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Posts Tagged ‘Traffic’

While the evolution of online marketing and the inevitable ensuing overcrowding of the space have made traditional direct marketing methods a bit more difficult over the last year or so, getting more traffic to your blog has gotten exponentially easier. Why? It’s quite simple! With the continued evolution of popular online communities like Stumbleupon, Mybloglog and others, taking a small blog in a new niche and publishing quality and entertaining information on a regular basis is an open invitation for boatloads of backsides to stop by and say hi!

The key is simply getting involved and jumping in! Create profiles at popular meeting places for people in YOUR niche, and join communities that serve those markets. Contribute thoughts, ideas and suggestions. Always provide a link back to your site so that other people can find you when they find your thoughts engaging and want to learn more!

One of the first things I tell people to do when I work with them one on one, is to find the appropriate categories on these social networks that serve their needs, and join as many of their COMPETITORS communities, forums, comment on their blogs, etc – all with the purest generosity of content and spirit. Simply get involved and contribute, it doesn’t have to be in an overt self serving way…my belief is invariably, simply by doing this, good content and good people do rise to the top, just like cream. And as your name starts popping up in different places as a generous and intelligent contributor to the dynamic discourse in your niche, so too will your place and position as a trusted source of great information.

And if you follow this sort of simple blueprint, within a few short weeks you will see large increases in your log files…within 90 days or less, you can completely revolutionize and transform a small blog started in the wee hours of the morning into a resting place for many passionate surfers in your niche, I have done it before…and promise it will work for you as well. Good luck!

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To earn revenue from your blog, you need traffic – a lot of it. With a small flow of traffic to your blog, you will be destined to days and days of little to no earnings, and the possibility of your blog failing. But with a hefty flow of traffic to your blog, you will have the benefit of sunny days and a happier state of mind as your chances of earning money dramatically increases.

There are many ways to get traffic to your blog. Lazy marketers love the idea of only advertising to get traffic to their blog – which can be a good strategy – if you know your conversation rates and understand the math of your business. However if you don’t, then you will have a few short days of comfort from all the traffic that your blog is getting, then the eventual shortage of traffic after all of your funds are depleted.

Luckily, there are tons of ways to get a lot of traffic to your blog that doesn’t cost anything at all. And in this article, I’m going to share some of those ways with you.

Never do something if it doesn’t make sense to you. If you see a competitor in your niche advertising someplace month after month, and you know that ad slot is expensive, don’t automatically assumed that you can succeed doing the same thing. You have no idea what the mechanics of their business is, and what things they’re doing behind the scenes to make their business profitable.

If you’re not willing to do everything that they’re doing to make your blog profitable, then you will have a tough time on your hand when your blog sales doesn’t recoup your advertisement investment.

Many beginner bloggers and novice internet marketers make the mistake of assuming that free marketing methods can’t bring a lot of traffic to your blog the same way that paid advertising can. I myself was guilty of this idea 5 years ago when I first got started, and I found myself spending endlessly on pay per click campaigns with very little sales – but eventually a failed business.

Everytime.

And this happened for 3 years straight, until I finally got with the program and built my business from the ground up. It doesn’t matter how you get traffic. All that matters is if you’re making enough income to pay your rent and bills. After you have the sufficient income to do that, if you want to be a guru of some sort, then I guess you have the option of doing so.

But you cant start the other way around and expect to see satisfying results. Therefore right now, I’m going to share with you 2 of the same free traffic techniques I used (and still use) to get traffic, and that benefit me greatly in my online marketing efforts. Here’s my first free traffic method:

1) Article marketing

This method is great for generating traffic to your blog. What you do is you write articles that relate to your blog and submit them to the article directories. Preferably you want to write the articles yourself, as no one knows your business better than you do. But if you’re not a writer, you can outsource the writing to a freelancer.

