Categories
Website Traffic

Who Else Wants Free Website Traffic

Free Traffic: Ways You Can Grow Your Audience

You’ve built your website and now you want people to see it. But how?

Google isn’t going to come knocking on your door, so you need another way to get the word out. Getting free traffic to your website might not be as scary as it sounds – in fact, there are plenty of ways you can do it without spending a penny.

The tricky part is picking the right ones for you and your site. Some will suit certain niches whereas others won’t. For example, one strategy might only work if your business is very small and local while another might be perfect if you have a global audience.

So before we dive into specific strategies, let’s take a quick look at some pros and cons of getting free traffic to your website:

Pros of free traffic

When you get free traffic to your website, the only cost is your time. You don’t have to pay for a marketing campaign or a new customer acquisition strategy.

You don’t have to build up a new audience from scratch. You can piggyback on the large audiences that are already out there, whether it’s on social media or through guest blogging. This means you don’t have to start from square one.

Getting free traffic is good for beginners. If you’re just starting out, the last thing you want to do is spend money on something that may not work. With free traffic, you can make mistakes without investing too much money in them. Proactive communication in the workplace can have a significant impact on organizational growth.

Check out the proactive communication definition.

Cons of free traffic

Getting free traffic isn’t going to put money in your bank account any time soon. While you might get a few clicks a day, they will be low-quality leads at best. You need to know how to optimize your website very well in order to show up on Google. Building a new audience takes time, especially if you’re just starting out. It can take weeks or months to rank well in Google depending on your niche.

Guest blogging

Guest blogging is when you write a post for another site and mention your website in the author bio at the bottom of the article.

There are two main ways to do this:

  1. Write an original guest post on another site where you link to your site, or

2. Write a guest post on your site and then reach out to other sites to publish it on their site as well. Guest blogging can be a great source of free traffic because people often click on the links in your bio when they discover your article.

It can be a good source of traffic, but it’s important to do it the right way or you can hurt your SEO. Guest blogging can be a great source of traffic. Image Source: Pinterest So how exactly does it work?

Content Marketing

Content marketing is creating content for your website and publishing it on other platforms like social media and guest blogging.

This is a very common way to get free traffic to your website. You can do it in many different ways, but there are a few things you should know before you get started.

Check out these helpful tips on how to get free traffic with content marketing:

Content marketing is a long-term strategy. It won’t get results immediately, but it’s a great way to grow your audience over time. It’s also a good fit for almost any business. If you’re not sure where to start, there are plenty of guides online that can help you get started.

Let the experts at Rhema Marketing take care of the entire web design process from market research to technical design.

SEO

SEO stands for search engine optimization. It’s making sure your website is designed in a way that Google will show it near the top of the results for certain keywords related to your business.

With SEO, you can get free traffic to your site without ever having to advertise on social media or a guest blog. How does it work? Well, Google ranks websites based on certain factors, including the amount of time people stay on a page, the number of links to your site, and the keywords you use in your content.

With SEO, you can optimize your site so that it shows up near the top of Google’s search results. This can get you free traffic to your site, but it’s a very long-term strategy. It can take weeks or even months to rank well on Google depending on your niche.

To get started with SEO, you need to choose a keyword and optimize your site around it. An enterprise SEO agency will have the necessary resources to begin creating a more positive buzz around your website.

Social Media

Social media is a huge source of free traffic, as many people use it to find new websites and articles to read.

It’s worth noting that you can’t just post an article on Facebook and expect to get a ton of traffic. You have to do it the right way.

Posting links on Facebook and other social media platforms can be a great way to get free traffic to your website. The best time to do it is when you publish new content or have something important to share. You can also schedule posts in advance if you have a busy schedule.

If you’re going to try this strategy, keep these things in mind: Post at the right times: You don’t want to post just any old thing on social media. You want to post when your audience is online, so you get the most likes and shares.

Some tools can help you with this. Post the right kind of content: It’s okay to post links to your content, but make sure they’re something your followers will want to click on.

Post content relevant to your niche: When you post something relevant to your niche, you get a lot more engagement than if you post something that has nothing to do with your business.

YouTube ads

YouTube ads (which are part of Google Ads) let you promote your videos by targeting certain keywords. When you click on an ad, you go straight to the advertiser’s site.

This means you can get free traffic directly to your website. It’s best to start with a short video and then use that same video to promote it on social media.

