Want to know all the latest tips and tricks to get more people visiting your website? Have we got news for you!

The news is … there is no news.

Sorry. No new silver bullet.

There are still just three solid methods for driving traffic, tried and true: pay-per-click, local SEO and content marketing. Here’s the rundown on each one.

1. Pay-Per-Click (PPC)

It’s far from new, but it still works … when done right. It’s easy to order up an ad using a program such as Google AdWords and see it active at or near the top of the appropriate keyword search the next day.

For example, even if your coffee shop website is brand new – Google doesn’t even know it’s there yet – your PPC listing will appear at the top of a search for “coffee shop in (location)” with your description.

Not bad, but you have to dedicate a large enough budget to get enough clicks to make it worthwhile. You also have to be strategic about keywords or build in the cost of hiring someone to do so for you.

• PPC Pro: Easy to implement and get to the top of Google searches.
• PPC Con: High cost at $500+ per month to be effective.

2. Local Search Engine Optimization (Local SEO)

While PPC focuses on the “searching end”, dropping your website in front of search engine users, local SEO focuses on the “finding end”, creating references to your site to increase its visibility.

Local search specialists enter your business and website information into a couple hundred online directories, one of the most important of which is Google My Business because it tells Google directly where you’re physically located.

This process is complex and time consuming, so you really need to hire an agency to manage your online presence for you. Expect to spend a few hundred bucks a month for at least six months.

• Local SEO Pro: Listing in 250+ directories so search engines favor you without a PPC ad buy.
• Local SEO Con: Still fairly high cost, at $300 setup and $300/mo. for at least 6-12 months.

3. Content Marketing (CM)

One of the most important factors in today’s SEO is how useful your site’s content appears to be based on visitor behavior. Content marketing (CM) is simply the practice of adding fresh new content to your site on a regular basis that is useful, meaning people want or need it.

Static websites are those with information that doesn’t change over time. Those just aren’t up to par anymore. Search engines and people expect dynamic sites that offer new experiences on every visit.

Advice, stories, news, jokes … new stuff counts as the “content” part of CM. Useful content shows up in search engine results for years (the long-term, residual effect). The “marketing” part is sharing that content via social media so people see and share it now (the short-term, immediate effect).

• CM Pro: Lowest cost (DIY or $200/mo. to start with Farmhouse), long-term reward.
• CM Con: It takes 3-6 months to see results … but those results continue to build over time.

Where Do You Want to Start?

That’s it, folks. Three methods to choose from: pay-per-click, local SEO, content marketing. If you have the budget, do all three. If you don’t, we think the choice of where to start is clear.

We try to keep it simple here at the Farmhouse. No fads, just methods that work for small businesses. Talk to us today about content marketing services and we’ll show you what we mean.