Web Site Traffic

So you've designed this great web site, gotten your own domain name, found a great host, listed your site in the Search Engines, etc., but how do you go about getting more traffic?

Your Own Affiliate Program

One of the most effective methods you can use to drive targeted traffic to your web site is your own affiliate program.

If you're selling your own products and/or services online, having your own affiliate program will not only assist you in making more sales, but it will also provide you with hundreds or even thousands of links pointing to your web site.

Having your own affiliate program is the absolute best way to drive traffic to your site.

If you're just starting out, I recommend using a great company called ClickBank that will not only enable you to instantly accept credit cards, but it will also run your entire affiliate program for you.

Offering a Free Service

Another great way to drive traffic to your site is by offering a free service. To give you an example, Web-Source.net offers a free syndication service. This service provides web site owners with free content that is automatically updated each week. Each article also contains a link back to Web-Source.net, which drives traffic back to our site.

For further information about our free syndication service, click here.

Paying for Traffic

Pay-per-click Search Engines provide an extremely effective means of obtaining highly targeted traffic to your website. The concept is simple. You bid on targeted keywords for as little as .001 per click and receive targeted traffic to your website.

The key to using this technique effectively is to focus on one specific product and select highly targeted keywords. This will help you to weed out all of the window shoppers and attract your specific target audience.

Viewing Search Terms

Most pay-per-click Search Engines will enable you to view exact "search terms" that have been used to perform searches. Use this to your advantage. You can find out exactly what "search terms" are being used for your target market and place your bids accordingly. Try to create a list of as many relevant keywords as possible. The more keywords you bid on, the more traffic you'll receive.

When bidding on keywords, keep in mind, in order to be successful, you don't have to be listed at the top. Although receiving a listing in the top three positions will produce major traffic through Overture, most of the time, you must have a large advertising budget to compete.

Before placing your bid, perform a search to find out how much your competitors are paying per click. Try to place your bid so that your listing will appear on the first page to increase your chance of success. By selecting highly targeted, less popular keywords, you'll not only attract a more targeted audience, but you'll also obtain a higher listing for less money.

Your Ad Copy

Your headline and and ad copy are the most important part of your entire strategy. Your headline must grab your potential customers' attention and force him/her to read on. Your copy should tell them exactly what you have to offer and convince them to visit your site.

When writing your ad, make sure you don't mention free stuff, as you want to avoid attracting freebie hunters. By weeding out those potential visitors expecting to get something free, you will attract a more targeted audience of potential buyers. There is no need to pay for visitors that weren't interested in buying anything in the first place.

When placing your link within your ad, make sure you direct your potential customer directly to your sales page. In other words, if your product isn't on your main page, then don't direct your potential customers to your main page and make them search for your product. Direct them to your product's page.

Reviewing Your Reports

Once your campaign begins, make sure you take the time to review the reports provided by the pay-per-click services. These reports will provide you with information in regard to how well each of your keywords are performing and enable you to adjust your keywords or change your bids accordingly.

To increase your traffic even further, don't just stop with one pay-per-click Search Engine -- try several at time. The more streams of traffic flowing to your site, the better.

Here is a list of some of the top pay-per-click Search Engines:

http://searchmarketing.yahoo.com/
http://www.Bay9.com
http://www.Win4win.com
http://www.Findwhat.com
http://www.7search.com

Click here for a complete list of over sixty pay-per-click Search Engines, reviews and tips.

If you're serious about your business and you're ready to drive a stampede of targeted traffic to your website, then give the pay-per-click Search Engines a try. They're well worth the small investment.

Networking / Reciprocal Linking

Create partnerships with sites similar to yours, but not in competition. You can promote one another, provide recommendations or exchange prominent links.

Be cautious when selecting your networking partners and making recommendations as your reputation is on the line. Only partner with individuals you have personally dealt with and you truly believe in.

Developing quality online business relationships is one of the best ways to create a partnering venture.

Writing Articles

If you really want traffic, this is the way to get it. Write articles in the area of your expertise. Ezine publishers are continually in need of quality content. If you sit down and write an article just once or twice each week, within a years time, you could have 52 - 104 articles floating all over the Internet. Who knows how many times each article will be published. If they're good, you can expect them to be published by hundreds of ezines and even displayed on various web sites. All linking to you.