The YouTube ads will show up alongside your video as well as in your feed, which are great ways to get free traffic.

Facebook Ads

Like YouTube ads, Facebook ads can be a great way to get free traffic to your website. Using these ads is a little more advanced than YouTube ads since you have to create an ad campaign and all.

However, once you get the hang of it, it can be a very effective way to get free traffic. It’s best to create a few different ads with different images and headlines to see which performs best. You can then use those same ads to promote your website.

You can use Facebook’s Power Editor to keep things simple and create your ads. You can even target your ads based on location or interests. This is a great way to get free traffic to your website.

Conclusion

According to ecombabe reviews, getting free traffic to your website is a great way to start earning an audience without having to spend a lot of money. There are many different ways to do it, so you can choose the method that best suits your business. Whatever method you choose, remember that like everything in business, it takes time to work.

Don’t get frustrated if you don’t see instant results. Be patient and keep working on ways to get more visitors to your website. With a bit of effort, you’ll soon have a steady stream of new customers.

Categories
Website Traffic

The Fastest Ways to Bring Traffic to a New Website

Need traffic for your new website?

Sure you do. In this article, Neil Patel shares the fastest ways to get traffic to a new website.

It’s easy to do SEO when you have an old site that already has a ton of backlinks but when you don’t, a professional like James Dooley SEO is needed. It’s easy to spend money on paid advertising when you’re already rich and you’re an established company. But what happens when you’re a new website? Would you require the aid of a reputable SEO agency? For churches or religious organizations, this is a great resource for Churches looking to increase their local SEO metrics. If you manage the website of a local law firm, you may partner with experts from https://fwd-lawyermarketing.com/ to boost the traffic of the website.

How can you get that traffic? I’m going to break down the fastest ways to bring traffic to a brand new site. Here’s a guide to SEO pricing in Australia you might want to check out.

How many of you have a new website? I’m curious because if you have a new website, I want to see if you implement these tactics. And don’t just tell me if you have a new website.

List out the URL. I’m going to see if you implement these tactics so we can see your traffic change once you implement them one by one because I bet you it will work. And if you use these tactics and you don’t see them again, you can hit me up personally and I will personally help you out for free.

That’s how confident I am that these tactics will work. The first method I have for you is to partner with other content creators.

Have you thought about co-hosting blog content? So all the things where I’ll go and I’ll create content with other people and we’ll do it on a similar topic. So for example, we may do a joint webinar, joint podcast. We may even do roundup posts. We may even do interviews with other people.

By partnering with other content creators, you’ll find that they’ll promote the content and you’ll promote the content as well. But you may be like, Neil, I don’t have any traffic to my site. That’s okay. That’s why I also gave you options to interview people and do roundup posts because people are always flattered to be interviewed.

People are always flattered to be included in a roundup post.

And you know what, when you include X person in these posts, what are they going to do when it gets published? They’re going to share it. When they share it on their favorite social site, what happens, you get more traffic. And yeah, you may find that all of the experts may not share the content, but if you email asking them to, a large portion will. I’m talking about 30%, 40% plus.

I found that when people interview me and they ask me to share the content, almost always I share it. Giveaways, contests, or promotions. Look, reach out to other websites in your niche, offer them something that’s valuable to their audience, and they’ll spread the word. When they do, you’ll get extra traffic. Giveaways have been so effective.

You guys are all familiar with the guy named Tai Lopez. Here in my garage is this Lamborghini, right? He’s famous or known for that video as well as a lot of other things. What does Tai do that’s extremely effective and smart? He does a ton of giveaways.

He’s given away money, he’s given away cars, he’s given away shoes, he gives away whatever he wants to give away that he can think of. And it’s super effective because when you do giveaways, people love it, they spread the word, you get a ton of traffic, you get a ton of followers, a ton of engagement, and you can keep leveraging that audience to keep coming back.

When you get those people during those giveaways, make sure you collect their email address, because by collecting their email address and then you release blog posts or new features or content, you can always email them to get them back to your site.

image

Method number three, push notifications. It’s the simplest way to keep getting more and more traffic.

Just think of it this way. Look, someone comes to your site, are they going to come back? Chances are no. If you’re not sure about this, check out Google Analytics. There’s a cohort report in there, it shows you how often people come back.

