isn’t rocket science, but it does take consistent effort and a solid strategy. The good news? You now have a clear roadmap.

Quick checklist to recap: Know your audience inside and out. Target the right keywords that your actual customers are searching for. Create helpful content that matches search intent. Optimize your pages with solid on-page SEO. Fix technical issues that drive visitors away. Build quality backlinks through legitimate methods. Track your progress and double down on what works.

Start with steps 1-3 this week—that’s where most businesses see the fastest results. Get clear on your audience, do some basic keyword research, and create one really solid piece of content. Then build from there.

The businesses that win with traffic growth are the ones that show up consistently. One helpful piece of content per week, steady improvements to your site, and regular tracking of what’s working. That consistency compounds over time into serious traffic growth.

And hey, if you’d rather have someone handle this while you focus on running your business, that’s what we’re here for. Learn more about our services—no contracts, no hidden fees, just marketing that actually converts.

The best time to start was six months ago. The second best time is right now. Pick one step from this guide and take action today. Your future self (and your business) will thank you.