All website owners crave one thing – traffic. This is because they know that traffic is the secret to making money on the internet. The websites that make real money also have real traffic. So, spare a thought to the type of traffic that visits your site.

Remember that the research tells us that it takes up to 7 contacts with a customer before a sale is made. This means that repeat visitors should be part of your money making strategy. Think about this for a minute. If repeated contact with specific customers leads to an increase in sales then it makes complete sense to try and attract repeat customers. A customer that returns to your site is returning for a reason and each time they return is an opportunity for them to buy.

The obvious way to ensure repeat customers is to provide valuable content. There are a number of ways of doing this.

Method 1: Turn your site into an authority site

 

People return to sites that they consider are expert and which provide information that they cannot find elsewhere. Posting new articles and thoughts on your site which provide interesting and relevant content will start to develop the thoughts that your site is an authority on a given subject.

Method 2: Provide Free Tools on Your Site

 

This is easier than you might think. There are a number of free widgets and plug-ins for WordPress sites which people find of value. These include dictionaries, forums, website lists of relevant sites and search boxes. The easier you make the site to use and the more tools you provide the longer someone is likely to remain on the site and this increases the probability of a sale.

Method 3: Add a Forum to Your Site

 

This is also easier than you might think. Most hosting companies have free software which will add a forum to your site. This might be Vbulletin or PHPBB but they are all easy to add. The advantage of a forum is that it starts to stimulate interaction and debate amongst your visitors and therefore they find your site even more valuable.

Method 4: Use Your List

 

You should always be building a list from your sites visitors even if they don’t buy anything. You can use this list to drive return traffic. You can offer various incentives to make them return, such as a free gift or special offer.

Method 5: Cross Promote

 

This means making sure that you have an internet presence – preferably branded. This could be on Twitter, Facebook or even a specific blog or website telling people more about your online business and activity. Traffic which crosses between these various sites will increase the traffic and interaction that your business has with customers. It’s also worth creating a customized logo – something specific and memorable that customers will remember.