You’re lucky if three months down the road even 1% of your audience comes back. By doing those push notifications with one click, someone’s subscribed to your site, they don’t have to put in an email or anything, they don’t have to give you any of their personal information, and then any time you release more content, any new features, promotions, you can message them all out and quickly get them back to your site. And you can use Subscribers to do this, subscribers.com. The fourth thing you want to do paid ads.

And you may not have a big budget, that’s okay.

Did you know in many cases Google AdWords will give you $50 or $100 in free ad spend? Don’t believe me, google for it. You’ll find a ton of offers and coupons like that. You can use it to get started, it’ll give you a quick boost in traffic.

Yes, those visitors may not convert into customers because you may not have enough time to run the optimal campaigns, but it’s a great start. Just try that out, you’ll get a quick boost of traffic. And you know what? If you get some sales, you can keep doing more and more of it over time. The fifth strategy I have for you is to incorporate guest posting into your backlink campaign. You can also learn everything about niche edits, which are an effective way of enhancing SEO strategies. It can also boost organic traffic to your page, which can achieve a higher ranking instantly.

Hit up some of the most popular guest contributors on other blogs.

For example, if my friend Jason always blogs on Forbes, I’ll hit him up, assuming he’s not a friend, but let’s say this random guy named Jason, I would hit him up being like, “Jason, “I’m a huge fan of your work, love what you’re doing.”

And then I would give him feedback and build that connection with him. By continually giving Jason feedback or other guest contributors feedback, teaching them how they can improve, and even giving them topic suggestions, you’ll build up that rapport with them, and then eventually, after a few weeks to a month, asking them to introduce you to the editor of that site and say, “Hey, I want to follow in your footsteps “and also write on Forbes or Huffington Post” or whatever it may be, you’ll get an intro from an editor who already writes, which means technically you’ll get an intro from an author who writes to an editor and what you’ll find is that editor is more likely to respond and accept you because someone who already writes for them recommended you.

Then when you write for them, if you link out to your site, make sure you no-follow the link.

You don’t want to use that as a link-building tactic. But when you link out to your site and you no follow it, you’re not manipulating search engines, and at the same time, you’ll get referral traffic from it. And the last method I have for you, comment on other blogs in your industry. Now, when you comment on these blogs, I’m not just saying leave stuff like, “Nice content!” “Good job!

” I’m talking about leaving detailed comments that provide readers with feedback. Now when you leave a comment, right, and people are getting all this advice and feedback from you, when you leave that comment, you’ll find that it’s asking for your name and URL and comment. You already know what to do in the comment box. Your name is your name. Your URL should be your website URL.

Then, eventually, as people like your comments, they will click on those comments, people will go to your site, and you’ll be getting more visitors.

Do you know about a site called Mashable? Pete Cashmore, the founder of Mashable, that’s what he did when he first started off, that’s how he grew that site in popularity. If you want more traffic to your site, you need help with your marketing, check out my ad agency Neil Patel Digital. And if you enjoyed this video, like it, share it, tell other people about it.

Read More: Do WordPress Pings Really Get You Instant Traffic?

Categories
Website Traffic

Do WordPress Pings Really Get You Instant Traffic?

How Pinging Can Increase Traffic

Pinging is a technique that has been used for years to alert the search engines of new content published to your WordPress website. But the question is, does it work when it comes to increasing website traffic.

We’ll explore what pinging is, how it works, and is it effective in this article which was originally published here, http://www.trafficgenerationcafe.com/wordpress-ping-list-2012/

WordPress Pings

bet you’ve landed on this page searching for answers about WordPress pings, possibly (secretly?) hoping it just might be the golden ticket to your blog being discovered and loved by the world. Learn more about wordpress hosting for single sites at the link.

Well, maybe not quite so dramatic, but nonetheless…

Let me ask you this: have you noticed yet how hard it is to find any current information about WordPress pings?

And the information that IS out there… might actually put all kinds of wrong ideas into that pretty head of yours!

It might even tell you that if you use a lengthy list of ping services, your blog will get TRAFFIC. Tons of it, no doubt.

<a moment of silence>

Really? Traffic falling from Heavens like manna?…

<I bet you already know where I am going with this>

If getting website traffic was as easy as a ping, Traffic Generation Café wouldn’t be here. Yet here I am, still blogging about traffic since 2011…

So let’s cut through the hogwash and find out:

  • what is a ping?
  • what does it do?
  • how many services do you really need to ping?
  • how does it affect your SEO (if at all)?