When you write an article you are entitled to include your Author bylines also referred to as a resource box, promoting yourself.

Example byline:

Articles have the potential to be viewed by millions! Imagine your article being published by just a handful of publications with over 100,000 subscribers each...

If you've been on the Internet for a while you've probably subscribed to a few ezines (newsletters). Most ezines will include a feature article written by the editor or a guest author. If you've ever read an article written by a guest author then you've probably noticed, at the end of the article, a few lines of text about the author referred to as "bylines" or "resource box."

The writer gives the publisher permission to publish their article free of charge in exchange for the publisher including the author's bylines. The bylines are basically just an advertisement for the writer. They usually contain a couple of lines about the author and a web address.

By writing articles and allowing them to be published free of charge, your articles will have the potential to be viewed by millions of Internet users. They may be published by several ezines with subscriber bases of a few hundred to several thousand. In addition, they may be displayed in ezine archives or on high traffic web sites.

Most ezine publishers prefer short articles between 500 and 750 words. Short "tip" articles of just a couple of paragraphs are also very popular. Articles should be formatted to 65 characters per line or less including spaces and written in short paragraph sections.

When you begin writing your article, avoid using your standard word processing programs, as they do not allow for proper formatting. Instead, use a text editor such as NotePad. It should already be installed on your desktop.

When you begin typing your article, use a hard carriage return (hit enter) when your text reaches 65 characters, including spaces, and leave a space between your paragraphs. This will enable the publisher to easily copy and paste your article into their publication and significantly increase your chances of being published.

Most publishers receive many article submissions each week and only select a few to be published. Here are some basic guidelines to help you increase your chances of being published:

     - Your article must be properly formatted. Publishers
       won't take the time to format your article, they'll
       simply use another article that is properly formatted

     - Keep your bylines down to 4 lines or less

     - Select a descriptive title to intrigue your readers

     - Use proper grammar and spelling

     - Avoid articles that are nothing more than a sales
       pitch, as your chances of being published will be
       minimal

     - Avoid referring readers to an affiliate URL as this
       will make your article appear to be biased and
       untrustworthy

     - Write your articles with a sincere desire to teach
       and inform. Talk to your readers and share your
       expertise

In addition, you can visit some ezine sites to locate publishers who may be interested in your articles. A good place to start is eZINESearch.

Search through the database for publications that may be interested in the type of article you've written. Contact the publisher and ask them if they accept article submissions.

Here are some additional promotional resources to help
you get published:

The Syndicator
Article Announce
Ideamarketers
Ezine Articles

Writing and distributing free articles on the Internet will be one of the best promotional decisions you'll ever make. Not only will it provide you with free publicity, but if your articles are good, you'll become a trusted professional in your area of expertise.

- Distribution

Visit some ezine listing sites and put together a list of publishers that may be interested in your article's topic. Contact each publisher and ask them if they accept article submissions.

Subscribe to Article Announce and announce your new article to our entire list of ezine, newsletter, web site and magazine publishers.

Contests

Contests provide a great way to drive traffic to your site. Not only will they bring traffic, but they will also enable you to develop a targeted list of potential customers.

Set up a form on your site for your visitors to fill out to register for a prize. You can obtain a variety of information by including questions that will help you determine their interests.

Click Here for a forms tutorial.

Freedback - Free fill-out forms for your web site that will email you feedback from your visitors. You do not need access to CGI on your server and you don't even have to know CGI. Freedback automatically generates the HTML for you. All free.

Response-O-Matic - Lets you design your forms any way you want, asking your visitors as many questions as you like. The form submissions are emailed to you every time a visitor to your Web site submits a form.

Offline Promotions

IDit Plates - Put your web address on your vehicle. IDit Plates are a great way to continuously promote your web site. They look like chrome and blend in well with your vehicle.

Magnetic Signs - Full size magnetic signs for your vehicle. Get a customized sign that magnetically adheres to each side of your vehicle, advertising your web site.

Visit iPrint for your printing needs. From business print items to promotional items iPrint has it all.

Or, you can also visit VistaPrint for online and printing solutions for businesses worldwide.

Additional Tutorials:

Creating an Ebook
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Internet Marketing Strategies
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Developing an Internet Business
Developing a Professional Web Site
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Internet Marketing
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Internet Advertising
Developing Traffic
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