It's the digital age. When people are looking for something, they Google it. Who doesn't want their business to be one of the first ones listed when people search for screen printing? More people landing on your website may lead to more orders and more revenue. There are a few things you can do to increase traffic to your website.
GOOGLE BUSINESS LISTING
Have you established your business on Google? Not only should you mark your existence on Google, you need to completely fill out the business profile. WordStream, an online advertising agency, has a few tips on how to best optimize your Google Business Profile:
- Complete every section on the profile
- Write a complete "From the Business" description
- Upload new photos weekly
- Answer questions
- Respond to reviews
- Set up messaging
- Add products and services
- Give detailed contact information
A comparison of a completed business listing vs. an uncompleted one. Photo by WordStream.
The more filled out your business profile is, the higher your business will be ranked on Google, the better customer engagement will happen, and more customers will convert.
SEARCH ENGINE OPTIMIZATION (SEO)
SEO is so important. Incorporating the words or terms people are searching on your website means your site will appear on more Google searches and hopefully lead to higher traffic. How do you know what people are searching in regards to screen printing or garment decoration? You're going to need tools like Google Analytics to discover that information. Investing in a SEO tool will not only provide valuable information about what your customers are searching, these tools help you analyze your website to see what works and what doesn't. It's a worthwhile investment.
Once you know keywords people are using, easy places to put the terms are on your home page, about page, products/services page, etc. There's more you can do.
When people are looking for something specific, they'll usually type into Google, "ice cream shops near me" or "ice cream shops in Chicago." Utilize this knowledge to your advantage! Develop landing pages for each city you want to reach. We do it! Here's an example.
Texans that search for screen printing supplies will land on that page. By fabricating pages that tie your services to the location will increase traffic to your website.
If you want to take it to another level, you could start blogging. Blogging gives you the opportunity to make it rich with SEO terms and also share more about your business. Get creative! Blogs could share recent orders you've completed, more about you and your process, volunteer experiences, or educational resources. To get some ideas of what other screen printers are blogging, check out Rogue Lab's website and Upstate Merch's website. They have some great blogs!
BUILDING BACKLINKS
Backlinks are when other websites provide links to your website. Backlinks build credibility to your business. The more trustworthy websites that link to your site, the more important your website looks to Google (according to Ink Sauce). How in the world do you get your links on another person's or business's website?
One way is to get on the news. Norman Roscoe made the news for donating money to local artists and businesses. Collegiate Pride Inc. was on the local news for creating face masks that look like the person's actual face. Whether your business is doing something a little different or helping out the community, reach out to your local newspaper or stations. If they write articles about your business, it'll include links.
Another way to create a backlink is to win an award. According to Moz, almost every city has an annual "Best of" contest. Search to see when these awards will be offered and submit your business. Either winning or even being nominated means you'll be featured on website for news organizations, major publications, and the chamber of commerce.
Feature your website on other businesses' website. Have a friend who owns a local coffee shop? Offer to write a blog on for their website that delves into how you helped make their merchandise and in return, the coffeeshop owner could publish a blog on your website about their experience with you and their thoughts on the apparel. It's a win-win.
Of course, there are more ways to establish backlinks. This is a good starting point to buildup your online repertoire.
SOCIAL MEDIA
Social media is a great way to increase brand awareness that'll hopefully convert into orders for you. Through social media, there are two ways you can reach your customers — organic or paid posts. Organic posts are images or content you post without paying to promote it. Paid posts are either posts you pay to promote or ads you created to appear on users' feed.
According to HubSpot, you do not want to spam customers. Posting a million images on your Instagram account each day will not help your brand. People will either scroll past it or unfollow you. Know your audience. Make high-quality content that shows off your products and services that'll appeal to your customers. Posting once or twice a day is ideal.
Golden Press Studio has an extraordinary Instagram account.
Don't forget to engage with your customers! If they comment on posts or message you, respond. Posting a reply shows that there's a human behind the profile and that your business cares about what people have to say.
Make sure you have a link to your website or utilize a service like LinkTree to provide a quick way for customers to access your website. When you hit 10k followers, you'll earn the swipe up feature on Instagram! If you hit the following requirement, utilize the feature. Show off a product or print and link directly to where people can buy it or place a print order.
It's also important to establish accounts on several different social platforms. Which ones depends on your audience. HubSpot says YouTube and Pinterest generate a lot of traffic. Plus, 66% of Pinterest users make a purchase after seeing a brand's pin. That's huge! But again, you need to know where your audience is at. What age demographic do you serve the most? What occupations do your customers have? Are they mostly male or female? After determining your business's typical customers, you can do a quick Google search to see which platforms they use the most.
Getting more people to follow your social platforms is a whole other topic. Learn more about establishing your social profiles and best practices for posting content.
Symmetree also publishes great content on their Instagram.
Another thing to think about is influencers. These people have built huge channels that reach hundreds, if not thousands, more people. Your brand could be exposed to a whole new audience. Which influencer you reach out to depends again, on your audience. If you print for a ton of local bands and artists, discover which band has the biggest following and offer to sponsor them or print their next order for free in exchange for them to talk about your business. Maybe there's a local celebrity in your town that you could reach out to. The possibilities are endless. Finding the right influencer will take a lot of work, but it's worth it in the end!
YOUR WEBSITE ITSELF
Your website has to look good! Capture your audience's interest with fantastic imagery or videography. Create a clean layout that makes it easy to navigate the site. Ensure that there are no broken links on the site. If you need some inspiration, check out Golden Press Studio's website or Symmetree's website. Having a great website establishes your brand's credibility. If you're going to put in a ton of work to get people to look at your site, make sure it's worth it for them!
SOURCES
WordStream: https://www.wordstream.com/blog/ws/2020/06/03/google-my-business-optimization
Ink Sauce: https://www.inksauce.io/print-shop-seo-tips
Moz: https://moz.com/blog/11-ways-local-businesses-can-get-links
HubSpot: https://blog.hubspot.com/marketing/increase-website-traffic