A website is only useful if people see it.

The following six strategies are essential in any plan to boost the number of visitors reaching your site.

Gather External Links^[1]

This remains the #1 way to improve your search rankings, especially when the links come from trusted and popular sources.

Effective Title Tags

Limit yourself to 70 characters, and put the most relevant keywords near the front. If your brand is a household name, it should come first, otherwise put it at the end.

Good Meta Descriptions

Make sure to write a 150-160 character meta description whenever you are targeting short or popular search phrases.  Even though the description does not have a direct impact on where Google places you, it can be the deciding factor when someone decides which site to visit from a SERP.^[2]

Get Local

If you have a physical location, you need an entry on any interactive map, rating agency, or directory that matters, from Google Places and Yelp! to local merchant associations.

Ask for Reviews

Search engines look for new reviews when determining the relevance of business to their local search results.

Market Your Website

A site alone will not build traffic!

Advertise your site on receipts, business cards, brochures, coupons, and social media profiles.  And track which methods work (there is always a way to add tracking).