No matter what you choose, your articles should be extremely beneficial to your target audience. The benefit here is that at the end of each article, you get to leave your blog information in the form of an “author byline”. This is how people will visit your blog. After you’ve written your article, you want to submit them to the article directories. Here are a few that I use myself:

- EzineArticles.com

- Articlesbase.com

- GoArticles.com

- ArticleDashboard.com

- Ideamarketers.com

This method is fantastic for generating alot of traffic to your blog. Here’s the other method that I highly recommend:

2) Forum Marketing

Forums contain people in your target audience all in one central location. All you have to do is join the community and provide your valuable content and insights related to your blog. This is a great way to become an expert in your niche. The more valuable information you share, the more people will want to find out more about you and the more visitors you will get to your blog.

One thing you want to make sure not to do is blatantly advertise your blog on the forum. This is an absolute no-no in the world of forums and is the fastest way to get banned from one. Stick with helpful information and ideas and the traffic will naturally come. It’s only natural that this will happen.

Using these 2 traffic sources can provide you with recurring traffic for years to come. I highly suggest you start using them today.

FOR MORE INFO: Learn how you too can increase your blog traffic simply and easily without spending a dime on advertising. To discover little-known blog traffic methods, visit here for more details: Blog Traffic Methods

First we start with some keyword research, unless you already have a list of good keywords to use for your business. Make a list of keywords that are relevant to whatever you are promoting online, for example my keywords for my business are: cruise to cash, cruise2cash, ect. If you need help finding keywords for your promotional efforts, there is a free keyword suggestion tool you can download at the GoodKeywords website. This tool can also be useful for finding out the Google page rank and Alexa rank of websites. Another free tool you may try is the free wordtracker search volume tool.

Now we use the keywords from our list to find out how many searches there are for our chosen keywords.

Concentrate on the keywords from your list that are showing the most searches, then head over to Google and simply enter your keyword in as the search term. Now at the top of the page you see the word “Results”, this is where we will see how many websites we are competing with for our chosen keywords.

As a rule, we would like to see less than 6,000 or so listed under “Results” for our keywords to stand any

chance of showing up on the first page of major search engines. Too many results ?, try coming up with

some variations of your keyword until you see less than 6,000 results. For example the search term:

cruise to cash, shows 1,620,000 results and the variation of this keyword: cruisetocash shows 12,000.

Much less competition with that keyword, so it is added to my keyword list. It may be possible to get

your website listed on the first page using keywords that have more competition, as long as you are

using the websites with a very high Google page rank, listed in this article.

Now that we have a good list of keywords for our promotional efforts, I will show you some free methods you can use to promote your Cruise To Cash business, or any other for that matter online. These free

methods also give you one way links back to your website, this can be part of your SEO strategy.

My favorite free method I use to promote Cruise To Cash, is thru article marketing.

Let’s find free article directory websites that have a high page rank, this will give us a good chance to

show up on the first page search results for our keywords. Article marketing is also one of the most powerful website promotional methods due to the fact that many webmasters are always looking for content for their websites. When someone puts your article on a high traffic website, this can really boost the amount of visitors to your website since the link back to your website is kept intact with your article.

A few of the high page rank article directory websites you may want to try are: EzineArticles, and GoArticles. If you are new to article marketing, these article directory sites have plenty of tips and

guidelines to assist you. Just get started and put that keyword list to good use. Do not do any blatant

sales pitches in an article. Some good ideas for the type of article you might want to do include:

A Review article (give a review of your business or product), FAQ article, Tips, Top 10 reasons, ect.

In the Resource Box (or BIO) is where you can add the link to your website.

Another free method that I see most (if not all) of the top online marketers using is: video. There are many video hosting, and sharing websites with a very high page rank, that

you can upload a video of yourself explaining the benefits of your business or product to your target

audience. You will be able to use your keywords here, as well as get a one way link back to your website.

Some of the video sharing websites you can try are: YouTube, Blogger, Livevideo, Revver, Myspace, the list goes on. Just search Google for the term “free video sharing”, or “free video hosting”, if you need more places to upload your video for free. I have seen a few Cruise To Cash members using most of these video sites. Video is quickly becoming the hottest way to promote anything online right now, so it would seem this is a great way to promote your business. Some marketers use video to show a tour of their website, others speak directly to their audience. Check the terms of service, and any guidelines for using any particular video hosting site.

