I – Introduction
II – Web Directories
III – Search Engines – Rankings
III – Link ahoy!
IV – Messageboards and Forums
V – Conclusion

I – Introduction

The one thing that webmasters wish for is a steady flow of web traffic to their website.

My aim with this article is to give you a few ideas for bringing web traffic to your website. Once your web traffic is up and flowing, what you do with the web traffic is up to you.

First and foremost, web traffic mainly comes from the following areas; in no particular order
1. Web Directories
2. Search Engines
3. Link ahoy!
4. Discussion Boards/Forums

We go into each of these in detail below.

II – Web directories

A web directory is not my favorite medium for building web traffic; but it can be useful to build PR which can help to achieve better rankings in the Google Search Engine. PR (range of 1-10) is one of the factors Google uses to rank its results when someone does a search. Basically, with a higher PR; it is believed that your listing should rank better than those with other PR.

With a quick overview about PR; PR is determined by how many backlinks you have, and the quality of those backlinks. The more backlinks you have from quality websites you have, the higher PR you will generate; and as a result; better rankings.

Thats the beauty about some web directories and link pages. According to how high the PR values are for the webpage where you want to place your link; your webpage PR value would increase. If you could manage to get many links on various PR6 websites for example; your PR value should increase and your rankings should get better and should drive more traffic.

How to find web directories you ask? Its a simple task: All you need to do is to go to www.google.com and type in your keyword and the word directory For example, if the keyword was ‘Cat’, the search term would be ‘Cat directory’ are various Cat directories should come up.

III – Linkahoy!

Ebaumsworld is a very popular website for finding jokes. It currently enjoys over 750, 000 unique visitors a month. Yet, on typing ‘jokes’ and performing a search, ebaumsworld is not present in the top 100 results. How then can Ebaumsworld enjoy so much web traffic a month?

Ebausmsworld mainly achieves this through backlinks. Interestingly enough, on doing a backlink count with Google, Ebaumsworld chalked up 9,550 in backlinks.

Now lets face reality:
Manually creating 9,550 backlinks by manually going to web pages and submitting your link is a very tiring task.

The only way to create so many genuine backlinks is by having GOOD CONTENT.

After studying major websites, I’ve found that they are two great ways of creating this:

1 Media/Downloads
2. Articles

With Ebaumworld.com, their key is loads of media, not necessarily article writing.
Web surfers are attracted to downloads and media in general; It’s a much welcomed difference to all of the text found on web pages.

Once you start to create a number of articles and media/downloads, you will find that persons start to visit your website more regularly to check for more media/downloads; Your web traffic will increase especially when the articles and downloads are really great ones.

The added advantage with articles as well, is that you can post them on other related websites. By doing this, you can create numerous backlinks by including your link at the end of your article.

Search engines love Article content; but we’ll go more into Search Engines in the next section.

IV -Search Engines

Search engines are great for driving web traffic if you can get into about the top 30 results for popular search terms. With Google, rankings depend largely on backlinks and PR.

In addition to these two variables; another variable is Onpage Optimization.

Onpage optimization is basically the editing of your HTML code so that its ideal for placement in search engine results.

This editing may including the editing of meta tags, descriptions, keywords and content realignment.

Quick tips for Onpage optimization for web traffic

1. Use H1 header tags

Make sure that this tag contains your keyword.
An example for Cats would be < H1 >Cat land< /H1 >

2. Use H2 tags.

Largely taken as a subheading, make sure this also contains your main keyword;

3. Evenly spread keywords

Also, with regards to the content, try to make reference to your keyword regularly, but not too often. Try to mention it evenly throughout the document. This is where the article writing from the previous sections comes in handy. With your articles, make sure that

There are numerous other Onpage Optimization tips I can give you, but I go into that more in the Optimization tips article HERE.

V – Discussion Boards/Forums

Discussion forums are a great way to get your message out and generate even more web traffic.

To find these forums use your keyword and the word ‘forums’ with www.google.com

For example, ‘Cat forums’. Make sure that you keep a log of all of them. You’ll want to be making regular posts here.

