A-Z Tips to Increase Site Visitors

We said A-Z and we meant it. Here are 26 sure-fire ways to increase web traffic and site visitors to your website. Use some or all of them, and let us know which ones worked best for you.

a. Optimize your site (SEO).
Win on the search engines when people search for keyword phrases related to your products or services.

b. Get your site listed in directories.
Submit your site to all the major web directories. This will generate traffic directly from the directories themselves and will also help to improve your link popularity. That helps you win on Google!

c. Get listed in search engines.
Submit your site to all the major search engines.

d. Get links to your site.
Exchanging links is a good way to increase traffic to your website. Get people with complimentary sites to link to yours. You offer rental kayaks on the beach. Ask the local restaurant owners to link to you, and offer to link to them. Ask the local tour guides, the real estate agents, the night clubs, and everyone else. Links lead to clicks onto your website and help to improve your search engine rankings. Always remember this formula:
Higher Page Rank = Higher Search Engine Positioning = More Site Traffic

Why do I need exchange links? - One determining factor for page rank with the major search engines, is link popularity. Google Information for Webmasters indicates that the number of sites linking to a particular website address is the single biggest factor in determining what sites are indexed by Google. Of course that makes link exchange with related sites absolutely vital to the success of all of our websites!

e. Buy links to your site.
Buy text links on other websites. That means more spiders stopping by, more people clicking through, and better search engine rankings.

f. Buy banner ads.
Buy banner ads on other websites. It helps to build brand recognition.

g. Participate in a banner exchange program.
It won't cost you anything, and will lead to a few extra visitors. Plus, you're spreading your brand all over the place.

h. Participate in a WebRing.
Connect your site with other sites in your niche.

i. Pay for clicks to your site.
Pay for clicks or inclusion on the search engines so that people will see your site in the sponsored links section of the search results when they search for keyword phrases related to your products or services.

j. Set up an affiliate marketing program.
With affiliate marketing, you can either pay per click, pay per lead generated, pay per sale, or pay per customer acquired.

k. Use smart public relations (PR).
Get news coverage of your business and your site. Approach online and traditional media. This will often lead to others placing links pointing to your website, which leads to more clicks and also to improved search engine rankings.

l. Use E-mail marketing.
Ugly, but effective for the cost. Blast out your special offers, but be nice about it.

m. Use off-line marketing.
Promote your site. Put your url on all your license plates. Paint it on your car. Buy newspaper and yellow pages ads with your url. Put up flyers and stickers. Sponsor a little league team. Do anything and everything to spread the word about your website around your city.

n. Run regular promotions.
Stage regular giveaways and spread the word about it.

o. Get published.
Write articles for publication on other websites. The author profile will link to your site. The article will show that you're an expert.

p. Publish yourself.
Write articles for your own site regularly. This will help you to win on the search engines and gives your visitors a reason to come back over and over.

q. Ask for reviews.
Ask for reviews of your self-published articles on other webmasters' websites. Ask for reviews of your website, your products, your software, your services. These will usually include links to your articles.

r. Write briefs.
Write daily or weekly news briefs focusing in on your industry or specialty area. This keeps your site "fresh" in the eyes of the major search engines and helps you to spread a wide net when fishing for top search engine positions.

s. Create a newsletter.
Ask your visitors to sign up for your newsletter, and encourage them to send it along to people they know. Send a newsletter regularly with teasers or lead-ins to your in-depth new articles or with special offers and the latest products.

t. Post in chat rooms.
Become active in bulletin boards and chat rooms focusing on your industry. Leave inciteful comments, and people will click on your profile, then visit your site.

u. Give away free stuff.
Offer something people want at your site. Give them a reason to come back and get more. Offer free downloads and update them regularly. Offer coupons or discounts. Content content content.

v. Give awards for excellent sites in your niche.
This builds more links back to your site and establishes you as a credible reviewer, an expert in your space.

w. Run a contest and promote it.
Photo contests, essay contests, goofy contests, random drawings, anything. Example: Messiest Garage in America contest on OfftheFloor.com.

x. Join your local business organizations.
Chambers of Commerce and other organizations will often add your site to their member directory. That's an added advantage over the obvious business-building and networking opportunities.

y. Create an RSS feed.
Give people another way to interact with your content.

z. Be accessible.
Build your site so that it is accessible to all browsers and to PocketPC and Palm Pilot users. Don't forget, people with disabilities buy things too. Make your site Section 508 complaint. Your competition probably hasn't.

We really couldn't stop at Z. This last suggestion is our most important one:

Be a good Internet citizen.Provide useful resources on your website, resources that make people feel thankful that you put in the time and effort. Help every person who ever calls you on the telephone or emails you a question. When they ask "How can I ever thank you?" just say, "If you like my site and think it's useful, why not link to it?"

49 Tips to Get Free Traffic to your Blog

1. Write and submit articles to the article directories.
2. Leave comments on other people’s blogs with a backlink to your site.
3. Answer people’s questions on www dot answers dot yahoo.com.
4. Post in forums and have a link to your site in your signature.
5. Write a press release and submit it to www dot PRWeb dot com.
6. Advertise your website in the appropriate category on www dot CraigsList dot com.
7. Give an unbiased testimonial on a product/service that you have used in exchange for a backlink to
your site.
8. Start a blog and submit it to the 100’s of free blog directories.
9. Manually submit your website to the major search engines.
10. Optimize each page of your website for a particular keyword or search phrase.
11. Add a link in your email signature to your website. It’s a free and easy way to get a little more
traffic.
12. Make a custom 404 error page for your website redirecting people to your home page.
13. Use PPC search engine advertising.
14. Add a bookmark this site link to your webpages.
15. Have a tell-a-friend form on your site.
16. Send articles to ezine publishers that includes a link to your website.
17. Hold a crazy content and make it go viral.
18. Give away a freebie (ebook, report, e-course) to keep people coming back to your site.
19. Add an RSS feed to your blog.
20. Submit your site to any related niche directories on the net.
21. Participate in a banner or link exchange program.
22. Create a software program and give it away for free.
23. Purchase the misspellings or variations of your domain name, or those of your competitors.
24. Buy a domain name related to your niche that is already receiving traffic and forward it to your site.
25. Pass out business cards with your domain on them everywhere you go.
26. Start and affiliate program and let your affiliates send you visitors.
27. Start a page on social bookmarking sites such as www dot MySpace dot com.
28. Submit a viral video to www dot YouTube dot com
29. Conduct and publish surveys to your website.
30. Find joint venture partners that will send you traffic.
31. Start your own newsletter or ezine.
32. Use a autoresponder or email campaign to keep people coming back to your site.
33. Purchase ads on other sites.
34. Send a free copy of your product to other site owners in exchange for a product review.
35. Sell or place classified ads on www dot eBay dot com with a link to your site.
36. Post free classified ads on any of the sites that allow them with a link to your site.
37. Exchange reciprocal links with other related websites.
38. Network with other people at seminars or other live events.
39. Purchase advertising in popular newsletters or ezines.
40. Advertise on other product’s thank you pages.
41. Create a free ebook and list in on the free ebook sites.
42. Buy and use a memorable domain name.
43. Do something controversial.
44. Create an Amazon profile and submit reviews for books and other products that you have read.
45. Start a lens on www dot Squidoo dot com.
46. Use a traffic exchange (low quality traffic, but can sometimes be worthwhile).
47. Get referrals form similar but non-competing sites.
48. Create and sell a product with resell or giveaway rights and include a link to your site in it o others
pass it around for you.
49. Email your list. If you don’t have one, get one.