There are ways that you can use the Internet to drive your business, develop a following, and showcase your expertise on specific issues. Create good, fresh content and build links to and from your website.

Any business that is on the web wants to expand its audience of viewers. The more viewers you get, the more goods and services are bought. Attract that audience with fresh content and links and, like a growing snowball rolling down a snow-laden hill, you continue to attract even more viewers to your site.

Here are some steps you can take to expand website visits with link building and content marketing.

Define the goals you want to achieve with your content

Who do you want to attract to your website? What kind of information do you want to present?

Create content

Of course, write content that fits your industry. For example, a lawn care supplier should include content on lawn care tips and maintenance and the tools that are needed to achieve them. Link the content to older content on your own website that extends the explanation or conversation and include interactive material like polls, quizzes, and contests that are relevant to your site. This will encourage visitors to stay on your website.

Include quotes and references from major experts in the industry and then let them know that their material is on your site and encourage them to offer links from their website to yours.

Use words in the content that people would use when searching for information about your industry.

Promote the content

Take time to link social media sites to your content. For example, if your business has created a page on Facebook, regularly include a link from that page to your site and make certain that your “friends” on Facebook get that link. You can do the same on Twitter, LinkedIn, and other social media sites. If you don’t have a page on these sites, create one.

Find other networks to which you can promote your content with links.

Add influencers to your e-Rolodex

Get help to reach out to the 200 or so social media websites and the more than half of the more than 3.124 billion people who are using the Internet. Consider working with an influencer. An influencer is a person who has a following on the social networks and offers personal recommendations to them.

An influencer can help because studies show that word of mouth and personal recommendations are the most trusted way to promote to people who use social networks. You can find an influencer by performing a search on the networking site. Type your product, service, or brand name into the search engine, and then click. You will get a list of people who has publicly cited your keywords. You can also use a software tool called SMMS (Social Media Management Software).

Guess post a blog

 You may have to do some research, but you can find bloggers who write on your particular expertise. Offer yourself to them as a guess blogger. It provides you with an opportunity to write a blog on your subject of expertise and get it on another or several other sites. This helps build your reputation as an expert in the field and you can include a link back to your website which should help attract visitors.

Finally, get a well known blogger who covers your issues to do a guest blog on your website.