​5 alternative marketing methods to SEO

You may think that SEO is the be-all and end-all when it comes to online marketing options, but actually there are many others things you could, and should, be doing to promote your online presence. Getting traffic to your site can be done in a variety of ways and it pays to explore several of them – if one is not working for your business then you can look to another.

Top alternative methods to SEO that you can start on immediately to help bring more visitors to your website.

1.Find and pull

This is a straightforward, although time-consuming way to bring in more visitors, and, best of all, they will be high quality visitors who are already primed to be interested in your site.

The trick is to find relevant content that is already out there and being read and bring those visitors through to your site. For example, you could leave a (relevant, interesting and engaging) comment on a blog post and link to an associated page on your site. Or you could join in a conversation on social media and mention your site. You should be careful to do this with integrity and professionalism and avoid coming across as a spammer.

2.The Derek Halpern drafting technique

This is similar to the above, but focuses on other websites. You notice that an industry blog or big news sites has a feature article or guest post about one of your competitors. The idea is that you can slipstream this like a cyclist would in a pack and jump on board where there is less friction. You know that the site accepts guest pieces on your topic area, so you can pitch a similar (but different) idea for your company to write up.

3.Build relationships

It takes time to build relationships online, but it can be well worth it. Popular bloggers, journalists and tweeters should be top of your list to get to know. Make friends with them, and link to them from your site or mention them, and they will be more inclined to return the favour or come to you when they need an expert opinion.

4.Use what you already do

Email signatures have become the land of “save paper” messages – reclaim this space by inserting a short message about your latest blog post or website offer and include a link to the relevant page. This can be automatically inserted on to the bottom of every email you send – zero effort on your part and it could bring in people who would not otherwise have visited your site.

5.Be involved

Whatever your industry or niche market there will be many ways you can get involved among customers and the competition. Social media and forums are the most obvious and most enjoyable ways to do this. Not only can you be part of relevant conversations and softly promote your site, you can also gain real insights into the latest trends and customer desires and find out what your competitors are up to.