How Do I Get More Traffic to My Website?

“How do I get more traffic to my website?”

This is one of the most common questions business owners, bloggers, and service providers ask themselves - especially if they are frustrated with social media reach and engagement!

And it is a good question to ask! The challenge is two-fold:

First, your website can’t do its job if no one is finding it.

Second, you want to attract the right people to your website - people who need what you offer and understand you’re the one to help them.

I wish I could tell you the answer was simple, quick, and something you only had to think about once. And I really wish I could tell you there was a single trick that worked for every business.

But despite what ads and marketing “gurus” may promise, the fact is that growing website traffic takes time, planning, and consistent work. There is no one-time fix or shortcut that works forever.

One of the places I see business owners get stuck when it comes to getting more traffic to their site is thinking it is something that is done once, done quickly, or that they’ll be able to see results over a weekend.

If you are thinking about investing time and energy into getting more visitors to your site, it helps to shift your mindset away from “what can I do this weekend?” and toward “what can I build over the next six to twelve months?”

That’s because, for most small businesses, traffic grows gradually. I usually say it takes 4-6 weeks for search engines to “see” the changes on your site, and then longer for traction to really get going and tweaks/updates to be made.

Is it worth it? It depends on your business, your goals, how much you’ll do yourself, and your overall bandwidth (which is a larger marketing strategy question than I can answer in a blog post!)

We also need to talk about how to turn the traffic you get into customers because that’s actually the real goal.

So let’s talk about ways to grow your traffic.

How SEO Helps You Get More Website Traffic

When people think about getting more traffic, they are usually thinking about SEO (search engine optimization). That is because SEO is about words and phrases on your site (and more!) and that is the information that tells search engines (and site visitors) what your site is about and how it can benefit searchers.

When your blog posts and pages are properly optimized, they can continue bringing in visitors long after they are published - which means someone who has never heard of you before can still find you months or even years later.

What does properly optimized mean?

First, we need to start with your audience:

What are they looking for?
What words and phrases do they use when describing your offer?
What information are they looking for before they know the specific terms you might use?

Once you know that, we can use those words, phrases, questions, and ideas throughout your site, so your visitors understand you can help them (and search engines understand what traffic to send you).

SEO works in the background while you run your business, bringing you brand new visitors. It is an important tool in marketing strategy for some businesses because it doesn’t require daily updates the way social media does.

But it is only half the story because getting someone to your site is one thing, moving them to becoming a customer is something else.

Once a visitor finds your website, they need to understand what you offer, feel oriented on your site, and feel confident moving forward. If your website is confusing or overwhelming, traffic alone will not help much.

Step 1: Understanding your audience

Step 2: SEO helps people find you.

Step 3: Your website experience helps them trust you.

Why User Experience Matters for Traffic and Conversions

When I think about SEO and website optimization, I like to compare it to baking a cake. Baking is not just about following a recipe. It is about balance and chemistry. A cake needs flour, sugar, eggs, fat, and liquid in the right proportions - there is room for variation, but too much of one ingredient or too little of another can leave you with something that technically resembles a cake, but no one will want to eat it.

Your website works the same way. Design, structure, content, speed, and SEO all work together. You cannot focus on only one part and ignore the rest. Google doesn’t share the exact recipe for ranking well, but it does give us clues about what matters to search engines.

Helpful content, clear structure, fast loading pages, and good user experience all send signals that your site is worth showing to searchers.

This isn’t about trying to trick search engines or “game” the system. Instead, we want to create a website that services our clients, meets their needs, and helps them understand how we can help them.

What Makes a Website User Friendly?

One of the easiest ways to think about what makes a website friendly is to think about how you use other websites.

As a user, you you know what makes YOU want to stick around and explore (or leave).

When a site feels easy to use, it is because it is well laid out and the navigation is clear.

You can quickly understand where to click and where to find information.

A user-friendly website also loads quickly. Even small delays can feel frustrating, especially when someone is trying to read or take action - we’re used to quick loading sites and don’t have patience to wait.

As much as page speed matters to visitors, it also matters to Google. Large images are often the culprit when it comes to slow-loading sites. You can use this free tool to check your site speed. If your website is built with WordPress, using too many plug-ins can also contribute to a slow site.

Easily understood and scannable content also matters when it comes to user friendly websites. Most people do not read websites word for word. Instead, they are scanning - looking for headings, short paragraphs, and visual breaks that help them understand whether the page they land on has the information they are looking for. This is even more important on mobile sites where someone only sees a portion of the site at a time, rather than a whole complete page.

When you’re creating content for your site, think about how to share information that is easy to digest and scan instead of big chunks of text.

Finally, how your website looks affects how much people trust it. If your website feels stale or outdated that can send a subtle signal to your site visitor that what you offer is also stale and outdated.

