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Increasing targeted traffic to your website is one of the easiest
ways to boost your online productivity. Here are the 10 effective
strategies that will help you accomplish that -
1. Optimize Your Website
While SEO (Search Engine Optimization) is a full-time career
option, you can either hire an expert to do this or follow the
suggestions below and get the ball rolling yourself -
a) Select Your Keywords Wisely - Keywords are the phrases people
use to search and come to your website, thereafter, hire your
services or buy your products. The trick is to find keywords that
are highly relevant to what you offer and popular enough that your
target audience will use in search engines, but not so competitive
that you can't rank well using them. (Tip:
GoodKeywords
provides a free keyword tool to help you get started. Find your
‘magic’ keywords and use them to build your website content!)
b) Create Your Meta Tags - One of the methods search engines use
to evaluate and read your website is known as 'Meta tags.' Make
sure you include your keywords, website title and description in
meta tags in the source code of each of your web pages.
c) Create an SEO Friendly Website - Avoid bandwidth-hogging flash
animations, fancy graphics or "alt" tags in HTML for pictures. Not
only will this slow down your website's loading speed, search
engines bots will also find it difficult to read, index, and rank
your web pages.
d) Get Links to Your Sites - Create a ‘Links’ or ‘Resources’ page
and add links to good, relevant websites. This makes search
engines think that your site provides valuable information and it
should, therefore, appear high in search engine results.
2. Submit Your Website to Search Engines
Don’t wait for search engine robots or spiders to find you.
Instead, go ahead and submit your website to major search engines
like Google, Yahoo, MSN, Dmoz etc. and remember to do this
regularly!
3. Use PPC Advertising
The best PPC (Pay-Per-Click) programs are offered by Google and
Yahoo respectively, called Adwords and Overture. It’s usually
pretty tough getting top rankings in the search engines in a short
period of time, but it can be very easy to get on the first page
of results quickly enough, with a PPC campaign. A PPC campaign can
be started with a very small investment and you retain full
control over your budget. You only pay when someone clicks on your
ad that takes them to your website.
4. Swap Ads with other Ezines
It's a good idea to swap ads or links with other ezine publishers
in your niche. These can be real ads, testimonials about your
niche, or recommendations within the content of an ezine itself.
Also, consider buying some ad space in ezine publications in your
niche that have a large circulation. Always run an ad for at least
3 consecutive issues in order to get the best results.
5. Give Away Freebies
Everyone loves freebies and people will even come to your site
just to check what you are giving away. So keep in mind to include
a free eBook, a time bound discount coupon, a prize for every X-th
visitor, etc. on your website. You can also partner with other JV
(Joint Venture) sites where you can offer free products and get
people to your own website. Make sure you capture your visitor’s
name and email address using opt-in form so that you could easily
follow up with them later. Remember, 'the money is in the size of
your list.'
6. Become a Guru
Other than freebies, people love free advice! So find sites where
you're allowed to answer questions, and then take some time off to
provide detailed answers to each one of them. Become an expert in
your niche, and with every answer you give or every solution you
provide, don’t forget to add your website URL at the end.
7. Participate in Discussion Forums
Participating in forums, blogs, and discussion groups is yet
another fantastic idea to drive targeted traffic to your site.
Check to see if you can offer any advice or make valuable
suggestions in forum threads. Always remember to provide your
website URL at the bottom of each post you make. Each forum may
have its own set of rules about promoting your website, so make
sure you carefully read and follow their terms and conditions to
avoid being accused of spamming.
8. Submit Articles
This is actually the most genuine and effective technique to
getting targeted traffic to your website. Write articles that come
under your niche, embed your website link within, and submit the
articles to online article directories. Articles with quality
content and information tempt readers to click-thru to your site,
in the hope of getting more advice or tips. Once prospects reach
your website, they're also exposed to the products and services
you offer - which can sometimes result in many sales for you!
9. Write A Press Release
Write a press release about your business and circulate it in the
local media, online news sites and RSS. Be careful not to make it
sound like an advertisement, though. For more information about
press releases promotion, check out
http://www.prweb.com/pressreleasetips.php
10. Online Networks
There are many sites today where you can network online. These
networks usually have groups which you can belong to and post
articles and comments. Some good examples would be adlandpro.com,
ryze.com, ecademy.com, directmatches.com and linkedin.com to name
a few. They work pretty much the same as discussion forums where
you can post your articles, and comments, or discuss general
issues with others. Many online networking sites offer you an
individual page on the network where you can advertise what you
have to offer and include a link to your website.
To conclude, these 10 tips of driving targeted traffic are
tried-and-tested, meaning they do work. So put in some hard work
and give it time... then watch your traffic grow by leaps and
bounds!
About the author:
Lewis Low is founding editor of OnlineBizPromo. For more practical
online business ideas and work-from-home opportunities, visit
http://www.onlinebizpromo.com. |
