Assume for a moment that you need to increase traffic to your web site and your budget is really tight, making pay sources completely out of the question. As it is, it can really strain your wallet with just the expenses of starting a new web site. Free traffic is probably just the thing you really need right now, but it seems too good to be true. After all, if something is free, wouldn't everyone be in on the secret? Well, free is a relative term. Traffic can be free in terms of money, but it will still require some of your greatest assets: time, attention, and creative energy.
Linking. One great way to increase traffic is by linking with other sites. The general procedure is as follows: contact other web sites similar in content to yours then ask the owner if they are willing to add your link to their site in exchange for you adding theirs to your site. The result is increased traffic to both of your sites and a boost in search engine rankings. A word of caution here, do not create a page titled "links.html" for all of your web site links. This is much too obvious to search engine crawlers and will not help your rankings. You need to be aware of how links blend in with your content and appear more natural, thus impacting their effectiveness.
There are automated methods called link swapping, but I personally do not use them. This is artificial inflation of your site rankings and since search engines pride themselves on relevant search results, they have developed sophisticated ways to detect this kind of inorganic popularity.
On the other hand, do not forget about directory websites that allow you to freely add your link to their listings. Many require that you add their directory list to your site, but still there are hundreds that do not. Again, contact them individually instead of hiring a paid service, as your links will grow more gradually and not raise red flags on the search engines servers. Besides, listing your site one at a time is free, and that's what we're going for here anyway.
SEO. There are some free strategies that you can implement in your search engine optimization efforts. If you had the cash, you could dump a lot of it in SEO, but there are other methods. First and foremost is supplying your web site with plenty of quality keyword rich content. Then you can add a blog to your site, also keyword heavy, making sure to include links to other relevant sites there. This will boost your rankings and in turn you will find more visitors finding their way to you.
Loading up your site with real content is the single greatest method of optimizing your site. It is the most solid SEO strategy, and the first place that search engine crawlers look, your content. Once you have that solid foundation, then you can add some other strategies to enhance their effect.
Networking. Probably the most time consuming, but also the most fun, good old fashioned networking with your industry can still pay off. This involves meeting people on forums, like reading through relevant posts where you have some level of expertise and slowly posting helpful hints on the subject matter. Once you meet people and learn about their needs, you can point them to your site and get the word out. Once you are established in several forums, then add a little line about your site in your signature and you will then start driving traffic for the long term. One hint: forums get searched for years on end, giving you lasting results.
Free traffic is only free in the sense that it doesn't cost you folding money. It still requires some work in terms of time and effort. You may feel at first that your time is more valuable then to spend it surfing around the internet, but the long term payoffs here are enormous. Map out a strategy and you will build a growing online business.
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