How to Get Traffic - Part 1

Real World Tactics Internet Marketing For Real People!
Year 6, Issue 40 08-10-2007
Charlie Page - Publisher

Everyone wants more "traffic". But what is traffic, and is all traffic created equal?

Today I begin my three part series on traffic. I hope you enjoy it!

Why Promote Your Site the Hard Way?

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When it comes to making money online there are three elements that everyone MUST have in order to succeed.

1. Something to sell

2. A website that makes the sale and collects the money

3. People coming to that site and buying

Getting items 1 and 2 set up and in place are as easy as pie. In fact, you can have these in place in the next 10 minutes by bcoming an affiliate.

But it's that third element, getting REAL people to come to your site and buy something, that has most people stumped.

Getting visitors to your site is called, in Internet terms, getting traffic. And there is no other topic on which so much is written, and so much is wrong.

Being a fairly simple minded fellow, I like to keep things simple and easy to understand. In that light, here are some thoughts on understanding and getting traffic.

There are only two types of traffic.

1. Free Traffic
2. Paid Traffic

What this means is that you are going to have to buy traffic through either your efforts (free traffic) or your pocketbook (paid traffic).

Let's look at each and see how they work. This week we focus on free traffic.

If ever there was a siren song of the digital age, 'free traffic' is it.

Can you really get absolutely free traffic to your site? Sure. Can you build a business based on this traffic? Yes.

BUT - and there is always a but - you will have to learn how to get it and work hard as well. If that's okay with you, let's look at how it works.

Here are the main sources of free traffic, along with a word about each.

>>> SEARCH ENGINES - Often touted as the #1 way to get free traffic, the tactic here is to get your site listed in the venerated "top ten" search results. You can't trick the search engines, so the best way to do this is to provide content, and lots of it.

If your site is helpful to human readers you will do well. If you try and outsmart the search engines to get traffic you will go broke buying the latest and greatest thing that simply won't work, or won't work for long.

Create a CONTENT RICH site and the search engines will reward you by displaying that site when people search for the type of information you provide.

>>> FREE ADS - Free ads are a mixed blessing. They are free, which is good. They usually don't work, which is bad.

If you can get a free ad in a place where ads are usually sold, like the free ad you get for subscribing to some ezines or classified ad sites that are visited by people, then it might be worth the time.

BUT - ad blasters and automated submitters do not work in testing and are to be avoided.

>>> ARTICLES - Without a doubt, marketing with articles is the #1 free traffic method. You don't need to be Hemmingway to do this.

All you have to do is write a short article - about 500 words works best - that describes a problem people face and also provides ways to solve that problem.

Once your article is written, you can submit it to article directories, ezines, other website owners, and more to get the widest possible distribution.

Write and submit an article a week and very soon you will get very interested visitors who are proven to buy.

>>> VIRAL MARKETING - Viral marketing basically means creating something of value that others can give away while making sure you benefit from it being given away.

The most common form of this is a short booklet.

Creating a viral marketing booklet is a win-win situation. You win because the links in the product are yours, so you get paid when people click. Readers win because you provide valuable information and they can give the booklet free from their website.

Create a viral report and get visitors from the links inside the report, as well as visitors who want to give the report to others.

>>> PUBLISH AN EZINE - Publishing an ezine is highly profitable and easy to do. All you need to do is gather, or write, articles about a specific subject and publish an ezine (like the one you ar ereading now) on a schedule. That might mean every week, or every month.

You can get great articles from all sorts of places, like article directories or ezine directories.

Publish an ezine, offer it to everyone in your address book and who visits your site, and watch your traffic grow.

>>> PUBLISH A BLOG

This is super easy today. If you have a hosting account, the chances are you have blogging software on that account free. If not, you can always use Blogger.

The basic idea here is the same as a website ... provide great content and the search engines send people.

The advantage to a blog is that you can have some interactivity by letting people comment, and you can easily structure your blog for easy reading.

Set up a blog today, provide great content, and the search engines will send traffic over time.

>>> PARTICIPATE ON FORUMS

This is an excellent, and free, way to earn while you learn. The idea here is to visit forums that are specific to your site and post questions or make comments.

This works well if you understand reciprocity and are willing to give a bit before you receive. It does not work at all if your forum post is simply an ad in disguise.

Once forum members get to know and trust you a bit they will visit the site you list in your signature area. If you visit the forums specific to your topic of interest and get involved, you will get very targeted free traffic on a steady basis.

Other methods of getting traffic free include

* Provide endorsements
* Press releases
* Linking
* And more

You can read about most of these methods at
http://www.realworldtactics.com Just look on the home page for the "articles" link.

As you can see, there are many ways to get free traffic to your site. These methods take time that could be spent doing other things.

But if you have more time than money at this point in your life (and we've all been there) these techniques will work to get some traffic to your site.

I hope they work for you too.

Next week we are going to look at ways to get paid traffic, so stayed tuned!

Charlie Page helps people succeed online...

FOUR THINGS WE CANNOT RECOVER...

1. A stone after it is thrown

2. A word after it is said

3. Occasion after it is tossed (as a bouquet of flowers after a wedding)

4. Time after it is gone

Begin today making positive changes... And realize how our choices affect each other...

What is True Wealth?

I talk about how August is a great month for reflection. I spent time reflecting on my past and where I am today.

I am truly grateful for everything I have done, all that I achieved, and the people that helped me along the way.

I remember reading a book by Sir John Templeton (a billionaire), that talks about the meaning of "true wealth." In the book, Templeton talks about what true wealth means. True wealth is "gratitude." It doesn't matter what you make; whether you make ten dollars, ten thousand dollars, ten million dollars a year... if you are grateful you have true wealth.

I know in my signature I say, "Money Talks, Bullshit Walks," and I am sure people think all I care about is making money.

Honestly, I believe the EXACT opposite.

If you knew me personally, you would know I don't believe money is THE most important part of life. Your health, peace of mind, freedom... these are all MORE important than money alone.

BUT...

Money does make your life easier, it provides you freedom, and it allows you to remain healthy and put food on your table. While money may not be the MOST important item in one's life, it is very important to take care of your finances.

You MUST set a goal to become financially independent, so you do not have to worry about money ever again.

How can you enjoy what you do if you have to worry about paying the bills? When you do not have to worry about money, then you are free to focus on tasks that are more important to you.

So, I would definitely say I am grateful for what I have, but I do not plan to stop making money. I still have goals, huge massive financial goals, I want to achieve. I am just getting started, even as a multi-millionaire. There is so much I can do and learn.

If you have followed me for any length of time, you will know I am not static, I constantly learn. I encourage you to do the same to experience true wealth.

So, be grateful. I believe true wealth really is being grateful for what you have. Be grateful you have a house, you have a healthy family, and you feel ok.

I don't want to get metaphysical on you, but when you are grateful, it is much easier to attract wealth to you and live an easier life.

Dan "The Man" Lok

Today, Dan Lok is one of the most sought-after business mentors on the Web, as well as a best-selling author. His reputation includes his title as the World's #1 Website Conversion Expert. To find out what Dan is up to now, visit him at:

http://www.websiteconversionexpert.com/cmd.php?af=586317

P.S. If you want to get more links to your website from others, without complex software or linking strategies, check this out:

http://www.danlokrecommends.com/press.html

QUOTE OF THE DAY...

"The Secret to All Success:
Know what you want in life. Become the vibrational match for it in everything you think, feel, say, and do."

QUOTE OF THE DAY...

The Secret To All Success:
Know what you want in life. Become the vibrational match for it in everything you think, feel, say, and do.