How to Boost Your Online Traffic

Art and crafting are a visual endeavor, but when it comes to online visibility, small businesses can get overlooked. To ensure that your organization is attracting the traffic it needs, it is imperative to have a strong online presence – both through your website and social media pages.

The Digital Face of Your Company

Websites offer a way for businesses to connect with current and potential customers, showcasing what they provide and sharing their story. When a user visits a website, it takes just 0.05 seconds for them to form an opinion, according to peer-reviewed journal Behavior & Information Technology. Therefore, it is vital that your website is not only dynamic but also easy to navigate and offers a positive user experience.

For those who don’t have a website for their business, there are several platforms to choose from to set one up. Some offer free starting plans with options of paid upgrades while others charge for their plans from the onset. Services range from built-in marketing and monetization solutions, custom domains, AI features, blogging tools and large storage capabilities. It’s helpful to identify your priorities in a website and outline your budget for digital resources before choosing a platform.

No matter if you’re building a website or are maintaining an existing site, there are a few things to keep in mind and elements that will improve the user experience.

Small businesses can employ a couple extra elements that can retain digital visitors and encourage them to check out their brick-and-mortar location. Videos offer an engaging experience for users. Blogs can help keep content relevant with consistent posts such as updates, tips, behind-the-scenes anecdotes, community news and more. Testimonials from customers and contact information can add credibility to your business.

Selecting the Right Social Media Platform

Once you’re satisfied with your website, it’s time to address social media and how it can elevate your brand.

First, let’s talk about online traffic in general. In 2025, YouTube (44.4 billion visits), Facebook (9.1 billion visits) and Instagram (5.4 billion visits), were among the top five social media platforms in terms of site visits, according to Semrush, a search engine marketing company.

Certain age groups have their favorite platform. In a 2025 study by Pew Research Center, 80 percent of those ages 18 to 29 use Instagram, 80 percent of adults ages 30 to 49 use Facebook, and YouTube – while the most popular – was especially used by individuals ages 50 and up.

Each social network has its specialty. Businesses can showcase videos of varying length on YouTube, from shorts to livestreams and longer videos. Instagram is best for high-quality images and short videos. TikTok is the go-to for short-form content that’s personable, authentic and entertaining. Facebook, meanwhile, can be used to engage in conversations and build community through posts, videos and images.

Knowing your audience can help your decision on what social media platform to focus on. Of course, it helps to use more than one outlet. Just make sure that whichever you choose aligns with your needs and capabilities.

Setting goals and a social media plan can save time and bring efficiency to posting. Once you know who your audience is, outline objectives to help measure performance – goals can be about website traffic, brand awareness and engagement. Developing a content creation plan to decide how often you want to post (it doesn’t have to be daily, just consistent) and what might entail. Regularly evaluate your content to see what kind of engagement it’s receiving from your audience.

Curating Content

Posting on social media has multiple benefits such as enhancing brand recognition, building loyalty and directing traffic to your website. It’s up to you to choose how to present yourself through content such as general posts, still images or videos.

Written posts can highlight an array of items. You can announce milestones such as anniversaries, publicize contests and/or promotions, provide links to news stories or press releases about your business, conduct polls and surveys and even demonstrate your company’s values through inspirational quotes.

Still images can be used to accentuate written content or posted on their own to communicate the same information in graphic form. They can also be used to bring attention to products, projects, ongoing updates and events.

Videos are versatile, both in form and function – most of the time, all you need to record is just your phone! Livestreams can showcase events in real time or be used in product Q&As, allowing users to remotely get in on the action and interact. Longform videos come in handy for tutorials such as a craft project and how to use certain products. Shortform videos such as Facebook and Instagram reels can show behind-the-scenes actions like opening a store, introducing staff members, participating in fun (and safe) trends, transforming your space between seasons and more. The possibilities are practically limitless.

The key to managing your online presence is to start small and be consistent. Once you’re satisfied with your website, choose a social media page to focus on – the platform and the content type are up to you. Once you master one content and are comfortable with continuous posting, slowly introduce a new element. A robust online presence is not a substitute for in-person experiences, especially at retail locations. When done well, digital marketing can enhance seller and customer connections.