One of the first things you should know when owning a website or blog is that it needs visitors. Sounds simple and obvious doesn't it? It is obvious that you need lots of traffic to not only help your site grow but to also make money. Some people get very disappointed when they create an awesome blog/website and find out that very few people are visiting it. This is something that should not discourage you or push you away from trying. Building solid and targeted traffic takes time and does not happen right away. So before I get into the 10 tips, I would like to say this before:
Do NOT give up.
If you believe you have a great idea or product, then keep trying your hardest.
Do NOT fall into scam sites that offer to give you thousands of visitors in one day.
Traffic building does take time, but with patience and the right resources you can increase it dramatically.
Always try to have a target audience so that your visitors are the type you actually want on your site.
Once traffic is flowing, you are NOT done. Improvements can always be made, and your current visitors need to stay interested.
10 Easy Ways To Increase Website / Blog Traffic
1. Yahoo Answers - this is a service offered by Yahoo that allows people to ask any type of question, while others answer. Once enough answers are collected, one is chosen as the "Best Answer" and is placed at the top of the page so everyone can see it. There are tons of people who use Yahoo Answers each day and no matter what your niche market is, there is a category for it.
Let's say you have a blog about computer repair. You will want to go to Yahoo Answers, go to the computers category and answer questions there.
What you need to do is choose the categories that fit your niche, answer questions (create good detailed answers), and include your website/blog url in your profile. There is also a source box that allows you to input the website where you found your answer information from. Do not abuse this box.
Once you have answered a lot of questions, and some have been chosen as the best, you will most likely receive targeted traffic from Yahoo Answers. This creates good traffic to your website/blog and can also create a network of people who are share the same interests. Yahoo Answers also appears in search results from places such as Google.
2. Forum Posting
Posting in forums is a great way to increase website traffic and at the same time you get to help others, discuss topics, and meet people with similar interests. The best thing to do is to search for forums that are related to your website category, register for them, and start posting. One of my favorite and most popular forums is DigitalPoint.
Do not just join a forum and start spamming "Check out my site!" because you will either be ignored or flagged as spam. The point is to actually participate in other forums and share your thoughts with others who share the same interests as you. This creates loyal visitors and can even turn those people into customers if you own a business. You can also start your own topics for discussion but just make sure that you actually stick to the subject.
So how does posting in forums help you gain traffic? At almost every forum, you are able to include a "signature" and this little piece is what gives you traffic. A signature is text or an image that is displayed below your name or post. You can include your website URL in the signature so that others will directly see it when viewing your post. Great attention and it works!
If the forum does not allow signatures, then include your website URL in your profile.
3. Social Media
This is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to sharing your articles and increasing visitors. When it is done correctly, it can dramatically change your results. Social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and Digg are all great tools for blogging and increasing traffic.
Each site has its own benefits but all of them serve the same purpose, to share information with others in an easy and reasonable way. Whenever you have great content that you know will be shared because it is useful, then you will want to use social media to spread the word. After you create an article, video, or other media type then you will want to submit it to your social media sites. This will allow others who are networked with you, to view and share that information with their friends.
So how does sharing on social media sites help generate traffic? Let's say you create a GREAT post or video that you think everyone will love, and you share it to your social media sites. Then a few people or your friends love it and they share it, and then their friends love it and share it, and it goes on and on. It can become a continuous chain of sharing which in return gives you a HUGE amount of traffic and new visitors to your website. Social media is one of the top ways to increase web traffic.
4. Blog Commenting
This is a very simple one to do and can be very effective over a period of time. You will want to find blogs that relate to your niche market. So for example if your niche blog is shopping, then you will want to do a search for shopping blogs.
Once you do a search for these blogs, go through each one and find some interesting posts (that are new or highly discussed), and comment on them. Make sure that your comments are actually good and on topic, so that others will read them. You can usually include your name and website for most blogs, so that when you comment, that information will be shown.
This is a great way to participate in other blog communities and to increase targeted traffic.
5. Create Good Content
No matter what your blog or website is about, the same rule always applies and that rule is "Content Is King". This means you could have a ton of traffic to your site, but not make any money because your content is not interesting or appealing in any way. Content is always the number one factor when it comes to having a successful site. Without it, you are nowhere and just left with a shell and visitors with nothing to look at.
Always make sure that your content is unique and original. Do not steal it from others and try to call it your own. You need to write about topics that appeal to your targeted audience. Make sure that your post is correctly worded and easy to understand. Keep your readers interested so that they will want to continue reading and navigate through the rest of your site.
If you are feeling like you are running out of ideas or just need a break from creating new content, then ask others who are knowledgeable to help you out and do a guest post. This will keep fresh material on your site and also take a little work off your shoulders. You may even find out that you can create a great team of writers and expand your current site.
6. SEO
SEO or Search Engine Optimization is a way for webmasters to tweak their website so that they are able to rank higher in search engines, improve quality in search engine results, improve visitor count, and allow search engines to find their site faster.
There are lots of ways to help your site using SEO and it takes a lot of time to fully understand each tool but with a lot of patience and hard work, you can increase your traffic. There are also a lot of SEO services that you can pay to do the work for you. This is a good last resort for people who have tried everything with SEO and just cannot figure out what to do next. I highly recommend that you at least research SEO and try to improve it yourself first because it is free.
To start out, I have included a great link that has a great variety of FREE SEO tools and is very useful for website/blog owners. BestSEOTools.net is a good place to get started.
7. Link Exchange
Link exchange is simple and effective. Basically you find other websites/blogs that are in the same niche market and ask them to exchange links. This means a link to your website is placed on theirs, and you do the same in return. It is a great way to increase traffic and to be indexed on other sites. Exchanging links with a website that has a high amount of traffic and a good history is the best choice.
Do not create a HUGE list of links on your website because it can look bad and Google guidelines may not approve. Try to limit yourself to maybe 5-10 solid links.
8. Host Contests And Prize Giveaways
This has always been around but is now becoming more popular with Twitter. Everyone loves FREE things and when that prize or product is cool and they want it, you will have their attention. Not only will you have their attention, but their friends' as well.
Giving away a free product or cash in a contest is a great way to create a buzz online. You may have seen iPad giveaways on tech sites and have noticed the amount of response they get. It is HUGE! I know you are thinking "I can't afford to give away an iPad" but no matter what your budget is, there is always options. Set yourself a budget and think of a cool prize that relates to your website/blog, and host a contest. Make sure the contest is noticeable on all pages of your site. Participation may include signing up for a newsletter, commenting, adding you as a friend, or anything you want really.
The most effective contest is through social media because everyone and their friends will know about it. You can host your contest on your site but advertise it through Twitter and Facebook to capture the attention of everyone. Try out different types of contests and use different methods, but always make sure that you explain the rules clearly. You will not be disappointed by the results!
9. Be Patient
And finally be patient. I know this may seem obvious but some people do not realize how much time it can take to build a great blog/website. Having thousands or even millions of visitors per month seems like it is hard to do (and it is) it is not impossible. With a lot of hard work, passion, patience, and motivation you can create a successful online business or blog and I promise you that you will be happy.
Don't give up just because you don't receive 1,000 visitors your first week or if you don't make $1,00 a week. It is about building a great website and making money but most of all, sharing your passion with others. If you keep that as a goal, then you will always be successful and happy.
I hope this post was extremely helpful and motivational for you. I look forward to reading your comments. Happy blogging!
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