NOTE (and disclosure of sorts)

I really believe that pinging is NOT something you should concern yourself with. It’s just non-essential to your online presence.

There are better, more productive, AND traffic-driving ways to let the search engines know you’ve got fresh content.

So forgive me for treating the subject with a bit of impatience.

However, since you, my dear Reader, are searching for answers, I’ll do my best to give them to you. Yes, I am pretty sweet that way… ?

What is WordPress ping?

A “ping” is actually a term that relates to a test to find out how fast a data signal can travel from one place to another.

Pinging sends a “packet” of electronic data to a specific IP address and “waits” for an electronic signal/tone that’s known as a “pong.” (source)

And no, no relationship to ping pong…

By the way, the word ‘ping’ came from the sound that a submarine’s sonar makes when it bounces off physical objects underwater.

What Is a WordPress Ping?

In WordPress terms:

A ping is a “this site has new content” notification that invites search engine bots to visit your blog.

Within the WordPress interface, “ping” could also be used to refer to Pingbacks and Trackbacks.

When you ‘ping’ a blog post, what you are really hoping for is:

  1. to notify sites that display blogrolls that you’ve got new content to be displayed in those blogrolls for the world to see and bring you traffic. (A-HA!… that’s where the whole ‘traffic’ part comes from!)
  2. to notify blog indexing sites (like Technorati) that you’ve got new content so that they could list it… somewhere… on their site and bring you traffic. (more traffic!)
  3. to notify search engines (let’s face it, you mean ‘Google’) that you have new content to crawl, index, and list in their search engine page results (SERPs).

Let’s take that apart for a moment…

Blogrolls drive traffic?

Here’s an excerpt from the WordPress Codex page about pings:

Blogrolling scripts like blogrolling.com and WordPress check update services to see if you’ve updated and then shows it on everyone’s site — usually by moving you to the top of people’s blogrolling list or putting a recently updated indicator by your link.

Problem is… blogrolling.com no longer exists and… when was the last time you saw a blogroll displayed on anyone’s site?

(By the way, if you HAVE recently seen one of those, send them the link to this post and tell them to get rid of the dang thing!)

So blogrolls as a reason to ping your blog is out and, sadly, website traffic from blogrolls is out too.

Do blog indexing sites drive traffic?

The biggest and most famous one of those would be Technorati.

Everyone knows Technorati, right? Even that official WordPress Codex page mentions Technorati as one of the services they ping… (just goes to show how outdated that page is!)

Trouble is… Technorati is not longer the Technorati it used to be. It’s now Technorati the advertising platform.

After a half-decade of helping blogs and self-published websites gain exposure, Technorati took the natural step of helping those same types of websites earn revenue through an advertising platform launched in 2008.

Are there any other blog indexing sites that still exist?

Yes. Alltop comes to mind.

Alltop is a good example of a blog indexing site: a bunch of links from various blogs on various topics.

Out of curiosity (and nerdiness, of course!), let’s take a look at Alltop traffic sources using SEMrush.com, my hands-down favorite SEO and marketing intelligence tool.

You can see the page for yourself here.

Wow, look at how sharply Alltop traffic has dropped since last month; they’ve managed to lose nearly half of it! Hit by Google Penguin? It’s a possibility…

On the other hand, it always seems like Alltop promotion lays squarely on the shoulders of ONE person – Guy Kawasaki, Alltop co-founder, as well as the creator of Canva.

Looks like Guy is running out of steam…

Anyhoo… I digress.

Just trust me on this one – you won’t be getting any traffic from blog indexing websites.

That boat has sailed like a decade ago.

What to do to ACTUALLY drive traffic to your site?

…besides reading Traffic Generation Café?

Reading and DOING what you read about at Traffic Generation Café.

Like Kurt Frankenberg did and, as a result, increased his traffic 89% in 28 days.

Here are some good reads to start (or continue) mastering your traffic generation:

How to Increase Website Traffic One Perfect Bite at a Time

Social Media Traffic 101: How to REALLY Get Traffic from Social Media

Increase Website Traffic: The Ultimate Blueprint to More Profitable Web Traffic

Promote Your Blog: 10 Steps to Ultimate Blog Promotion [My Personal Cheat Sheet]

And some shorter, more bite-sized Traffic Hacks:

How to Turn a Blog Post into a Video in 5 Minutes [Traffic Hack]

Be Everywhere: How to Convert a Blog Post into PDF in Under 60 Seconds

How to Get Links and Traffic from Flickr [#TrafficHack]

Good stuff? ?