Lets not forget blogging as another free method for getting one way links from high PR websites,

also I see many blogs showing up on Google’s first page for my keyword: “cruise to cash.” As is the case

with article marketing, we do not want to do any blatant sales pitch in a blog either.

Some of the highest PR blog sites you can try are: WordPress, Blogger, Myspace, Squidoo, Bizzyblogz. WordPress is the most powerful of these blog sites, yet they have a strong anti-blog-spam

policy. So definitely no sales pitch allowed here, or your blog will be removed if it is considered spam.

As for the other blog sites, read their terms of use as not all of them are so strict.

Another FREE method I use to promote Cruise To Cash, is the use of a Press Release.

You can get on Google’s first page for your search results using a Press Release, that makes it another

powerful tool at your disposal. A Press Release is written in a very different format, more like an

interview with someone, quoting what the person being interviewed has to say. You can be both the

reporter and the source for a Press Release (I know that sounds strange). Not to worry, the websites

you can do a Press Release on also have simple tips and a guide to show you the format your

Press Release must be submitted in, so it is easy when you get the hang of it. A few Press Release

websites you may want to check out are: 24-7PressRelease, Free-PressRelease.

There you have it, a few great free ways to get visitors to check out your Cruise To Cash business

website. To give you an idea of how much you could save by using these free, but very effective methods

over pay per click advertising for example: The same number of free visitors to my website from

an article would cost me around $180. That’s just for around 100 clicks with ppc advertising.

If you this article to be useful, checkout my website. You will find more information on how you can avoid scams and make money online by joining a successful team. You can even take a free test drive to see for yourself how this one of a kind business can work for you. I look forward to working with you. For more info: Cruise To Cash [http://best-cruise-to-cash.com/index.html]

If your blog is not getting the amount of traffic that you desire, you may need to employ a few simple techniques to help increase and retain your audience. In my experience successful blogging comes down to good content, frequency, social participation, effective promotion and retention.

Every blog needs to start with a base of good content. What I have learned is that it’s not just the message you are delivering, it’s how you are delivering it. As a for instance I have all but given up on writing articles for my blog. Instead I have chosen to do all of my posts as video. This has not only increased my traffic, it has improved the participation in the form of comments. Think about the audience you want to attract, how will you educate, entertain and engage them?

The number of times you update your blog will directly impact the size of your audience. If you only update once a month people will get used to that and not necessarily check back very often. If you update every day your audience will grow much faster. Now I understand that in a perfect world we can’t all fill the YouTube video every day and post it to our blogs. But you can set a reasonable goal of at least 1 to 2 times weekly. The frequency of your updates mixed with the quality of your content will directly dictate how quickly your traffic grows and how viral your posts are.

Many bloggers make the mistake of turning off or moderating the comments on their blog. An even bigger mistake is when bloggers delete comments of a negative nature. I have learned to allow anything that is not spam to be posted as a comment on my site. Recently someone even commented on my physical appearance in a negative way and I replied with laughter and acknowledged the flaw. This not only helps to make your blog appear more genuine, it also helps for people to feel some sense of community there.

The easiest way to promote your blog for free is using a few simple tools. The first I will point you to is the SU.PR plug in. This plug-in is brought to you by stumbleupon and allows you to auto post your new blog entries to twitter and Facebook. The second tool I want you to test is the sharethis plug-in. This plug-in allows your users to easily post entries to digg.com and other social networking sites.

One of the best ways to retain users is by using a good RSS feed management system. Google feed burner is the best free service I have found. The great thing about this service as it allows you to put an e-mail subscription box in your sidebar. Every time you update your blog Google will mail a summary and link to the new post. There is no limit on the size of your mailing list and it doesn’t cost you a dime to maintain it.

