subject: How to Generate Free Traffic For Your Online Business [print this page] How to Generate Free Traffic For Your Online Business
Web traffic is going to be one of the biggest factors that will determine whether you'll succeed of fail miserably with your online business. You can have the most impressive website on the net with great graphics, video and audio, the best sales copy ever written, all advertising the best thing "since sliced bread", but if no one sees it, it's all absolutely worthless! Sure, a professional website and valuable product or service is obviously important, but you've got to have traffic coming to your website to have any success.
There are many means to generate traffic to your site. You've got pay-per-click services (PPC), banner advertising, on and offline print ads, search engine optimization (SEO), the list goes on and on...but these methods can be pretty expensive, especially for someone just getting started. So in this article we're going to deal with a few free and effective methods for driving traffic to your site.
1. Social Media - You probably already have an account on a social media site. These are sites like Facebook, My Space and Twitter. If you don't I'm certain you know someone who does. These sites are designed for people to update their "friends" or "followers" on what they're doing. You can connect with people you already know, find long lost friends, or meet new ones.
Since the design of these sites is to update others on what you're doing they're great places to let people know about your business. Just make sure you're not "spammy", meaning don't flood people with your sales pitch. Be yourself. Use the sight to check in with friends and family and just tell people what you're in to. If you make a new video, post a link. If you write a new article, let people know. Every time you post new content to the web you can make a new post to your social sites telling people about it. Just remember to be yourself. Don't make EVERY post about your business. Be real and personable. This helps new friends see you as a real person that they can relate to and not just another spammer out to make a quick buck.
Social Media sites also have groups that you can join based on similar interests with other members. Groups are a great way to meet new people and share your opinions, ideas, and your business...but remember, don't spam. You don't want to join a new group and start pitching your "hot new million-dollar business opportunity". That will guarantee that no one will want to be your friend and probably get you kicked out of the group.
If you don't have an account on a social media site, go check one out. I use Facebook, Twitter, and My Space. There are MANY more sites out there but these are currently the most visited. Setting up an account is free and easy and can generate many contacts and leads for your business. Just remember to be yourself.
2. Free Classifieds - There are thousands of free classified sites on the internet, so the amount of ads you place online is limited only by your effort. Do a Google search for free classifieds and choose a few top ranking sites with which to place your ads. Start with these top sites: inetgiant.com, usfreeads.com, abelwise.com.
The steps are virtually the same for each ad submission site. Set up a user account; choose a state/city in which to place your ad; post your ad, repeat.
Make sure that your ads are captivating. Your title has to be strong enough and interesting enough to grab the reader's attention to make them want to read further. Avoid using all caps and avoid asking questions (WANT TO MAKE MILLIONS ONLINE?) That kind of title looks unprofessional and will not distinguish you from the crowd.
Once you have a captivating title, you've got to have an ad that speaks to the reader's desires or needs, and then gives them a call to action. A call to action, depending on what you're advertising, could be "call me for more details" or "visit my website" (make sure to include your contact info and/or website).
Many free classifieds sites will also allow you to upload pictures to display with your ads. Using pictures can be a great way to grab the reader's attention too, but be careful to use pictures that are relevant to your product or service and make sure you use professional looking quality images. You can do a Google search for free photos and find some good download sites for free pictures to use in your ads.
Some sites frown upon posting the same ad across different cities, so be careful to change your ad title and change up the text a little with each new submission. If you don't, you risk having your account deleted.
Posting classified ads can be very labor intensive, but it's hard to beat the return on investment, since you haven't spent a dime!
3. Article Writing - Writing articles and submitting them online is another great free way to direct traffic to your website or business opportunity. Writing articles about your specific niche establishes you as an authority in your area of expertise and positions you as someone worth listening to.