You’ve probably had an experience of visiting a website where something feels off (even if you can’t exactly name it). That same experience can happen for your own website visitors.

A good indication that something isn’t quite working with your website design, copy, or navigation is when you have good website traffic, but no one sticks around for long or leaves the page they entered on to explore other pages.

You can see this in your Google Analytics (which is free to set up and use). We can also see this in your Google Search Console (also free) - if you have a high number of impressions, but very few actual clicks to your website, your meta title and description aren’t working as hard as they could be.

Go Deeper: Read my blog post that is all about how to read and understand analytics.

Other Ways to Drive Traffic to Your Website (Besides SEO)

SEO is important, but it is not the only way people find your site. People can also find your site when you talk about your business in different places. 

You don’t need to be on every social media platform. In fact, trying to be everywhere often leads to burnout and inconsistent posting (which isn’t helpful!) Instead, choose one or two platforms you can use consistently and intentionally. Which social media platforms are best for your business? It depends on your audience. Choose the platforms your ideal audience is most likely to be active on.

Social media is not just about promoting yourself - it is about building a community you connect with. When you have something helpful to say, it becomes much easier to guide people back to your website for more information, whether that is a blog post, a service page, or a resource.

For more ideas about how to promote your business without relying on social media, you can listen to the podcast episode, where I share more than 20 ideas!.

Your email list works the same way. It gives you a direct line to people who have already shown interest. You can use email to share resources with your subscribers that live on your website (like blog posts - if you’re new to blog posts, learn more about how blogging can benefit your business here!)

Another way to increase traffic is to make sure your business appears in more places. For local businesses, this starts with claiming and maintaining listings like Google Business Profile, Yelp (free only, don’t give them money), and relevant online directories. These listings help search engines understand who you are and where you operate. They also make it easier for potential customers to discover you.

You can also reach new audiences by collaborating with others. Guest blogging, podcast interviews, and partnerships with complementary businesses all put your name in front of people who may never have found you otherwise.

There is no single marketing method that works for every business. One of the smartest things you can do is look at where your traffic is already coming from and build on that. When you strengthen what is already working, you avoid starting from scratch every time you try something new.

Growing Website Traffic Takes Strategy

There is no magic ingredient, outside randomly going viral,  that suddenly makes traffic explode. Growing website traffic is about balancing several things at once: search engine visibility, user experience, consistent visibility, and clear messaging. It also requires patience. Most meaningful growth happens gradually, not in sudden spikes.

If we go back to the cake analogy, you are not hunting for one secret ingredient. You are trying to balance the recipe so that people can find your site, enjoy being there, and understand what to do next. When those pieces work together, traffic becomes more than just a number on a screen. It becomes something that actually supports your business.

If you want help figuring out what to focus on first based on your goals and your current site, you can start here: https://www.gwenmontoya.com/intake-form

Frequently Asked Questions About Website Traffic

How long does it take to get more traffic to a website?

For most small businesses, meaningful traffic growth takes at least three to six months. SEO and content need time to be indexed and trusted by search engines. Social media and partnerships can bring faster results, but long-term growth usually happens gradually.

It will also fluctuate over time (slightly), so you may see gains in some areas one month and losses in others - that’s normal. We’re looking for growth patterns over time rather than day-by-day or week-by-week.

Is SEO the best way to get more website traffic?

SEO is one of the most sustainable ways to grow traffic because it continues working overtime, but it is not the only way. Social media, email marketing, collaborations, and local listings all play a role. The best approach depends on your audience, your goals, and your bandwidth.

Why do I have traffic but no sales?

Traffic doesn’t always mean sales.

If you have high traffic, but low sales, there could be two reasons:

Someone may be visiting your site before they’re ready to purchase, either because your service/offer is a higher price point or is one that requires research.

It could also be that visitors are confused, overwhelmed, or unsure what to do next, so they leave without taking action. This is why user experience, messaging, and clear next steps matter just as much as getting people to your site in the first place.

We can also look at conversions beyond sales:

Are they signing up for your email list?
Completing an intake form?
Downloading a guide?
Visiting several pages or just one?

These all give us hints about what your website visitors are looking for.

What should I focus on first if my site is brand new?

For a new site, it is usually best to focus on clear structure, strong core pages (like your homepage and services), and helpful content that answers real questions your audience has.

I also suggest setting up Google Analytics and Google Search Console, so the data is there when you’re ready to look at it.

From there, SEO and visibility strategies can build on that foundation.

Don’t try to do everything at once! Start with what feels manageable and build on that over time.

If you’re still in the pre-launch phase of your business, read this blog post about how to promote your business - even before you open!

You can also look for funding resources - including grants, microloans, crowdfunding, and more here.