You’ve got a great website, blog or online portfolio, but how many people actually visit it? With millions of websites competing for the limited attention of a very fickle audience, you need to go out of your way to bring them to yours. It’s no longer a matter of believing that ‘if you build it, they will come.’
Here are some tips on how to build traffic to your website. Many of these are inexpensive and easy enough for even personal bloggers or home-based entrepreneurs to do on their own, without hiring an internet marketing expert.
Make it easy for people to come back
They like one article, but will they come back to read more? Yes, if you add a bookmarks option so that they can add your website to their favorites in one simple click. Another way to keep them coming back is to make a weekly newsletter that showcases your best and newest content. Offer something valuable, like a free ebook or access to forums or exclusive content, in exchange for signing up.
Make your visitors your marketers
Allow them to share their favorite articles with an ’email this’ or ‘share’ option at the end of each post. Each fan you make will then become your best marketers as they invite their friends to visit your blog or website.
Join other internet conversations
Visit related blogs, forums and websites and leave a comment that includes a link to your website or blog. However, take the time to create relevant comments. You don’t want people to spam your website, so don’t spam theirs. You can also contribute articles, or submit them to Delicious and Stumbleupon.
Be proactive about submitting to search engines
Send your site to Google, Yahoo, etc. People can’t find you if you don’t show up on major search engines.
Use links and tags
What’s a ‘web’ without being connected to other websites? Link to otherwebsites and blogs, and contact them and ask them to link to you or add your website to their blog rolls. Don’t forget to submit your site to blog directories.
You can also optimize your website by using the right headers, title tags and meta tags, including the ones for your images.
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