Could pinging possibly help with search engine rankings?

Um… NO.

Could pinging help the search engine bots discover your content? A-ha… now we are on the right track.

What we are really talking about here is crawling and indexing.

You can learn more about how Google works here, but let me briefly tell you what Googlebot is and the difference between indexing and crawling.

Googlebot is Google’s web crawling bot (sometimes called a “spider”).

Crawling is the process by which Googlebot discovers new and updated pages to be added to the Google index.

Indexing is the processing of the information gathered by Googlebot during crawling. Google adds pages to their searchable indexes.

Thus pinging you new or freshly updated content could, in fact, invite Googlebot to crawl it.

However, pinging is far not the most effective way to get Google to crawl and index your site.

Here’s what I’d rather see you do.

1. Add a sitemap

A sitemap is a file where you can list the web pages of your site to tell Google and other search engines about the organization of your site content.

Search engine web crawlers like Googlebot read this file to more intelligently crawl your site.

Do you have to have a sitemap?

According to Google, not really.

However:

If your site’s pages are properly linked, our web crawlers can usually discover most of your site. Even so, a sitemap can improve the crawling of your site.

Can’t help but mention Casey Henry’s experiment in which he set to find out whether a sitemap can boost search rankings.

The results blew him away.

When he installed the Google XML sitemaps generator (a free WP plugin) on a client’s website, it took an average of 14 minutes for Google to index new pages.

That was way, way, waaaaaay down from 1,375 minutes it took before he installed the sitemaps generator!

Creating a sitemap is easy. You just let a plugin do all the creating.

Use either Google XML sitemaps generator or, if you have Yoast SEO already installed on your site (or thinking of installing it), use its built-in sitemap functionality.

2. Share your post on social media

It’s simple: Googlebot discovers sites by following links from page to page.

When you share your content on bot-infested social media, the bots will follow your link from that page (your social media share) to your blog post page.

Needless to say, unlike traffic from blogrolls or blog index sites, social media traffic does exist!

3. Pings may or may not help, but good to do anyway

Make sure you install Google Analytics tracking code on your site, as well as claim it in Google Search Console.

Also, contrary to many blog posts I’ve read, I don’t believe that using Fetch as Google function in Google Search Console will get Googlebot to crawl/index your site faster.

It’s meant to test if Google can crawl your web page, how it renders the page, and whether any page resources (such as images or scripts) are blocked to Googlebot, and is useful for debugging crawl issues on your site.

My WordPress Ping Services List

Back to the world of ‘to ping or not to ping.’

By default, WordPress pings one service called Pingo-matic; that service will in turn ping others.

Why Ping-o-matic?

Because it’s owned and run by the WordPress Foundation, a charitable organization founded by Matt Mullenweg, founder of WordPress and current CEO of Automattic.

I’d say Matt knows what he’s doing when it comes down to WordPress… wouldn’t you?

Boom! There you go. Done.

I officially declare that Ping-O-Matic is the only update service your blog needs.

All you need to do is to go to Settings > Writing > Update Services to make sure http://rpc.pingomatic.com is the only update service listed there.

And just in case you still insist on holding onto that huge list of update services of yours (or more like another blogger’s list you’ve copied, trusting them to know what they are doing… really?), read on.

Too Much Pinging Could Cost Google Rankings?

Back in the day when a crappy backlink seemed to be better than no backlink at all, we had mile-long lists of update services we just had to ping.

These days, that (let’s face it) shady tactic could be outright damaging to your site.

Take a look at what Glen Allsopp wrote in one of his ViperChill.com posts after he had sent out a tweet concerning his lower than expected search engine rankings:

“I received a personal reply from Google’s head of web-spam, Matt (Cutts), who asked me if, when a blog post goes live, I ping certain services

Though I wasn’t pinging the services Matt asked me about, I was pinging a few with a foreign domain extension that he had mentioned and a lot of others, so I decided to remove all but a couple of them from my list.

A few days later and my rankings were back where they should be.

How crazy is it that some behind the scenes WordPress setting was costing me search rankings for my own brand name?”

So… while I wouldn’t worry too much about pinging too little, pinging too much could potentially be a problem.

Could You Be Pinged as a Spammer?

There’s one more thing about pinging too much.

