Four Tips to Draw Traffic to Your Web Site

Now that the Internet is used by roughly 70 percent of all
Americans, just about everyone has a site or two they log on to
regularly. Aside from search engines, some of the most popular
sites on the Web today include eBay, Amazon.com, Google and
MSNBC. Google, for example, generates millions of page views
each month.
So what is it about these sites that draw such huge crowds? One
secret lies in constantly evolving content. Internet users feel
the need to check back throughout the day because new auctions
will be added to eBay; Amazon.com will offer new products and
sales; and MSNBC will add and update news stories. Many local
newspapers and television stations around the country are on the
bandwagon too, staffed with online editors who keep their sites
updated throughout the day.
But the majority of sites don’t have the luxury of extra
staffing or content to update. So what can they do to draw
traffic? Webmasters have four key strategies at their disposal:
search engines, traffic networks, links and articles. The best
webmasters incorporate all four of these methods to increase
traffic to their sites.
* Articles
Offering quality content on your site is one of the easiest ways
to draw traffic, particularly because of the way Web searches
work. For example, if your site’s purpose is to sell tools,
don't just post your items and hope they sell. Provide your
users with articles that give them helpful tips on how to use
your products, and valuable information on related topics within
your industry. Original content is great, but you don’t have to
generate the material yourself.
One popular option is to sign up for a free membership with
Content Infusion, a syndicated feature article service that
offers copyright-free articles on a variety of topics, including
home improvement, business and careers, money and personal
finance, gardening, food and entertainment and healthy living.
All articles and photos are free of charge.
Interested webmasters can log onto www.contentinfusion.com and
sign up for a free membership. After selecting the categories
that best fit their site, they can customize the articles so
that they match the look and feel of their existing site.
Webmasters then can copy and paste the HTML, JavaScript or XML
code into their site, and they’re all set. Fresh content will
continually populate their site with no additional maintenance.
“We have hundreds of articles in more than a dozen topic areas
available,” says Josh Madigan, product manager of Content
Infusion. “The beauty of the service is you can pick and choose
which categories are most appropriate for your site. Older
articles are automatically removed, and new ones are added each
week.”
* Search Engines
Getting your site recognized by the major search engines is
another good step to take. The first thing you should do is make
sure your site is search engine optimized, meaning the pages
contain keyword rich titles and text. A good title contains the
most relevant keywords, describes what your site is about, and
is less than 80 characters long. Keywords should also appear
within the body of the text, but don’t overdo it. The search
engines will penalize you for excessive key wording. Once you
think your site is ready, submit your site address or URL to the
top search engines and directories on the Web: Google, Yahoo and
Netscape, and in no time, traffic will likely pick up.
* Traffic Networks
Another way to bring people to your site is by joining a traffic
network like Traffic Swarm. All you have to do to join is log on
to www.trafficswarm.com , enter some basic information about the
site or sites you want to promote -- a Category, the URL, a
Title, and a Description, and the information will be used to
generate targeted links to your site, which are then displayed
throughout the Traffic Swarm network. A basic listing on this
network is free. The beauty of traffic networks is that they
bring traffic that is targeted to your primary audience.
* Adding Links
Adding links to your site is another way to grow your traffic.
Some webmasters simply search the web and then e-mail related
sites asking for a link swap, but this method can be time
consuming. An easier way to do it is to search for web
directories with similar businesses already onboard and join.
Some sites will charge a fee for the privilege, but the majority
of them are free.
“A Website’s ability to target and capture an audience is
crucial to its success. It is audience retention that gives you
a forum to further market, sell to and communicate with members
of the community you’ve created,” adds Madigan.
To sign up for the free service offered by Content Infusion, log
on to www.contentinfusion.com and follow the prompts.