Have you ever tried to buy traffic on pay per click (PPC) advertising networks? These are networks that require you to pay every time someone clicks on your ad.
Sounds like a great concept, doesn't it? It's a quick way to get traffic.
The downside is that you can lose a lot of money if you don't know what you are doing.
Don't underestimate the cost of all those clicks.
Ten cents here, twenty cents there, and after a hundred clicks or so, the amount can come up to something substantial.
And to think that you can easily blow through your budget in a single day! So, if PPC advertising is too expensive, what are some good alternatives? You can, of course, try to get free traffic for your website.
Here are some suggestions.
Tip 1: Article marketing - Article marketing is effective because web visitors read your materials before they even have a chance to see your website.
At the end of the articles, you are allowed to include a couple of links that point back to your website.
Visitors who are interested to learn more can always visit your website if they want to.
You don't need to pay to have your articles submitted to article directories.
The trade off is that you may have to spend some time on your own to write those articles.
This method is great for those who enjoy writing.
Tip 2: Forum marketing - A forum is an active community that shares a similar interest.
For example, if you are trying to promote a WordPress Theme, you can always join a webmaster forum and publish your work there.
However, many forums frown upon spam - i.
e.
those who sign up just to post blatant advertising.
So don't go straight into a forum and post your URL right away.
Join the forum and read all the rules.
There are usually proper places that accept advertising (e.
g.
Marketplace forum).
Make a few posts and try to contribute to the forum in a positive forum.
If other members don't know you, they are not going to buy from you anyway.
So get to know some friends and build up some good karma.
Then put your links in your forum signature.
When forum members see something interesting, they will click and visit your websites.
Tip 3: Search engine optimization.
- SEO can give you a steady stream of free traffic.
Besides, the search engines are simply too big to ignore! Invest in a good guide that teaches you about on-site and off-site optimization.
When done right, SEO can be the best form of online marketing.
The traffic is unpaid (free), and highly targeted.
Web visitors are searching for more information on the products and services that you have to offer, and your website keeps coming up! This increases the chances of making a sale.