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Want more traffic and quality leads without breaking the bank?
The good news is that you don’t need a big budget to grow your website, especially if you’re a small business. With the right strategies and a little creativity, you can promote your website, boost visibility, and engage your target audience—all for free.
In this article, we’ll share ten proven ways to make it happen in 2025 for small businesses looking to expand their business’s online presence.
Let’s jump right in!
1. Search engine optimization
Search engine optimization (SEO) is all about getting your website seen on search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo. Appearing on the first page of search engine results can significantly increase organic traffic to your website, as it offers more visibility and potential clicks compared to lower rankings.
But SEO is a broad area, so here are some basics to get you started:
- On-page SEO: Make sure each page is optimized with the right keywords, meta descriptions, and title tags. These elements help search engines understand what your page is about.
- Off-page SEO: Off-page SEO refers to activities outside of a website that contribute to its search engine rankings, such as backlink building and social media engagement. Quality backlinks signal to search engines that your website is trustworthy and relevant.
To get started, you need to perform keyword research to understand what terms people are using to find information in your niche. Then, optimize your content with those keywords and build backlinks to boost authority.
You can use free digital marketing tools like Google Keyword Planner, Google Search Console, and Ubersuggest to find keywords, monitor performance, and troubleshoot any SEO issues.
2. Leverage social media marketing
Social media is where your target audience is likely spending a lot of their time. Social media platforms like Facebook, X (Twitter), Instagram, TikTok, LinkedIn, and even newer platforms provide incredible opportunities for brand promotion and reaching your social media audience.
Here’s how you can get the most out of social media platforms:
- Regular, engaging social media posts that are tailored to each platform are key. Think images, stories, videos, and interactive content.
- Reply to comments on your social media account, start conversations, and engage with your followers to build customer loyalty.
- Use popular hashtags to increase visibility and reach more social media users.
- Use free scheduling tools like Buffer or Hootsuite to plan and automate your posts across different platforms.
3. Create a content marketing strategy
Informative, high-quality content is one of the most powerful website promotion tools in your arsenal. Content marketing not only positions you as an expert but also builds trust with your audience.
Experiment with different types of content, such as blog content, video content, infographics, and podcasts. A variety of content keeps your audience engaged.
Quality content naturally attracts links, which is great for SEO. Plus, it enhances organic reach by answering users’ questions and addressing their needs.
Regularly publishing valuable content is a long-term strategy that pays off by increasing your organic search traffic over time.
4. Use email marketing to re-engage visitors
Email marketing is one of the most effective ways to re-engage visitors who have shown interest in your website. It’s all about nurturing relationships and keeping people interested.
To kickstart your email marketing efforts, the first step is building a quality email list.
Popups can be very effective when used strategically. Try using exit-intent popups that appear as users are about to leave the page, or timed popups that show after a visitor has been on the page for a certain period. This way, you’re reaching users who are already engaged.
Here are some engaging email popup templates to help you start growing your list:
These templates can be customized to suit your brand’s style and messaging, making it easy to encourage new subscribers while maintaining a seamless user experience.
Once someone has subscribed, it’s time to make them feel like a valued member of your community. Craft personalized, engaging emails that keep people interested and encourage them to return to your website.
Pro tip: For free email marketing platforms, try Mailchimp’s free tier or MailerLite.
5. Leverage online communities and forums
Joining online communities like Reddit, Quora, and industry-specific forums can help you connect with potential visitors directly.
Focus on helping others by answering questions or providing useful insights. Avoid overt self-promotion. Instead, let your expertise naturally draw people to check out your profile or website.
Consistently contributing to conversations in a meaningful way will build your reputation within the community, increasing both visibility and trust.
This form of free promotion can be highly effective for online businesses.
6. Collaborate with influencers in your niche
You don’t need a huge budget to get started with influencer marketing. Micro-influencers (often considered to have between 1,000 and 50,000 followers) can help you tap into new audiences effectively.
Look for influencers who are relevant to your niche and have followers who would be interested in your product or service. Tools like BuzzSumo, Followerwonk, or even Instagram’s search features can help you identify relevant micro-influencers who would likely be interested in partnering with you.
