In this episode I’m walking you through earned traffic, which is basically when other people do the talking for you. Think podcast interviews, Reddit mentions, PR, guest posts, people linking to your site because they actually want to. It’s the slowest of the three traffic methods we’ve covered in this series, but it’s also the most durable and long lasting.
Enjoy the episode!
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Podcast Guesting
Digital PR
Forums
Other Methods
🧰 I love me a good digital marketing tool. This week’s recommended tool is Katie Read’s website buyer diagnostic.
It’s quite fascinating. I’m not even sure I’ll explain it as well as what she provides. Go to katieread.com and submit your site. You’ll get a score. She provides guidance around why someone might not be buying from your website. from the lends of Psychology.
🎧 This week’s recommended podcast episode is Your Next Breakthrough Won’t Come From Working Harder (Do This Instead) with Frencesca Sipma on the Earn Your Happy podcast.
I am seriously loving this podcast right now. I really felt this episode in my bones. My takeaway came in the form of validation and thinking I’m not alone.
Find other recommended episodes here.
Other Resource Links
Become Their Favorite Podcast Guest
Listen on Spotify
Listen on Apple
Earned website traffic is arguably the hardest. I might offer that it’s not the hardest, but more time consuming and slower to see a return. It’s definitely not a one-and-done method.
Earned website traffic, as I eluded to back in episode 106 of this 4 part series, is the kind of traffic where people “talk” about your website. It’s back links or un-paid mentions on other websites. Forums, where people go to a sort of bulletin board space like Reddit. PR mentions is a big nice juicy source.
I feel like AI citations or recommendations might fall into this bucket or the organic, I haven’t decided which yet. So far, AI citations land more in a search behavior so it feels like it fits in organic.
In any case, let’s talk about earned website traffic.
The biggest difference with this method of website traffic versus the other two is that it is more trusted. It’s word of mouth in digital format. I like to call it digital street cred.
The most popular methods of earned website traffic are links from other websites, forum mentions, PR mentions and guest content.
Let’s go back to the 5 questions to see if this method might be right for you. (Hah! Side effects may include slow results and zero control over what people say about you. Talk to your consultant before committing to this method.)
You do need some time each week but it’s not the amount of time as much as it is the quality of the time spent for this one. Tasks in this area are going to vary time wise, for example, pitching and and guesting in a podcast happen over different time periods and be about 45-90 minutes total vs answering a Reddit thread which is like 5-10 minutes.
Can you track it all the way through to a sale? This one can sometimes be tougher because you can’t always control the links or the mentions.
If you need results fast, this isn’t a method I would recommend.
Whether people are searching for your service is less important with this method as it’s being steered through people not search.
Whether you have a low or high profit margin isn’t really applicable here as earned mentions are non-paid, otherwise they’d fall in the paid bucket of getting more website traffic.
Let’s go into a little detail about the popular methods.
Podcast Guesting
Podcast Guesting is by far my most favorite method because it’s the simplest to do. Essentially, you find podcasts to appear on, you pitch your amazing topic to the host, and when you get accepted, you record and then wait. I have some resource links that go more in depth on this one if you decide you’d like to try it.
Digital PR
Digital PR, in the traditional sense, like getting media to mention you is a grind. It’s a great way to practice creative thinking. I had Mickie Kennedy, President of eReleases, on an episode a couple year back and he gave a tip that not many people take advantage of which is include a killer quote that’s so good it’s impossible to paraphrase without ruining it. The genius of that is when journalists quote you verbatim, they’re forced to include your bio exactly how you wrote it which provides control over how you’re referenced.
Forums
Forums I’m not a fan of. In the past, it’s just too much work for so little return. Now, I’m thinking it’s going to be abused. What am I saying? It’s already being abused. For business, I think there are more trustworthy avenues to spend time on.
The golden tactic for forum marketing is to provide value before shoving your links down the readers throats. Some forums allow links in signatures. If not done carefully, you can get booted out of them, like Reddit, if your postings feel spammy.
Other Methods
And then there are things like guest blog posts, newsletter takeovers, collaborative content and the like. Another opportunity to get creative. The key is researching possibilities. Media catching is a simple way to find opportunities. These are platforms that journalists submit their requests to to find quotes or sources. Popular ones include HARO Help a Report Out, SOS Source of Sources, Qwoted.com, and you can google others. I imagine there’s an AI version of a tool like this by now.
There ya have some ways to earn more website traffic.
Here’s The Takeaway
Earned website traffic can provide a long term return on your time and energy and build credibility at the same time. It’s not something that can be entirely manipulated as of today. You can buy your way in, but when done properly, the lasting benefits work in your favor.
May the odds be ever in your favor!
And with that, I conclude our 4 part series on the three methods of getting more website traffic, through organic, paid and earned.
If you want to figure out which traffic method actually makes sense for your business, a Clarity Call might be the right next step. Just you and me and your website.
About This Show
The Get More Website Traffic Podcast covers the strategies, tools, and tactics that help small business owners get more people to their website and turn that traffic into leads. Host Barb Davids breaks it down in plain language every week, with bonus episodes featuring other business owners sharing their expertise on topics that matter to running a small business. Produced by Compass Digital Strategies.
