Title: 9 Ways to Increase Web Traffic Word Count: 696 Summary: There are many ways to increase web traffic; the most valuable of course is offering some ongoing and dynamic value such as blogs or online discussion that keep the same people coming back, but a host of other options exist including Keywords: home business,work at home,home based business,online business,affiliate,affiliate program,affiliate marketing,internet marketing,work from home,internet business Article Body: There are many ways to increase web traffic; the most valuable of course is offering some ongoing and dynamic value such as blogs or online discussion that keep the same people coming back, but a host of other options exist including: Search Engine Optimization We’ve touched on this in previous chapters but “Search Engine Optimization” or “SEO” as it is often referred to is a huge success for many sites, and has even spawned a service industry in its own right where people are getting paid to optimize your site and site submissions to try and increase how well your site ranks on various search engines. Ideally you should do this yourself by submitting to various directories and using the tips and hints I’ve already mentioned but if you are ‘Internet Impaired’ it may be worth paying a consultant to assist you. List your site in Directories and Search Engines There are many search engines and directories out there where you can list your website for increased exposure. Some charge a fee while others are free or low-cost but the important thing to remember is to go through each one IN PERSON and optimize the data you provide each to ensure the listing provides the best interface to your site as possible. Participate in Link Exchanges A ‘link exchange’ refers to the act of having a URL or ‘hyperlink’ from another site either on your page or another site pointing to pages on your site. With Exchanges another webmaster will link to your site in exchange for you linking to theirs – hopefully complimenting each others sites. Advertise your site via AdWords or other resources such as banner ads There are many advertising avenues out there to get your website increased recognition, the simplest of course link exchanges and wordof- mouth, but paid methods such as using Google’s AdWords program to pop up a link to your site when certain keywords are entered into search engines is a very effective way to increase traffic to your sites. From the vendor side it works like this: you bid (or offer) an amount that you will pay for a list of keywords used when people query. Depending on your bid and the maximum daily expenditure settings you specify (the largest amount of payout you are willing to do on any given day) your ad shows and you’re charged for each user who “clicks through” the ad to your site. Get published on other sites The Internet is a wide place and a lot of people are out there every day so try to participate in other sites with a similar interest to yours and post articles and stories – be sure to include a link or reference to your web site and viola! Free advertising! Request Reviews from magazines and online webmasters Many other sites have a link or ‘rating’ page where you can ask them to provide feedback and suggestions on your page and its content – doing so will often not only gather additional interest and visibility but can help you to tweak your site and improve it to better meet your needs. Post in chat rooms and on blogs Just as with posting articles using chat and blog entries to promote your site is a good ‘semi-permanent’ way to get your website address out there before the public. Give away free gifts and hold contests This is actually a variation of the customer rewards program idea – by holding a contest, say a $100 grand prize eBook contest where you get the rights to all submitted eBooks and the winner gets $100 you can generate traffic and often get other benefits. Ideas include ‘help create a logo’ or ‘closes predictions for the upcoming election’ … anything you can think of can be pressed into service in fact! Join local business organizations An often overlooked benefit of any community is the local businesses and merchants as well as the Better Business Bureau. Being a member can not only let your fellow businesses be aware of you and your site, but can also introduce you to new concepts and tools you can use to increase both your visibility and profitability.