"If you build it, they will come." In the hit movie, Field of Dreams, this was the litany that played through the weaving of the film. It was magical, the happening like something phenomenal and ethereal. At times, getting website traffic can seem like that movie. Put up a website, and magically visitors will appear.
Can you say Hogwash! That magic only works in the movies, and no matter how wonderful your website, if you don't take a few basic steps, it will just sit there and gather virtual dust. The only way to get traffic to your site is by learning the basics of website promotion. Online promotion is totally different that traditional promotion, but if you can grasp and use the secrets, a line of virtual headlights will be heading towards your field.
1. SEO is the starting point. SEO or search engine optimization is the core of any good website promotion plan. SEO involves using keywords which are words that are part of an article on a webpage that are specific in describing what is on eht page. There should be inbound or incoming links from relevant sources, and URL submission to the major search engines like Google and Yahoo to let them and the world know that your site exists.
2. Create relationships at social networking sites. A huge part of your promotion will be involved in getting inbound links, which build your reputation with search engines. Many people use public social networks like Facebook, Flickr, YouTube, or community forums to get those links. The trick is including your inbound link with appropriate anchor text on every post you make. However, never post just to get that link out there; every person reading your comment is a potential customer, and your job is to make them like you. How do you feel when someone barges into a conversation and tries to sell you a vacuum cleaner? Same thing.
3. Write articles and give them away. Seriously. A good article given away for free stands a fair chance of being reproduced on multiple websites. The trick: your articles should each end with a resource box containing a little about you, and good anchor text with a link back to your site. More free links, more potential customers.
4. Write ebooks and give them away. The power of giving away ebooks was one of the first things discovered by online viral marketers. You won't get inbound links in most cases, as search engines don't normally spider ebooks; however, a good book will be shared over and over. On every page, insert your website address in a discrete part of the header or footer. Readers will know where to come for more information.
5. Get other sites to link to you. This is usually done with the free article trick, but you can offer hordes of other free goodies: ebooks, online tools, free software downloads. You may also be able to guest blog for someone with good traffic, or just pay them to run your link somewhere on their site. Just make sure their Google rank is high before you spend all that time and money.
6. Offer free services. Recipes, calorie counters, and exercise charts are perfect content for a weight loss site because people will keep coming back to use the tools. Automated tarot reading and astrology charts work well for paranormal sites. What can you offer?
7. Create an affiliate program. Affiliate marketers are like a freelance sales force - you don't pay them until they make a sale. Not only do you sell product, but they include a well-formatted link back to your site on their own sites.
8. Run contests with real prizes. There are dozens of contest clearinghouse sites, and if you let them know you have a contest, they'll link back to you. Think carefully before running a contest; your prize offering should be targeted to bring in the type of traffic who will stay to buy, not who are just coming out to make a few bucks.
While there are plenty of ways to get traffic flowing for our site, these are just a few to get you started. While Field of Dreams was content to just build it, you need to take the saying a bit further: "If you build it AND promote it correctly, the will definitely come. And come. And come."
