When it comes to traffic generation, all traffic is not created equal. While there are many ways to increase web site traffic, the reality is that increased traffic does not necessarily translate to greater business and profit. It's the quality of the traffic you receive that is a huge factor in business success. You need traffic that is 'targeted' to your business. Unfortunately, the more effective ways to receive targeted traffic such as Pay-Per-Click advertising can also become quite expensive. While most of what passes for free traffic is worthless, there are legitimate ways to get free targeted traffic, and three that I use consistently to generate sign-ups for my business are Article Directories, Forums, and Newsgroups.
One of my favorite ways to get free targeted traffic is writing short articles for Article Directories. The benefits of submitting articles to these directories are numerous, and can increase you web site traffic in several ways. For starters, you'll receive traffic from people reading your articles and clicking on your link in your 'Resource Box'. You'll also receive lots of residual traffic as Ezine and other publishers use your articles for publication on their web site. In fact, some of the articles you write today will bring you traffic years from now, since once published, articles tend to stay published. Another benefit of writing articles is that once you have published several informative or entertaining articles, people will start looking for your writings as they might for a columinist in a newspaper. People will start referring your writings to friends and business associates. The bottom line is, you won't find many better ways to create free long term traffic than by writing articles. Don't overlook this source of internet traffic.
Another one of my favorite ways to get lots of free targeted traffic is posting to forums. If you do a search for 'online forums' you'll get thousands of results. Forums are a place where people come together to communicate, teach, learn and network with other like minded people. What some overlook however is that forums are also a great way to advertise yourself and your business. When signing up, most forums will allow you to have a 'signature' which is simply a short three or four line advertisement about yourself and your business that appears everytime you make a post. This means that with each post you make, you have the potential of hundreds or even thousands of members seeing your ad, and clicking on your link. Another benefit of frequent postings in forums is that Google and other major search engines constantly index forums for listings. Having your links posted numerous times can increase your search engine ratings. Lastly, being a frequent poster adds legitimacy to you and your business. Being a member of an active forum can bring you lots of business. A couple of things to keep in mind when posting in forums; first, make certain that the forum allows you to include your signature. Although most will allow you to include it, some have rules that will prohibit you from adding your signature until you've posted a set number of times. Be sure to check out the terms before joining. Another thing is to make sure that your posts have relevance to the topic in discussion. Keep your posts on topic, and don't do the 'me too' kind of posts. They add nothing to the discussion, and quickly reveal your motives. Forums should definitely be a part of your plan to create free long term traffic. Sign up with a few, and start posting today!
A third way to get lots of free targeted traffic is posting to Newsgroups such as Google, Yahoo, and MSN. This simple process consists of posting ads at each of these sites by clicking on the 'Groups' link and signing up for Groups that relate to your interests. You'll find that each of these sites have a search feature that allow you to search for groups that are appropriate for your interests. Be aware that some groups are private, and allow posts only by the person that started the group. While these groups may have interesting or educational material, your goal is to advertise yourself, so be certain that a group allows other members to post before joining. You can also start your own group. This allows you to have a bit more control over the group discussion, and can permit you to steer the discussion in the direction you want to go. Setting up a group is a simple process that involves selecting a name for your group, creating the group, and posting. Since most groups have rules about posting and spam, don't post the same thing numerous times, or you could find that your group suddenly disappears!
When it comes to winning the website war, traffic is indeed 'king'. While some will have you believe that all traffic is good traffic, the truth is, you need laser targeted traffic to increase your chances of success. Using the combination of Article Directories, Forums, and Newsgroups will allow you to not only increase your internet traffic, but enable you to hone in your target audience.
About the Author:
Bill Thomas http://www.billthomas.ws/ is an entrepreneur and has operated several successful small businesses. He contributes articles on this and other topics. Another recent article of Bill's is.. How to Make Money With Free Stuff http://www.getfreethings.blogspot.com/
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