Influencers are more likely to say “yes” if your pitch is mutually beneficial. Here are a few ways to approach them:
- Offer free products or services: Sending free products is one of the simplest ways to get influencers involved. Ask them to share an honest review, an unboxing video, or a tutorial on how they use your product. Not only is this often cost-effective, but it also gives you authentic content and feedback.
- Cross-promote content: Consider doing a content swap, where you and the influencer promote each other’s content. This works especially well if they have a blog or YouTube channel where they can feature your products or services, while you showcase their content on your platforms.
- Offer an affiliate link: Many influencers will happily share affiliate links, where they earn a small commission for each sale generated. This approach can be an incentive without needing an upfront fee, making it a win-win situation.
Influencer collaborations can open your website to a whole new set of visitors without requiring paid sponsorships.
7. Utilize Google My Business (for local SEO)
For businesses targeting a local audience, Google My Business (GMB) is essential. A well-optimized GMB profile can significantly boost visibility in local search results.
Here’s how to get started:
- Complete your listing: Make sure your business name, address, phone number, and other details are accurate. Add photos, respond to reviews, and regularly update posts to keep your listing active.
- Encourage reviews: Positive reviews on GMB improve your local ranking and make your business more appealing to potential customers.
This free tool is ideal for attracting local website traffic, especially if your business operates in a specific area.
8. Participate in guest blogging
Guest blogging on reputable sites allows you to reach a new audience and improve your SEO by earning high-quality backlinks.
Look for websites in your niche with a strong readership and a good reputation. And approach guest blogging with a value-driven mindset. Make sure to pitch high-quality, relevant content that aligns with the host site’s audience.
This website promotion strategy not only builds authority but also drives referral traffic directly from the host sites to yours.
9. Host webinars and online events
Hosting free webinars or live online events can generate interest and drive traffic to your website.
Promote the event across your social media channels, email list, and website. Free webinars attract audiences who are interested in learning from you.
Organize your events around valuable content, such as tutorials, Q&A sessions, or interviews with experts.
Pro tip: Platforms like Zoom and YouTube Live offer free options for hosting events and engaging with your audience in real time.
10. Repurpose content across platforms
Repurposing content is a smart way to make the most out of every piece of content you create.
By taking one core idea and presenting it in different formats, you can reach new audiences across multiple platforms without starting from scratch each time.
Here are some ways to repurpose content effectively:
- Turn blog posts into videos: If you have a successful blog post, consider transforming it into a video. Videos are highly engaging and are often prioritized on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok. You could create a short explainer video, a tutorial, or even a live Q&A based on the blog content.
- Create infographics for social media: Infographics are ideal for breaking down complex information or sharing data visually. If your blog post or report contains statistics, steps, or key points, condense this information into an infographic that’s easy to share on social platforms like Instagram, Pinterest, or LinkedIn.
- Record a podcast episode: Podcasts are booming, and they offer a fantastic opportunity to connect with an audience that prefers audio content. Consider transforming a blog topic into a podcast episode, where you can expand on key points or invite guests to discuss the topic. Platforms like Spotify and Apple Podcasts make it easy to reach a wide audience, and you could even embed the episode back on your website.
- Develop social media posts: Break down a long-form post into bite-sized social media updates. For example, if you’ve published a “Top 10 Tips” post, turn each tip into a separate social media post or story. This not only provides more content for your social feeds but also teases your audience, encouraging them to read the full post on your site.
By repurposing, you cater to different preferences, reaching people who may prefer visual content, audio, or text.
This website promotion strategy expands your reach while saving time and maximizing the ROI of each piece of content.
Wrapping up
Each of these strategies can help to promote your website, drive traffic and generate leads. The key is consistency.
Pick a few strategies that align with your goals and commit to them. Track your progress, refine your approach, and remember—growth takes time, but every effort moves you closer to your goals.
Keep optimizing, stay patient, and watch the traffic and leads start to roll in!
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Written by
Nikolett Lorincz
Nikolett is the Head of Content at OptiMonk. She is obsessed with content marketing and loves creating educational content for ecommerce store owners. She truly believes in the importance of quality over quantity.
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