How to Grow Your Business Online: Traffic, Leads, or Clients?
If you are wondering how to grow your business online, the first step is knowing exactly where to focus your efforts. Should you start by building a website, increasing website traffic, improving lead generation, or converting more leads into paying clients?
Every business owner wants more growth, but choosing the right focus will save you time, money, and frustration. At Colburn Strategic Partners, we help small and mid-sized businesses identify their biggest growth opportunity and implement the website design and digital marketing strategies to make it happen.
Below, we will walk through the four main growth priorities so you can decide where to focus next.
1. No Website Yet: Build Your Online Foundation
If you do not have a website, this is the single most important step in growing your business online. Social media and referrals can help, but they cannot replace a professional, 24/7 online presence that works while you sleep.
Your website is the hub for your brand. It is where potential customers can learn about your products or services, understand your value, and take action. Without it, you are missing out on search traffic, credibility, and sales opportunities.
Key Strategies for a Strong Website Launch:
- Website strategy and design tailored to your goals
- Brand identity development for a consistent, professional image
- SEO friendly site build to rank in search results
- Integration with lead generation tools to capture inquiries immediately
- Google Business Profile setup and updates for local visibility
When your website is built strategically from day one, every other digital marketing effort will work better.
2. Increase Website Traffic: Attract More of the Right Visitors
If your site feels quiet, your next move is to drive more quality visitors to it. Without enough traffic, even the best website cannot generate leads or sales.
Website traffic growth is not just about quantity. It is about attracting visitors who are actively looking for what you offer. The average website conversion rate is 3 to 4 percent, but when you bring in qualified traffic, conversion rates can easily double or triple.
Proven Strategies to Grow Website Traffic:
- Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and keyword research
- Google Business Profile setup and regular updates for local rankings
- Targeted online advertising campaigns
- Content marketing and blog publishing
- Social media marketing that drives clicks to your site
When you attract the right audience, you fill the top of your sales funnel with potential customers who are ready to engage.
3. Generate More Leads: Turn Visitors into Prospects
You may already have steady traffic, but if visitors are not converting into leads, your website is underperforming.
Lead generation success comes from building trust, communicating value, and offering clear next steps. High performing landing pages often see conversion rates two to three times higher than the average website simply by improving copy, layout, and calls to action.
Tactics to Increase Leads from Your Website:
- Website conversion optimization to remove friction
- Lead magnet creation to encourage sign-ups
- Landing page design aligned to campaigns and offers
- Email marketing automation to follow up instantly
- Google Business Profile setup and updates to capture local leads
When you improve lead conversion, you get more opportunities from the traffic you already have.
4. Convert More Clients: Improve Your Sales Process
If leads are coming in but not becoming paying customers, your focus should be on client acquisition.
Nearly 80 percent of leads never convert due to slow or inconsistent follow-up. By improving your sales process, adding automation, and staying top-of-mind with prospects, you can dramatically increase your close rate without spending more on ads.
Ways to Boost Client Acquisition:
- Automated appointment booking and rescheduling
- Email nurture campaigns to keep leads engaged
- Client acquisition forms on Google and your website
- Ad retargeting to re-engage interested visitors
- Google Business Profile setup and updates for credibility
Optimizing your client acquisition process increases revenue without having to chase more leads.
The Cost of Doing Nothing
Leaving your website untouched or delaying improvements costs you money every day. Outdated design, poor visibility, low conversions, and weak follow-up all lead to lost customers and lost growth.
Competitors who invest in their websites and online marketing are building brand awareness, trust, and market share while you stand still. In the digital marketplace, doing nothing is the fastest way to fall behind.
Find Out Where to Focus First
Not sure if your priority should be launching a website, increasing website traffic, generating more leads, or improving client acquisition? Our Traffic, Leads, or Clients? Quiz will give you the answer.
Take the quiz now to discover your biggest growth opportunity and the strategies that will help you grow your business online.