Why is it your web site is only seeing a couple of hundred visits if that? One of the big challenges of internet marketing is how to get relevant traffic and how to get enough of it to make your There’s well over 20 billion searches made on the major search engines each month. online business viable.

One of the fastest ways to do this is with Pay Per Click advertising but that is also the fastest way to blow your advertising budget if you don’t know what you are doing. Wouldn’t it be better to test out marketing ideas for free before you committed big bucks to another paid campaign?

Well the good news is you can. There are several ways to drive targeted traffic to your site and it won’t cost you a dime. It will however cost you some time.

The best free internet marketing strategy, and the way that will have the greatest long term effect, is article marketing. If you enjoy, or at least can tolerate, writing articles about your product or service then this can be a powerful tool in establishing a web presence that can drive traffic.

Articles submitted to directories typically allow for a link or two pointed back to your site. These directories are favorites of the big search engine and your article will become indexed quickly making it eligible to be returned as a result to a relevant search. In addition, other websites regularly use the articles in these directories to add to the content of their own sites. One of the conditions of taking an article is that the author’s (you) links have to be included. Now you article will be indexed on a different page and you have a backlink as well which helps your own page rank.

Directories aren’t the only place you can use these articles. Modify them so that they aren’t considered duplicate content and then create a free website on Squidoo or HubPages and post them there. Once again you get indexed and you get exposure to a brand new audience.

Forums are another good source of traffic so long as you don’t spam. If you become an active member of a forum that specializes in your field, the signature that appears with each of your posts typically can have a link to your site. If you get a good reputation on the forum by providing meaningful conversations and comments, you’ll get a ton of other forum members visiting your site.

Internet marketing can get pretty complex but if you pick a strategy and stay at it rather than jumping around to the constantly changing “next big thing” then you can develop a steady stream of quality traffic.

Author's Bio: 

Judith Shuttleworth runs a successful on-line, global, marketing business. She has coached and mentored others to achieve the same success. If you're thinking about a home based business and want to save yourself time and money, then wouldn't it make sense to have a friend in the business? Find out how you can jump start your business by visiting www.judith-shuttlworth.com