Let's be real—getting more people to your website isn't what's keeping you up at night. There are bigger concerns in life than your monthly Google Analytics report. But since you've built this online space, you might as well get people to actually visit it, right?

If you've rolled your eyes at advice that involves influencer marketing, paid ads, or expensive platforms requiring more time than you have in your week, this is for you. Because contrary to what the marketing gurus want you to believe, you don't need to drain your bank account to drive traffic to your website.

Sure, throwing money at the problem would help—that's literally what money is for. But without emptying your wallet, you can still make significant progress with two things that actually matter: consistency and time. Nothing improves without these two ingredients (I know, it sucks, but we're being honest here).

1. Optimize for Search Engines

Make sure your website is SEO-friendly. Use relevant keywords in your on-page content, meta descriptions, and titles. Speed up your website load time by making all your images tiny file sizes while keeping the quality (I love TinyPNG). Create high-quality, engaging content that people want to read and share.

When your site ranks higher in search results, you'll get more organic traffic.

Key Takeaways:

• Search engines want to send people to useful content, not garbage with keywords stuffed in it
• Technical SEO matters too—slow sites get penalized in rankings
• Focus on creating resources people actually want, not just what you think will rank
• When in doubt, write for humans first, search engines second

2. Leverage Social Media

Share your content on social media platforms where your target audience hangs out. I didn't say "TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn, Threads, Tumblr, etc" but specifically where your audience hangs out.

For example, if I'm building a cookie content platform, starting with videos, I want to start with video platforms. Places like TikTok, Instagram, and YouTube.

Depending on the time I have, I might focus on even less, such as just YouTube, so I can better optimize my time and reach.

With social media, quality will always matter more than quantity (even all the "gurus" say differently…they don't grow other people's channels, just their own).

Don't use social media as a platform for promotion, it's not a sales platform. Instead, focus on building community and showing why you're the person they should turn to for [insert whatever you offer your audience]!

Building relationships is key.

Key Takeaways:

• Understand what you're trying to achieve and what your audience wants to see, find the platforms that align with those two things
• You don't need to be everywhere—better to do one platform well than six poorly
• Forget what the "gurus" say about posting frequency—quality beats quantity and consistency beats burning yourself out by posting, posting, posting
• Social media isn't a sales platform, so stop treating it like one. This would be like asking neighbors who are moving in to watch your newborn. You don't know them, they don't know you. Now you're the weird neighbor no one wants to talk to
• Build relationships instead of constantly pushing your offerings (see previous takeaway). Think of what these platforms used to be called "social networks" - it's about the community and relationships!

3. Guest Post on Other Blogs or Podcasts

Find blogs in your niche that accept guest posts. Create high-quality content for them, and include a link back to your website in your author bio or even the post. This helps you reach a new audience and build backlinks to your site, which can improve your search rankings.

The same can apply to podcasts and this might be an even easier way to connect with people.

I will admit, this is the one thing I constantly recommend, but have rarely followed through for myself. For some industries, this is easy to do, for others it may be close to impossible.

Key Takeaways:

• Don't just pitch yourself—offer genuine value to the host's audience
• Research the platform before reaching out so you know what topics they cover
• Follow their submission guidelines (this alone puts you ahead of 90% of pitches)
• Be a guest people want to have back—deliver more than you promised
• Podcasts often have less gatekeeping than blogs, making them easier to get onto

4. Collaborate with Others

Partner with other businesses or creators in your niche. You could do a joint webinar, create a resource together, or even just share each other's content. When you collaborate, you'll both benefit from exposure to each other's audiences.

I will always yell from the rooftop "community over competition"! You can team up with "competitors" and both improve. (And have people asking "wait, why are they getting along?" I'm much more interested in that marketing angle.)

Key Takeaways:

• Find people with similar audiences but different offerings for best results
• Start small—share their content and tag them before proposing bigger collaborations
• Make it a win-win by bringing equal value to the table
• Cross-promotion costs nothing but can double your reach
• The confused "why are they working together?" reaction creates memorable marketing moments

5. Use Email Marketing

BONUS 6. Google Business Profile