Thursday, August 22, 2013

10 Ways to Generate Traffic to Your Site for Free

Most businesses now count on a web presence as a big part of their marketing campaign. Whether it is a small start-up or a major corporation, Internet marketing is absolutely necessary for businesses that want to reach the biggest audience. Luckily for those just starting out, there are a number of ways to drive traffic to your website for free. Here are ten free ways to get people to your site.
1. Social Media

One of the best free ways to start getting clicks on your webpage is by starting with your friends and family. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have become one of the best free ways to reach people you already know and to broaden your audience with people that you do not. Every time you put a link on Facebook or Twitter there is a chance someone will click on it from your network and then pass it along to a friend and so on. You can even try to get your link on the page of a competitor or a celebrity that can broadcast it to a larger audience.
2. Writing a Guest Blog

Many sites will allow you to write blogs for their site in exchange for putting a backlink to your page. This can be a great way to generate focused traffic, as the people on that click on your link will have already shown some interest in the topic. Try to find a blog in your niche that welcomes guest bloggers and then write something interesting for them. You can reach out to them via email. You should write the email and don't copy and paste your outreach emails to these prospecting clients.
3. Participate in Forums

Another great free way to get your website some traffic is by participating in forums that relate to your website, product or service. If you are promoting your sports blog then you could participate in sports related forums. You shouldn’t just keep putting your link on the forum, however, as it will make you look like spam. Instead, makeinteresting comments and participate in debates and then use a link to your site im your signature. This is an effective way to get your link in front of people that are interested in the topic, which will send more focused, qualified customers to your site.
4. Comment on Blogs

This is similar to #3, as you will essentially be trying to get your name or website in front of people that are already interested in the topic. If you know of a blog that is in your niche you should go there and make some comments. They might ask you to write a guest blog for their site, but even if they don’t you will at least be getting your name in front of the people that read the blog. You can try commenting on several blogs in your niche, which will increase the chances that you get some traffic.
5. Write an Article
Another free way to get traffic to your site it by writing an article about a related topic and then linking your page to it. You should try to write an article that has some helpful information that people are actually searching for. You should do some keyword research in your niche and try to come up with article subjects and titles that are related to popular searches. “How to” articles and “Top 10” type articles are always popular and could generate a lot of free traffic for your site.
6. Interview Someone in Your Field

This is probably best for bloggers and websites that already get some traffic, but an interview with someone in your niche or field could generate a lot of free traffic. This is because you will not only get traffic from people searching for the topic, but also people that are searching for the person you interviewed. If you are lucky enough to interview someone that is famous then this can be a huge boost to your traffic.
7. Make a Video
People are increasingly turning to video over text. To take advantage you can make a “How to” video or tutorial about your topic. Just be sure to make it interesting or informative and to put your link in the description as well as in the video. The other main key about video that YouTube is the #2 search engine, therefore, you be able to searched via Google search and YT search. Youtube is also a good source to drive mobile traffic to your site.
8. Do a Podcast

Podcasts are extremely popular. You can make one that deals with your specific topic or niche. You can mention your website many times during the podcast, which will help generate free traffic for your site. Many individuals interview people in their niche that give tips or advice to their community. For instance, if your site is about french food try to outreach to the top french cooks in the country. 
9. Use Proper SEO

This could be an entire article unto itself. The best way to get the most out of search engine optimization is by hiring a qualified SEO consultant. They will know the latest ways to help get your site to the top of search engines. A good rule of thumbs in SEO is that content is king. If you generate good content on a consistent basis you will increase the links and audience of your site.
10. Keep at it
You should not expect to see results in the first day or even the first month. If you keep plugging away and use a variety of these free techniques, you can drive traffic to your site without spending a dime. The hardest part about this expression is it takes a lot of work. Nothing comes easy, and those who spend the time and put in the work will generate results.