Choose a topic to write about that is related to your business. Write your article and proofread it. Be sure to include keywords within your article title and body that are relevant to your subject because articles can show up in search engine results. Submit your article to several online article submission sites. You can Google "article submission" and find many sites where you can post your articles. There are many free sites as well as paid sites. Paid article submission sites will distribute your article more widely than a free site. Start with these high-traffic free sites: EzineArticles.com, GoArticles.com, ArticleBase.com. Some things to remember: Your article should be teaching or addressing a problem or concern that your reader is facing. Describe the problem and offer a solution. Don't write a 500 word sales pitch or you'll find that no one will be reading your articles. If you're offering how-to advice, don't be afraid to divulge your secrets. It's ok to share your "best stuff". This will only make you more credible as an expert in your field.
4. Press Releases - Yet another free or low cost way to establish yourself as an expert in your industry. A press release is a news story about you and/or your business submitted to online press release websites who, in turn, will distribute your release over the internet.
The steps to writing and submitting a press release are similar to those used to write and submit articles. You choose a topic, write your press release, and distribute to press release websites (again, do a Google search to find the top sites with which to submit). Also remember to make your writing rich with relevant keywords because, like articles, press releases can show up in search engine results.
The content of a press release, however, is vastly different from an article. An article is usually where you share interesting information, tips and tricks, or opinion. A press release, on the other hand, is a "news" story and must be centered on something that is newsworthy (such as the start of your new business or the launch of a new website). If you submit something that is more suited to be an article, your press release is likely to be turned down for submission.
Anyone searching the web for your targeted keywords is already looking for your business. They're just in research mode...and a well-written press release about your business can show up in their search results and gives you credibility over your competition.
5. Video Marketing - Video is arguably the most powerful marketing tool available today. Over 30 billion videos are viewed online every month (yes BILLION). That constitutes almost 60% of all internet traffic!
You can generate an enormous amount of free traffic to your website with a well-written video marketing launch.
Be sure that your videos address a specific need or question regarding your business and make sure that you offer a solution and a call to action, whether it's to visit your website or to call you directly, whatever works for your business. Make sure that your videos use targeted keywords that are specific to your business. What keywords will your customers search to find your business? Be specific but not too generic. If you sell tires and you use the keyword "tires" you'll see hundreds of millions of results on a web search and will never get page one ranking. Maybe a good keyword would be "tires for sale in Dayton, Ohio" or wherever your business calls home. Distribute your videos to video hosting sites (You Tube, Daily Motion, etc). Do a Google search for more video sites that you can join and submit to. Make several videos each week and continue to submit them. A great aspect of video marketing is that, once they're uploaded, they're out there forever and will continue to bring traffic to your site.
Remember to be professional and not overly hyped or fake. Don't act like "Crazy Bob" down at the used car lot. Offer education and value specific to your business and you'll be sure to generate quality traffic to your website.
Be sure to share your video posts on your social network sites (Twitter, Facebook, etc) so that all of your friends and followers can see what you're up to. More exposure can only lead to more traffic. Just be yourself and have fun.
6. Blogging - Blogging is a more advanced method of free advertising for your business but has many benefits. Wikipedia defines a blog (a contraction of the term weblog) as a type of website, usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video.
A blog is free to set up and easily customizable so you can change the look and feel to suit you and also add pictures, video, audio, links to your social network profiles or other sites...the possibilities for customization are far too great to list here and make for the perfect place to build an online presence and position yourself as an authority in your industry or niche.
Once you're happy with the look and features of your blog it's time to start adding content. You can use articles and press releases that you've written previously or write new content. Just be sure that you're offering something of value to the reader. Many make the mistake of using their blog as one big commercial for their business, which is a huge turn off and, if you make the same mistake you won't have much readership (if any). The most successful blogs are those that offer substantive content that teaches something valuable, shares interesting opinion, or tells a great story. This is where you get to be creative and let your personality show through. People are more likely to do business with someone that they know, like, and trust. Your blog is the ideal place for your customers to get to know you. Have fun with your blog and be yourself. Keep it professional, but not sterile and stuffy. You want to be able to attract readers while offering something of value and, ultimately, turning readers into loyal customers.
I hope that these few free traffic generation methods will help you to succeed in your internet business. Stay consistent and focused and NEVER GIVE UP!
Craig is an
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