Brad likes to write about topics surrounding personal development, Social media and Internet marketing. download his free internet marketing course videos or to learn more about internet marketing, visit Brad’s blog http://www.BradGosse.com/

Are you thrilled with the design of your blog? As your blog becomes more popular, and you start to get a feel for who you are as a blogger, you might decide that it’s time for a design overhaul. Or, perhaps you never gave the design much thought and you are ready to now. It is extremely important to understand that a good blog design can be crucial to the success of your blog.

Here are 3 websites that are user friendly and offer killer blog designs:

1. Wp101.com is dedicated to getting new bloggers up and running fast with WordPress. It features a 17 part video tutorial on how to create and optimize a blog in the shortest amount of time. “These are the perfect videos for a newbie… and a novice. I learned things I didn’t even know I needed. You will too.”– Sheila Atwood

2. TypePod.com offers hundreds of blog designs, simple publishing tools and a large menu of professional support services to choose from. “It is easier and cheaper than ever before to launch a small business thanks, in part, to low cost online tools.”-Steve King

3. Squarespace.com is ideally suited for authors, doctors, lawyers, teachers and other professional service providers. They also provide Squarespace iPhone Application. “This is the kind of software the Internet has been crying out for.”- Wall Street Journal Online

The design itself can also be a factor. In some cases, bloggers choose themes that are just too over-the-top. Your content should be the focus here. If your actual design is distracting, and you’ll probably make fewer affiliate sales and get fewer people reading your blog. Sometimes, simple is definitely the way to go when it comes to blogging.

When you have a simple, attractive, and on-topic blog theme, you’ll find that everything else will start to come together too. Your readers will want to visit – they will want to read and add comments because the site is welcoming. Keep in mind, however, that while the design should be pleasing and on topic, it should never be the focus or a distraction. If it is the focus, then the chances are that you’ll make a lot less money than you could have otherwise.

Visit other blogs in your niche to get a feel for what kind of design you might want to use for your own blog. What themes are they using? Is their blog easy to navigate?

If you are starting to make money with your blog, then it may be time for you to purchase a flexible theme you can customize. You can even hire someone to create a theme just for you! You can use a bidding site like Elance.com or Guru.com to find the freelancer that is right for you. Having your own blog theme will allow you to have a blog design that suits your blog perfectly.

No matter whether you use a free theme, premium theme, or get one designed for you, it’s important to put some thought into your blog design. Don’t let it be a distraction, and ensure that it compliments your content and your methods of monetization.

Thomas Reidy is an expert blogger; specializing in coaching beginner bloggers on how to quickly and easily start their own money making blogs–just by devoting 15 minutes a day. Get 5 brand new money making blog secrets at http://BlogMoney24-7.com.

There’s a very good chance if you are a regular Internet user that you spend a fair amount of time at online forums. For the people reading this article who don’t know what a forum is, here’s a brief introduction.

Online forums or “community forums”, are dynamic websites that allow users to start discussions by posting new topics, which other members of the forum can reply to. Forums are available for any topic with a following from hobbies, to business, to gossip, entertainment – virtually anything!

While forums come in different sizes, from the brand new that resemble ghost towns because no one uses them (yet), to large uber-communities, with tens of thousands of new posts made every day.

I won’t go into more detail because forums, while being simple in concept, are complex in features, you really need to go check some out if you have never seen one. Forums bring together like minded people with a common interest. If you are a forum virgin I think you will quickly become addicted once you join one full of people who share your interests and passions.

HOW TO USE FORUMS TO PROMOTE YOUR BLOG

Let me start with how not to use forums to promote your blog. DON’T join a forum and make your first post something like this

Hey check out my blog, it’s great – www.myblog.com

Blatant self promotion doesn’t go down well in forums, especially if you are a new member. Forum communities have rules for conduct and won’t tolerate bad behaviour. Often rules are available as “sticky” posts, which are at the top of each forum page, so read them if you are unsure of what is expected from members. Even if there are no specific rules, it’s never a good idea to start off your membership in a community by trying to sell or promote something. Would you start a new friendship by trying to get a person to buy from you? No you wouldn’t, so don’t try it in a forum either.

