Your Traffic (and List-Building) Checklist: 15 Ways to Get More Visitors Who Are Ready to Buy (Part 1 OF 2)

To get your marketing wheels turning, check out these 15 simple ways to attract new visitors to your site. This is not an exhaustive list by any means, but it will give you several fresh ideas to try. But don't try to do them all at once -- focus on a FEW to work with first.

Now, remember - you don't want to expel effort in getting just anyone to visit your site. You only want people who would likely be interested in what you have to offer. So before you read on, answer this question:

"WHO are your target clients or customers?"

The more you know about your ideal clients/customers, the better you'll know where and how to find them.

So ... keep that information in mind as you consider these traffic-building tactics:

___ 1. Search Engines and Directories

Why not be in front of people who are actually searching for your product or service? Get your site listed in the top engines (e.g. Google, Yahoo, MSN) by either learning about this topic on your own or investing in assistance. Because there is A LOT to learn and the rules keep changing all the time, this is an area I advise you get some help in or hire it out.

___ 2. Pay-per-Click Advertising

Services such as Google AdWords let you bid on how much you'd like to pay per click, and many times your listings appear above the regular listings in the major search engines. AND you can get listed in as little as 15 minutes! I recommend my own "secret weapon" in this area, Bob Regnerus, “The Leads King.”

___ 3. Your Own E-zine

If you publish your own e-zine, you already have a warm pool of prospects who are likely interested in what you have to offer. Give them a reason to visit (or re-visit) your site by adding new content, giving away a free report or e-book, or offering a special subscriber-only promotion on your products and services. To learn more about publishing your own e-zine, get my award-winning course, Boost Business With Your Own Ezine.

___ 4. Your Articles in Other E-zines and at Other Web Sites

This has been one of my most successful traffic-building tactics. There are thousands of online publishers who would like to use YOUR articles in their ezines and on their Web sites! Find them via the Directory of E-zines and also post your articles at free content sites like E-zine Articles.

___ 5. Ads in Other E-zines

Identify other e-zines whose readership matches your target market. Search the Directory of E-zines and the Web. Find out if the ezines accept advertising and learn what their rates are. Run at least three ads in a row to get an accurate representation of how the ad pulls. (Use an ad-tracking program to determine how many clicks each ad is getting, such as Queen Cart, which comes with my shopping cart system.

___ 6. Ads on Other Web Sites

Research other Web sites where your target market visits and inquire about advertising. Have ready both text ads and colorful banner ads of the standard sizes.

___ 7. Online Forums and Discussion Groups

There are faster traffic methods for sure, but this one is still great if you're dealing with a hot topic. Identify popular forums and discussion groups that are related to your subject area and where prospects in your target market may be lurking. Let your value shine through in your postings, and include a link to your Web site.

TO BE CONTINUED ... Catch Part 2 next week!

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