The goal of any website is to create stickiness. Stickiness means more ad revenue which equates to the survival of the company. So to create that stickiness you want your users to not simply be users but to be passionate users. You need your users to love your site, to wonder what they would do if your site didn’t exist.
What is the three easiest things you can do to help create those sort of feelings?
1) Remove the welcome mat.
A welcome mat is for your guests, it isn’t for friends or neighbors who pop by every few days just to see how you are doing. So please, take the word welcome off your homepage.
2) Create new content often.
Your own grandmother won’t come back week after week to read the same stale bits of information on your website, why should you expect your users to? Even if you run an e-commerce website– update content. Create a 5 piece series called “5 alternative uses for” (fill in your topic here).
3) Make it easy.
Listen, I hate to break this to you, but you are a developer. Your site isn’t for you. It is for your audience. Do not make them question how to navigate the site and scratch their heads and give up in frustration. This has been said 1,000 times. Keep things simple. Keep new content on your homepage, and make sure it engages your audience.
Honestly, at the end of the day there is absolutely no better marketing strategy than creating users who absolutely love your product. They are your cheerleaders, your link building team, they are your usability study. They will guide your site– so long as you listen to what they have to say.