How to Increase Traffic to Your Website

The "If You Build it, They Will Come" philosophy sure doesn't cut it on the Internet. To increase traffic to your website, you have to position yourself well and make sure everybody knows about you. Alexandria K. Brown, the Ezine Queen gives us practical tips on not only how to increase traffic to your website, but how get traffic to your website that is ready to buy!

Your Traffic Building Checklist: 15 Ways to Get More Visitors Who Are Ready to Buy
Ezine Publisher & Marketing Expert, Alexandria K. Brown

When many of my clients first come to me for coaching, they share that one of their biggest challenges is getting enough visitors to their site. Attracting traffic isn't a cut and dry process — there isn't one perfect way to do it. But there are many ways that, when used collaboratively, will build you a nice stream of visitors.

To get your marketing wheels turning, check out these 15 simple ways to attract new visitors to your site. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but it will give you several fresh ideas to try.

Now, remember — you don't want to expel effort in getting just anyone to visit your site. You only want people who would likely be interested in what you have to offer. So before you read on, answer this question:

"WHO are your target clients or customers?"

Are they men, women, or both? Do they own a certain type of business or work in a certain profession? Are they young, old, or middle aged? Are they left handed? Do they own pets? Can they juggle?

I hope you see where I'm going here. The more you know about your ideal clients/customers, the better you'll know where and how to find them .

So ... keep that information in mind as you consider these traffic-building tactics:

1. Search Engines and Directories
Why not be in front of people who are actually searching for your product or service? Get your site listed in the top search engines by either learning about this topic on your own or investing in assistance. Because there is A LOT to learn and the rules keep changing all the time, this is an area I advise you get some help in. (Editor's Note: Read our search engine articles here or visit the search engine forums )

Alexandria's 249 page manual to help you boost business:

Boost Business Review

2. Pay-per-Click Directories
In pay-per-click deals, you only pay for how many people actually CLICK on your ad to get to your Web site. Services such as Overture and Google AdWords let you bid on how much you'd like to pay per click, and many times your listings appear above the regular listings in the major search engines. (To learn more, see my article, "Pay Per Click: What's it All About?" )

3. Your Own E-zine
If you publish your own e-zine, you already have a warm pool of prospects who are likely interested in what you have to offer. Give them a reason to visit (or re-visit) your site by adding new content, giving away a free report or e-book, or offering a special subscriber-only promotion on your products and services. (To learn more about publishing your own e-zine, sign up for one of my FREE monthly teleclasses)

4. Your Articles in Other E-zines and at Other Web Sites
This has been one of my most successful traffic-building tactics. There are thousands of online publishers who would like to use YOUR articles in their e-zines and on their Web sites! Find them via the Directory of Ezines (my favorite) or search for Web sites that accept "free content" submissions. Be sure to add an attention-getting blurb at the end of your article that gives the reader a reason to visit your site ASAP. (To learn how to do this, see my article Recycle Your Articles and Gain Tons of New Subscribers

5. Ads in Other E-zines
Identify other e-zines whose readership matches your target market. Search the Directory of Ezines and the Web. Find out if the e-zines accept advertising and learn what their rates are. Run at least three ads in a row, preferably five to seven, to get an accurate representation of how the ad pulls. Use an ad-tracking program to determine how many clicks each ad is getting. My shopping cart program has this built in, but if you're looking for a separate ad tracking service at a low cost, Ad Minder is a good one.

6. Ads on Other Web Sites
Research other Web sites where your target market visits and inquire about advertising. Have ready both text ads and banner ads of different sizes.(banner ads I provide to my E-zine Queen Affiliates)

7. Online Forums and Discussion Groups
Where do your prospective clients and customers hang out online? What organizations do they belong to? Identify popular forums and discussion groups that are related to your subject area and where prospects in your target market may be lurking. You'll find more than you ever knew existed just by doing a few online searches. Don't be self-promotional in your postings — be helpful and answer questions as related to your area of expertise. Let your value shine through and include your Web site address underneath your name.

TO BE CONTINUED in Part 2...increase your targeted web site traffic

(c) 2003 Alexandria K. Brown

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Alexandria K. Brown, “The E-zine Queen,” is author of the award-winning manual, “Boost Business With Your Own E-zine.” To learn more about her book and sign up for more FREE tips like these, visit her site at Ezine Queen.

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