Credibility, as I’ve mentioned before, is important, and when using forums as a traffic tool for your blog, your credibility is important again. Forum communities often have what I like to call “elders”. These are members who have made thousands of posts and have a lot of respect in the forum. They may be moderators who have been members of the forum for many years. Elders have a lot of credibility since they have devoted so much time to the forums.

ADDING VALUE TO A FORUM

You don’t have to become an “elder” in a forum, although if you find a forum which has the perfect audience for your blog, becoming an “elder” it may be one of the best traffic strategies for you to aim for long term.

The important concept to grasp is — to actually get someone to click through from an entry you make in a forum to your blog you need to have credibility and add value. The more often you add value, the more credibility you gain.

Adding value to a forum is just like adding value to your blog. If you help people to solve problems, gain insights or make money, you add value to their life. How you eventually gain traffic is simple – you leave links to your blog in posts you make in forums.

Here’s how I do it

Step 1: Forum signature and photograph

Your forum signature is the most important tool for gaining traffic from forums. In your signature you leave a link to your blog and for most forums your signature can be automatically added to the end of every post you make. Once you set it up you’re done – every post you make to a forum is a little advertisement for your blog.

Make sure, if the forum rules permit it, that you set this up first. Some forums only allow you to have a signature after you have made a certain number of posts or restrict what content and style you can use in your signature. Be aware of signature policies before creating your signature.

You should also include an avatar/photograph in your profile which is displayed in every post you make. If you are into personal branding like I am, and you should be if you want more blog traffic, it’s important you start exposing your image and name in as many places as you can. Posts made to forums help increase exposure and public awareness of “you”.

Step 2: Add Value

Once you have the basic profile data set up you need to start adding value to the forum. This means you can’t be a lurker – just reading the forum isn’t going to get you traffic. You need to start making posts, demonstrate your knowledge, expertise and personality by helping people, interacting and making friends.

Step 3: Indirect Self Promotion

Once you have built up a little credibility you can start to subtly self promote your blog outside of your signature. It’s still not acceptable to spread links to your blog everywhere, but what I like to do is offer links to my blog pillar articles when one of them is relevant to a question or discussion in a forum. This is a great way to add value to a forum and send traffic to your blog – just remember you have to get the context spot on or you will appear to be self promoting.

SIGNATURE POWER

If you just focus on making 10 value adding posts to forums every day by the end of the year you will have over 3500 links pointing to your blog, sending a nice consistent trickle of traffic to your blog. The more credibility and respect you have in a forum the greater the potential for that trickle to become a stream or even a torrent of traffic.

For your Internet Help questions, including blog promotion, traffic generation and the like, I recommend Internet Help Direct where internet-related questions get answered by knowledgeable users.

Why is blogging a good way to get free traffic? It’s free, easy to do, and over time it delivers tons of traffic!

Here’s a couple of tips that’ll help you get the most out of your blog:

1. Fresh Content

The search engines love blogs because they are full of fresh content. This is a key to understanding how to get the most out of your blog.

For example, if you do a search on Google for the ultra-competitive search phrase “make money online” you’ll find that many of the top 10 positions are taken up by blogs!

When you visit the blogs, you’ll find that they have new content posted on there almost every day.

If you make just one new post to your blog daily, you’ll see that traffic to your site will increase exponentially. The more posts you have, the more your blog will appear in the search engines and the more traffic you’ll get.

Make sure the content is unique. Don’t simply copy and paste someone else’s stuff. Firstly, it’s illegal, and secondly, you won’t get ranked highly, if at all, in the search engines.

2. Make Your Blog SEO Friendly

There are certain things you can do to make your blog get listed faster and higher in the search engines:

insert keywords and tags that identify what your post is about
make sure your blog post title accurately describes what you are discussing
add images and name and label those images accurately
notify sites of any new posts by pinging them

By following these two suggestions, you’ll get heaps of free, targeted traffic to your blog.

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