There are many ways to increase web traffic; the most valuable of course is
offering some ongoing and dynamic value such as blogs or online discussion
that keep the same people coming back, but a host of other options exist
including:

Search Engine Optimization

We’ve touched on this in previous chapters but “Search Engine
Optimization” or “SEO” as it is often referred to is a huge success for
many sites, and has even spawned a service industry in its own right
where people are getting paid to optimize your site and site
submissions to try and increase how well your site ranks on various
search engines. Ideally you should do this yourself by submitting to
various directories and using the tips and hints I’ve already mentioned but if you are ‘Internet Impaired’ it may be worth paying a consultant
to assist you.

List your site in Directories and Search Engines

There are many search engines and directories out there where you
can list your website for increased exposure. Some charge a fee while
others are free or low-cost but the important thing to remember is to
go through each one IN PERSON and optimize the data you provide
each to ensure the listing provides the best interface to your site as
possible.

Participate in Link Exchanges

A ‘link exchange’ refers to the act of having a URL or ‘hyperlink’ from
another site either on your page or another site pointing to pages on
your site. With Exchanges another webmaster will link to your site in
exchange for you linking to theirs – hopefully complimenting each
others sites.

Advertise your site via AdWords or other resources such as
banner ads

There are many advertising avenues out there to get your website
increased recognition, the simplest of course link exchanges and wordof-
mouth, but paid methods such as using Google’s AdWords program
to pop up a link to your site when certain keywords are entered into
search engines is a very effective way to increase traffic to your sites.
From the vendor side it works like this: you bid (or offer) an amount
that you will pay for a list of keywords used when people query.
Depending on your bid and the maximum daily expenditure settings
you specify (the largest amount of payout you are willing to do on any
given day) your ad shows and you’re charged for each user who “clicks
through” the ad to your site.

Get published on other sites

The Internet is a wide place and a lot of people are out there every
day so try to participate in other sites with a similar interest to yours
and post articles and stories – be sure to include a link or reference to
your web site and viola! Free advertising!

Request Reviews from magazines and online webmasters

Many other sites have a link or ‘rating’ page where you can ask them
to provide feedback and suggestions on your page and its content –
doing so will often not only gather additional interest and visibility but
can help you to tweak your site and improve it to better meet your
needs.

Post in chat rooms and on blogs

Just as with posting articles using chat and blog entries to promote
your site is a good ‘semi-permanent’ way to get your website address
out there before the public.

Give away free gifts and hold contests

This is actually a variation of the customer rewards program idea – by
holding a contest, say a $100 grand prize eBook contest where you get the rights to all submitted eBooks and the winner gets $100 you can
generate traffic and often get other benefits. Ideas include ‘help
create a logo’ or ‘closes predictions for the upcoming election’ …
anything you can think of can be pressed into service in fact!

Join local business organizations

An often overlooked benefit of any community is the local businesses
and merchants as well as the Better Business Bureau. Being a
member can not only let your fellow businesses be aware of you and
your site, but can also introduce you to new concepts and tools you
can use to increase both your visibility and profitability.