WordPress.org pings update services like Ping-O-Matic EVERY time a post is edited.

Do you like to edit your posts ruthlessly like I do – even way after they’ve been published?

Our relentless editing could result in excessive pinging.

There are plenty of disagreements on the issue.

However, let’s be reasonable here.

Have you ever heard of any site penalized by Google or any other search engine for excessive pinging? Neither have I.

But if you are a “better safe than sorry” kind of person, installing a ping-controlling plugin like WordPress Ping Optimizer will give you peace of mind. That’s what I’ve done.

The post Could a WordPress Ping Really Get You Instant Traffic? appeared first on Traffic Generation Café.

 

Categories
Website Traffic

10 Ways To Get Free Traffic To Your Website

Content + Distribution = FREE TRAFFIC

In this article, I’m going to discuss ways you can generate free website traffic.

Despite the plethora of 1-click software programs we’re constantly pitched, most do not live up to their claims; at least for the long haul.

I’ve found that these 10 traffic getting methods when implemented, will drive loads of traffic to your website or blog for zero cost.

You’ll have to roll up your sleeves and do some work. I didn’t say it was easy, but if you’re a newbie with little or no budget, these methods will get you traffic –  which ultimately translates into profits. Then you can either outsource the methods or use your profits to”buy” traffic.

10 Methods For Driving FREE Traffic

1. YouTube and Other Video Sites

YouTube is my first choice because YouTube videos get ranked super fast. And thanks to software (free and paid), there are lots of ways to create great videos. Here are a few suggestions:

  • Smartphone Camera. Got an iPhone or Android smartphone? Then you’re in business. With a little practice, you can be pumping out quality videos advertising your product or service in no time.
  • Animoto. Animoto used to be free. Now they charge $8.99/month for a basic membership. You can create real videos using images. You can add a limited amount of text and they even provide soundtracks to boot. Animoto is super-simple to learn and there are plenty of tutorials.  Go to Animoto.com and sign up for a free 7-day trial.
  • Jing. Think of Jing as Camtasia’s little brother. Both are produced by TechSmith. Camtasia will cost you over $300, while Jing is FREE. The tradeoff is that you are limited to a 5-minute video, which by the way is plenty of time to produce a cool screen capture video. Find out more about Jing here.
  • Windows MovieMaker. My least favorite choice is Windows Moviemaker. However, in a pinch, it too works and there is no limitation on the length of the video.

A video is a powerful traffic method… if you take action!

[wpob id=”1″]

2. Blog Commenting

Blog commenting is another proven way to get targeted relevant traffic to your website. While there are software programs that can help with the heavy lifting, the most effective way to drive traffic with blog comments is to post them manually. This increases your chances of getting your blog comments approved by the blog owner.

The method is straightforward. Find blogs related to your niche. Read through the content and leave a comment that is relevant to the article and the adds value for the reader. Make sure you enter your information where requested and the URL to your site or the post/page of the article you’re promoting. When possible you can live a link within your comment recommending the reader visit your page for more information. DO NOT SPAM! It will only get your comment deleted.

There are only a couple of automated blog commenting software programs that I recommend.

ScrapeBox. ScrapeBox is a monster program that can create tens-of-thousands of blog comments. It is used by affiliate/online marketers (considered ‘BlackHat’)  and it does have a steep learning curve. The software sells for $97 and it has many specialized uses. To address what Scrapebox can do will require a post devoted solely to Scrapebox.  Maybe I’ll do one in the near future.

Comment Kahuna is another blog commenting software program that I’ve used for years and it is what I’d recommend starting with. It is not a ‘blackhat’ software, but it will save you loads of time identifying blogs in your niche where you can leave a relevant comment, add your link and drive targeted traffic to your blog or offer.

3. Forum Posting

Forum Posting is another popular method. In many ways, forums are the precursors to modern-day Social Media sites like Facebook. People join forums because of shared interests. Dog lovers join forums about dogs to get tips, share stories and learn more about their breed, etc.

The process is simple. Find forums in your niche and join them. Set up your profile, remember to add a link to your website in the profile and then become active in the forum. Leave comments, tips, etc. when appropriate. Avoid trying to sell anything; at least in the beginning. As you become known in the forum, and if you’ve been sharing good stuff you’ll gain the respect of forum members. Then over time, you can begin to share links to relevant content on your site, products, etc. with the forum members.  The trick here is to join multiple forums and to engage consistently.

