With an understanding of where your site garners traffic from, I’d like to expand on the three principle areas of traffic origination: direct, search engines, and links.

Our first in-depth focus is on direct traffic.

To reiterate, direct traffic is qualified by someone who either types your site’s URL into the address bar or completes a search query using a branding term. Ultimately, direct traffic is all about your brand, with positive increases in the bottom line reverberating both on and offline.

Once you’ve captured its attention, direct traffic is the most dependable kind of traffic, though it is probably the most difficult traffic to harness, as well. The time and energy invested, however, mean you need not put all of your eggs in one basket, with your company’s success hanging on the balance of first place Google listings.

While our intents and purposes with direct traffic are primarily handled online, there are a few offline brand building techniques you may consider to supplement your online endeavors, including direct mail, TV, radio advertising, print advertising, et cetera. These media outlets may push offline traffic to your online promotions.

How to do you increase direct traffic to your site?

ADVERTISE in content networks or a specific vertical, preferably using image- or rich-media.
MAINTAIN a well-designed site with frequent content updates, luring repeat visits.
SIMPLIFY a lengthy domain name to one that is easy to remember.
INGRAIN yourself in the social media space. Blog, comment, and reach out to not only your clientele but also colleagues in your industry.

Direct traffic fundamentals are rooted in the basics, which are somehow the easiest marketing tools we forget. Incorporate branding in your online mix and you’ll start to see more traffic, but just not any traffic, this is loyal, trusted traffic; the kind of traffic that converts to clients.

What techniques have you tried in the past that have been successful for your website?

Most recent posts by Brian

• SEO Fundamentals in a Social Media World? - September 10th, 2009
• Tales from Web Marketing Meetings - July 29th, 2009
• Increase Web Traffic: Part 4 of 4 - May 20th, 2009
• The "Power of One" Link - May 8th, 2009
• Increase Web Traffic: Part 3 of 4 - April 22nd, 2009

1. A Friend Says:
   April 10th, 2009 at 2:31 pm

   Heads up. You spelled ‘digital’ wrong in your logo.

   Sometimes we forget the basics…

2. Art Says:
   April 10th, 2009 at 4:28 pm

   superb, cant wait for 3 and four

3. Ed aka the-iguana Says:
   April 11th, 2009 at 8:48 am

   @ A Friend:

   daaaaaamn… didn’t noticed that. That looks really bad

4. Greg Says:
   April 13th, 2009 at 10:21 am

   @A Friend: Thanks for the heads up. Fixed the typo.

5. Brian Says:
   April 14th, 2009 at 11:57 am

   Thanks for the comments. That’s so cool, it was on creattica, love that site!

6. Karl Foxley Says:
   June 5th, 2009 at 8:57 am

   Informative post. Just read part one and now working on 2 and 3.

   Karl

7. Imaxpower Says:
   June 6th, 2009 at 9:50 am

   Great Post Brian! I came to your about your post from Search Engine watch, after reading your post I felt it was worth. Thanks for sharing your knowledge.