Have you ever wondered how high traffic sites get all that traffic? Many of them spend a lot of money driving traffic to their sites which is okay if you are a highly searched site pulling in big earnings. But most people don't have the resources that these big sites do and really can not afford to make that kind of investment. High cost methods can be very risky as well.
Since a consistent flow of targeted visitors to your website is a virtual necessity to survive in the internet marketing arena, it is vital to find practical and effective ways to generate traffic. It does take some financial investment to maintain a traffic generating site, but it does not have to be a lot of money. The following represents 4 ways to generate free or low cost website traffic.
Write and Submit Articles
This form of marketing use to be one of the very best ways to drive traffic to your site. Due to the enormous amount of article submissions these days its effectiveness is now somewhat eroded, but it is still a very good way to generate qualified traffic.
Writing articles is difficult for many but it need not be that way. Anyone can put down a few ideas on a particular topic and format it into a 500-750 word article. You can also outsource your article writing to a freelance writer for a small fee. When you write your article try to offer information about a topic or subject related to the product you want to market. Never write an article about the product itself.
There are hundreds of Article Directories online. Most will accept your article for free and distribute it to their network. This of course tends to attract the search engines as well. Be sure to include a Resource Box at the end of your article that details who you are and the URL that readers should visit for more information about you, your product and/or the topic.
Social Networks and Forums
You should always participate in Social Networks (Facebook, MySpace,etc). There are hundreds of them out there. This will establish your online presence which is very important, especially if you are an internet marketer. Try to join and be involved in 10 good ones - the higher search engine ranked sites. You can post one of your articles there. Many offer blog posts. Just be sure to focus on providing information and answering questions than just posting an ad.
Forums are a little bit different. Under no circumstance should you place an ad or promote your product on forums. Simply participate in discussions by offering comments, suggestions and answering questions. You want to establish your presence and credibility online. You may however provide a link to your website in the Resource Box. There are hundreds of forums. You should always belong to the top 10 "internet and business" type forums, but you should also join forums that are specific to your product. For example, if you're selling hockey equipment, join a forum for sports equipment, etc.
Exchange Links
This is one of the most over looked marketing methods. Any successful site has many links to other sites and visa versa. When considering link exchange I would avoid Link Exchange Programs because search engines don't necessarily consider them valid. There are many webmasters who will gladly link to your site if you link to theirs. Obviously, you would not want to link to a site that is promoting a similar product and would be your competitor. A little common sense is needed here. That having been said, however, it is important that any links have a common interest and that there is a relationship of some nature between the links.
Traffic Exchanges
This is similar to link exchanges except here you have to earn credits, usually be reviewing other sites. Just as you earn credits reviewing other sites, other people are reviewing your site to earn credits for them. You can then use the credits you earn to "buy" advertising in the form of solo ads or top sponsor ads on the Traffic Exchange Ezine program. This is an excellent way to draw attention to your site and get free advertising.
Reg McMicking is CEO of Bay Cities Marketing. Bay Cities Marketing provides information and resources for internet and affiliate marketers.
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