As of late, lots of marketers simple join forums to get the back-link from the profile. While it’s a tactic that works when used correctly, just putting a link your profile will not get you traffic. You have to engage with others in the forum, establish credibility and contribute useful content when appropriate.

I also use forum profile links as a component of ‘Tiered Linking’ in SEO campaigns as well as participating in niche specialized forums regularly.

If you choose the ‘forum’ route, just know that it is not a quick fix to getting traffic.

4. Guest Blogging

Guest blogging is a great way to drive traffic to your site, especially if you can create great content. Bloggers are always in search of relevant content as everyone grows weary of writing articles. The idea here is to contact the blog owner and offer to contribute content on their site. Nothing is guaranteed. You will more than likely have to send them content and wait for them to approve it. However, if what you send is high quality they will use it. As a guest blogger, you will be able to add a link back to your website. Guest blogging helps to establish you as an authority in your niche. Definitely drives traffic and it’s worth doing.

Matt Cutts (Google as a software engineer) recently posted an article on his blog, The decay and fall of guest blogging for SEO about Google’s concerns that Guest Blogging is being used as a method to game the Google algorithm for backlinks. It’s worth reading, especially if you are using Guest Bloggers on your personal blog.

Watch this video made by Matt Cutts on Guest Blogging. As long as you’re not trying to game the system, you will not incur the wrath of the Google gods!

5. Article Marketing

No, article marketing is not dead. Although the power article marketing once had has diminished, it’s still a method I use even now. Millions of people still use Article Directories as sources of content. Your goal if you should decide to use this method is to rise above your competition by creating quality content and optimizing it to outrank your competitors. The next most important, but often overlooked aspect of article marketing is the ‘Authors/Resource’ box. This is where you get to put in your link (often 2x) and refer the reader to your site for more information.

Tip – use the resource box to build your email list. Instead of sending readers to your blog/website home page, create a squeeze page and collect their name and email address. This is a far better way to use article marketing. You will get traffic and a lead. umkyseo can help you get the most out of your Amazon marketing efforts by looking at all aspects of your Amazon presence. They optimize your ad campaign using proven strategies that work to increase brand awareness and drive sales over the top.

6. Free Classifieds

Classified sites have been around forever. It kind of old school, but will still get you traffic if done correctly. In order to get clicks with classifieds, it all comes down to your copywriting skills. Classified ads are “tiny” and you’ve got to get your point across quickly and ‘sensationally’. Give people a reason to want to click your link. Examples of sites that offer classified ads are below.

  • Craigslists.com
  • Backpage.com
  • Ebay.com
  • Facebook.com

7. Social Media Sites

Social Media sites are more popular than ever. An added benefit is your content can go VIRAL, exploding traffic to your website. Popular Social Media sites include Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, Google+, Instagram, Tumblr, Flickr, MySpace, Tagged, MeetUp, etc.

Each platform has its own rules – but they are easy enough to comprehend and there are plenty of guides that can help you learn how to master them.

8. Press Releases

The Press Release is a useful way to generate traffic. (1) They can rank quickly and rank high in the search engines, (2) they establish your brand and (3) they establish your authority in your niche.

In addition, having a well-designed data governance program is important for businesses to avoid inconsistent data silos in different departments and business units.

9. Social Bookmarking

You should submit your content to as many social bookmarking sites as possible. Again, people are always in search of information. Social bookmarking sites make it easy for searchers to find relevant content that has already been codified for them. By bookmarking your content on multiple sites, you increase the chances of it being found getting traffic as the result. Sites like Reddit, StumbleUpon, Digg, Delicious, etc. have huge audiences. With Social Bookmarking, as with Classified Ads, it comes down to your copywriting. Your title and description have to be compelling to entice readers to click through.

I have to admit, I do use software to handle my social bookmarking chores. When I first started it was easy because there were only a handful of these sites. Today there are thousands. Automation makes this chore simple and efficient.

10. Offline Traffic
Put your website URL on business cards, flyers, postcards, coffee mugs, t-shirts… anywhere you can think of.

To maximize your traffic efforts, use the above methods together. Never rely on just one method of getting traffic.

If you found this post helpful, consider sharing it below. If you have specific questions about a particular method leave a comment and I’ll be sure to respond ASAP!

Recommended: Check out Joshua Zamora’s Syndlab Application for Content Syndication

Exit mobile version