Every experienced webmaster will tell you that the Big-G, Google, is a traffic god. With the right keyword targeting and link building strategies, you can rank for some heavily sought after keywords and gain the traffic they provide to your website. Traffic is music to a webmaster’s ears. It rings tones of money.
Sometimes Big-G doesn’t give that traffic love that we need, though. In that case, it is time to look over our plan of attack. Alternative traffic sources are plentiful, and with a hint of creativity and the spice of time, you can get active readers, clients and customers to your blog or website.
Get Social
Get active on social networking sites like Myspace, Facebook, Digg, StumbleUpon, Hi5, LinkedIn, Frienster, Twitter, and the multitude of other social networks. They are bountiful, and the more you join and participate in actively, the most traffic you will gain. Create custom layouts and use plug-ins that show blog updates on your pages to get a few bursts of traffic rolling around.
Comment Me
Bloggers love to see comments on their blogs, especially critical ones that can question the post or those that expand upon it. Leave criticism for bloggers in your niche and challenge them. This can bring in a fair amount of traffic if you create enough hype/controversy around your comment.
Email your contacts
I save the emails of every email I get in my inbox. Then I set up email runs. I might set up a complete sales copy pointed to my blog/webpage or just a simple, “Hey, check out this link,” email as I mail out hundreds of emails. It’s a legitimate emailing tactic that I have used and has worked, especially if you can learn to choose your words right.
Oh My Goodness, Totally Controversial
People love controversy, whether or not it is actually true. Bend someone’s words around, make fun of someone famous, say someone who is well alive and kicking is actually buried 6 feet under (Can anyone remember Perez Hilton?) use complex language, and put that stuff up on sites like Digg, Propeller, Mixx and all their relative sites. Traffic comes soon after. Be prepared for the backlash if you are posting inaccurate information, though.
I’m on the Tube, Dude
Make funny/sad/scary/idiotic movie and post it up on Youtube. Don’t forget to embed your link top of the video and in the description with “view more videos here at ______.com.” Rinse and repeat until you have acquired your traffic goals, and then expand.
Business Cards Do Your Business
Whenever I meet someone new, I hand them my business card. I don’t care if it is my next semester’s professor in calculus, my girlfriend’s 3-year-old sister, or a friend of a friend, I give them a card no matter who they are. Chances are if they don’t visit the website I advertise on it, someone else might pick up the card and visit it themselves.
Drop It Off
Some places may allow you to do this, some might not so check with security beforehand. You can either use your business cards or print off a bunch of leaflets. If you can use the printer free at your university or school, print some simple leaflets advertising your website and what it can do for others. I park at the rear end of the parking lot of a mall and weave my way through the cars to the front, placing some flyers under the windshield wipers and walk into the doors of the food court. I find the tables that are busy and start passing out flyers. If you are shy, too bad. You get the flyers immediately to the people you want to target and the cleaners don’t just sweep them off the tables. Then I’ll head to the central gathering spot of the mall and pass out the leaflets to the patrons hanging out there. With the remaining flyers, I then politely ask shop owners if I may tape them up in their display windows until I have used them all up.
Sponsoring the Ball Game
This one might cost a bit of money out of your pocket, but it’s an awesome way to brand your website. Offer to sponsor some sort of event. Charities work great because you can donate small amounts, yet still be mentioned in their pamphlet. If you pass up enough cash, you could become a main sponsor and have your logo blasted on the stage or backdrops. Sponsor a relevant event to your niche and don’t forget to take your business cards along with you. Chances are you might meet people that are looking for your services/info on your site.
The list goes on and on for chances of traffic. Bluetooth messages to those that leave their Bluetooth on in major public places, car stickers, shirts with your URL on them, asking family to send recommendations, posting flyers at busy universities, giving local bands opportunities if they push your website, link directories, traffic trades, and plain-old fashion word of mouth are just some of the suggestions I can offer. SEO masters are saying the only way to build good traffic is through Google, but I’m thinking they are turning a blind-eye to something. Google can be a good establishment for great, targeted traffic, but effort and a little imagination shows us that we don’t have to rely on it.