On registering, try to include your URL and a brief description of your website in your signature. If you make regular posts on the forums, and change signatures every once in a while to reflect what’s going on at your website, you will have a steady stream of visitors.

For example, an example signature could be ‘Catland.com – ‘How to make cats happy’ article just posted 12/34/04’.

On these boards, you will also realize that there are several recurring questions new persons ask.

With reference to the Cats forums; there may be a question which you find reoccurs ‘How should I groom my Cat?’.

If you can create an article to answer each of these questions, you can always post the link to your article everytime a newbie asks question. This will drive fresh users to your website and once your website has in great content; will ensure repeat user and more web traffic.

V1 – Conclusion

There are always new ways of finding means of developing web traffic. Offline promotion such as developing business cards can also help. You’ve only just begun your journey! The last thing I want to say is that fresh content ALWAYS brings return vistors; keep adding content; and your visitors will return time after time.

With that said I wish you all the best with your web traffic quest!

When you begin marketing on the site, it’s not easy to decide where to begin. You know you can’t compete with the large companies on the net. Niche marketing is therefore much more effective. Here is some information on choosing a niche.

Analyze what you are selling or what you want to sell. It should be in an area where you have gained good knowledge. It may have a wide appeal, but you need to focus on those it appeals to most. For example, does your product appeal to musicians? That’s a pretty wide market. Now narrow it down. Who is most likely to be interested, singers or instrumentalists? From there you might want or need to narrow it down even further. For example, your product might appeal to musicians of a certain age, or musicians who favor a certain kind of music or even a particular type of vocalist.

After narrowing it down as far as you can, think of the most appropriate keywords. Check with Google to see how many sites come up using these keywords. Next use a site that tracks keyword usage (such as Word Tracker or Overture) to see if there are plenty of users searching for that kind of information. If there are enough potential customers and the competition is low, you may have found your niche.

After you have chosen your niche, try to use it in your website title. This can help your website ranking. Another tool for choosing a niche is to study the competition and find out how to make your site unique.

Choosing a niche will help your website stand out. Find one with plenty of potential customers and little competition and you have a very good chance of watching your business grow.

The discipline of marketing can often be complex and confusing. As a marketing veteran, I have seen countless marketing professionals get hung up on various aspects of marketing which have little impact on actual marketing results.

Based on my experience, there are four critical elements to an effective marketing campaign. Whether you’re looking to improve your search engine marketing results, internet marketing, or marketing in general, be sure to follow these simple guidelines which I refer to as the A.T.O.M approach.

A.T.O.M – Audience, Timing, Offer, Message

1. Know Your Audience. No one can effectively market, communicate, or sell without knowing their audience or what motivates them to buy. Is your potential customer male or female? Young or old? A first time buyer or frequent purchaser? Are they the final decision maker? Do they have preferences for a particular product, service, or delivery method? The more you know about your audience, the more targeted and relevant your marketing can be.

2. Timing is Everything. Even with the most convincing marketing campaign, prospects will have no interest in your product or service if you aren’t communicating to them at the right time. Be sure your marketing message is in front of prospects when they’re ready to buy. This could be at a particular time of year or perhaps prior to a life event.

3. Finding the Right Offer. In direct marketing, experts say that results are 40% dependant on your list, 40% on the offer, and 20% on your creative. The same is true for internet marketing, search engine marketing, and the like. Test your offers and find the one that out performs all the others. This offer should continually be tested and refined to improve your results.

4. Its all about the Messaging. If you know your audience well enough, you should be able to craft a message that addresses their needs and differentiates your product or service from the competition. Additionally, be sure to stress benefits over features. This will give your audience a reason to read, try, and buy.

The next time you are conducting a marketing campaign, use the A.T.O.M. approach. Knowing your audience, ensuring that you reach them when they’re ready to buy, experimenting to find the most productive offer, and communicating to them productively, are essential for any marketing campaign to deliver results.