Three Free... and Effective... Internet Traffic Strategies

By: Alan Richardson

Its perhaps the most frustrating dilemma we internet businessmen face. How to effectively drive internet traffic to our website business, without draining your budget or wasting your valuable time.

Indeed, if you're not being bombarded by internet hawkers promising to attract tons of visitors to your site, for a hefty fee, you're suffering information overload reading about the latest complementary, and confusing, interent traffic tactics being promoted.

And although established advertising programs, such as Google PPC and Adsense, and others, have proven effective, they can also strain the financial resources of small companies like ours.

So, are there effective methods for generating traffic that are proven, easy to grasp and implement, and cost-effective (OK...Free)? There are. Use the three methods below and you may just find the kind of traffic jam that turns your pockets green. 

1. Link it

It's one of the most effective website traffic methods on the internet, but one that is sometimes under utilized. Building a network of related website businesses to exchange links with, will not only delite the search engines, but exposes your web business to a host of additional user communities.

And don't ignore other lesser-known methods for getting yourself linked up. Take advantage of free public relations sites (e.g. prweb.com) that allow you to submit press releases about your business. These short press reports, with a link to your web business site, get picked up and distributed throughout the media network. A sure traffic generator.

2. Kick up the content

Yes, content IS king. Nothing is appreciated more by customer and search engine alike as content that is keyword-rich and interesting. And the better you can tie your content and keyword phrases to your business purpose the more traffic will flow to your site. Use complementory keyword suggestion tools like Overture or Good Keyword to assist you in focusing on the best terms for attracting visitors.

The internet is full of business-relevant articles you can fit on your site, with the only requirement being attribution for the author of those articles. However, better yet, write these articles yourself. No, it's not really that hard. You do NOT have to be a professional... just write like you talk.

As the author, you have the opportunity to submit your article to a vast and ever-growing network of article sites. These article sites are the source of tons of web visitors. Since, your article contains a link to your site, you can generate hundreds of search engine friendly links back to your website, in addition to thousands of potential customers.

3. Meet Meta Tags

Their misuse has caused a number of search engines to ignore them when ranking websites. However, many more still use them as part of their ranking strategy. Meta tags describe your website. Incorporate your business' keywords in this description and you have an easy vehicle for driving traffic to your site.

Try implementing these three methods in your own web business. Not only will you experience a greater flow in visitors, but in the kind of visitors who are interested in what you've got to offer. The type of visitors that turn into paying customers.

copyright 2005 Alan Richardson

About The Author Alan Richardson is a well-known internet marketing consultant and publisher with http://www.optimalwebservices.com - a Web resource firm in North Easton, Massachusetts, offering free advice and information for web-based small businesses and entrepreneurs. To read other articles by Alan, click here. To signup for the free 'Optimal Web Services for Small Business' ezine, click here