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Whether your site is a content site, an affiliate site, or an e-commerce venture, your lifeline will always be your visitors. Creating a great site is just the first step. Your job also includes making sure your site is seen by potential viewers.
As an online publisher specializing in informational content, I like to think of my website as a magazine. As a publisher, we strive to create beautiful magazines packed with useful information. But unless we put these magazines where readers can see them, no one will turn our glossy pages.
It’s our job to figure out where your virtual newsstand is and how to approach it so your magazine is prominently displayed.
Related: How digital marketers can prepare for the changes brought about by AI-powered search engines
Search engine as newsstand
Traditionally, search engines such as Google have been the largest and most effective “newsstand” for online magazines.
Readers will actively use search engines to find the information they need. The search engine (most often Google) will check what it has in stock and present you with some suitable options. If your magazine is good enough, Google will show it prominently for that search query.
With the advent of generative AI, that relationship is rapidly changing. Google is moving towards providing generative search results. After training it to read our magazines, we now have robots in front of newsstands where they can answer people’s questions instead of showing them magazines.
Google’s new approach raises many questions for lawmakers and regulators to address.
On the other hand, website owners who rely solely on Google for site visitors are in serious trouble.
Related: 5 Tactics to Drive Website Traffic Beyond SEO
Diversification of traffic sources is most important
The old adage “don’t put all your eggs in one basket” is truer now than ever. In recent years, many website owners have come to rely on search engines to drive traffic to their sites.
Since Google was such a powerful and effective newsstand, it made sense to focus marketing efforts on SEO. But now is the time to diversify your traffic sources.
Fortunately, there are alternatives. Below are some practical suggestions.
1. Social media
Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter (X), Pinterest, and TikTok attract billions of users every day. You can effectively showcase your website by providing engaging content that resonates with potential viewers. Some users will visit your site if your content matches their intent and interests.
With the added benefit of making your posts go viral, social media can become a major source of traffic for many websites.
2. Paid advertising
If you’re confident in your business’ return on investment per visitor, paid advertising can be a viable way to maintain that. Through Google Ads, Facebook Ads, or other paid channels, you can attract a focused stream of visitors who are more likely to convert into potential customers.
3. Content marketing on other channels
For some companies, this could be a good opportunity to explore more traditional channels. Possible options include sponsoring a local nonprofit, networking with colleagues, and developing collaborations.
If you need some inspiration, share your pre-Google stories. To promote my content website on this topic, I created a printed piece promoting cat spaying and neutering. They then encouraged site visitors to print these brochures and place them in various locations frequented by pet owners.
It was difficult to keep track of our visitors, but over the years we received messages from people who learned about our site from their veterinarian’s office or a local pet groomer’s brochure.
4. Newsletter
Aggregating user emails into a robust mailing list is now an important part of site marketing. Regardless of the traffic source, try to capture the email address of your visitors. Then, leverage those emails by sending out newsletters.
This newsletter is a very effective way to reconnect with your visitors and get them to come back to your site. If you have an affiliate or e-commerce site, you can use your mailing list as a way to offer discounts, coupons, and other ways to convert visitors into customers.
Additionally, if your current traffic levels are too low to effectively grow your email list, you can use lead ads on various platforms to boost your efforts.
Related: Increase your website’s visibility and get an edge over your competition with these powerful techniques
Search engines don’t make everything happen by generating traffic
Over the past few months, many website owners have felt the impact of Google’s algorithm changes and transition to an AI-driven answer engine.
As a Web publisher myself and as president of the Web Publishers Association, I feel their pain.
However, it’s important to remember that Google isn’t the only newsstand. Our audience passes by multiple newsstands every day in the form of social media platforms. Plus, we have the power to convert them into subscribers and get our magazine delivered straight to their mailbox.
It’s time to get creative and develop new marketing strategies and skills to find new and innovative ways to reach your audience. Pivoting a business is never easy, but the site owner needs him to do it in 2024.