Having a website is important — but if nobody is actually visiting your site or its content, then it probably isn’t doing much more than serving as a digital paperweight.

After all, your target audience isn’t going to learn more about your products and services if they don’t click on your site. It’s not just that initial click to your homepage that matters, either. The more pages they visit, the more likely they are to continue engaging with your company and eventually make a purchase.

By focusing on a few key areas, however, you can make your site far more appealing and get the clicks you need to grow your business.

Back to Basics: SEO

SEO lays the groundwork for your ability to get people to click on your website in the first place. Using relevant keywords throughout your content will ensure that your site will show up in search results.

While this may seem like it requires a lot of work, plugins like Yoast SEO for WordPress can make the process remarkably simple. This plugin offers a convenient checklist that shows how each page is optimized for SEO, as well as improvements that still need to be made.

Keyword selection can make or break your SEO efforts. The average business probably won’t be able to compete with high-authority websites like Amazon or Forbes. However, you can start to rank higher when you target long-tail keywords, which tend to have less competition while still being a great option for targeting a specific audience.

Create Content That Matches Your Target Audience

If you want your audience to visit more pages on your site, or return in the future, the quality of your content matters. Different images, word choices, and even color palettes can be more or less appealing to your target audience. After all, the design and content that appeals to female surfers will likely differ dramatically from what appeals to retired couples looking for a quiet bed and breakfast.

Everything from blog posts to product pages should be optimized with your target audience in mind. The right copy and images will go a long way in selling your brand — so you need to be willing to take a deep dive to know what works. A/B testing, focus groups, or competitor evaluations are just a few ways to identify that content that matches what your target audience prefers.

When it comes to creating quality content, do your research. Look at current industry headlines, find commonly asked questions related to your niche, and dive into case studies. Doing so will reveal the topics that best appeal to your target audience so you can create appealing content that builds authority and drives traffic.

More Clicks Yields More Conversions

The end goal of any website should be to drive more conversions for your company. But to achieve those sales, you have to start by ensuring that you get visitors to your website in the first place — and then convince them to stick around.

By taking these basic steps toward optimizing your site’s content, you will be well on your way to getting the clicks that drive results.