Increase targeted web site traffic

Building your website is the first step. Increasing targeted traffic to your web site is next and far harder! Without correctly targeted traffic, your site is dead.

There are many methods to increase targeted traffic, some of which we touch on here. Some are "free", others cost a little, others cost a lot. Returns from these will vary between providers and depending on the content of your site.

Why increase targeted web site traffic?

There are many ways to increase web site traffic. But if this isn't targeted to the correctc audience, then the traffic isn't going to to appreciate your site and buy from you. Worse still, if the traffic isn't targeted, it could be using valuable bandwith without any hope of a return.

"Free" methods to increase targeted web site traffic

Search engine optimisation

Search engine optimisation is the most obvious method to increase free targeted traffic. If you maintain the web site yourself, then look around for web sites with search engine optimisation tips and carefully look through your pages to see which can be applied. Our google ranking factors page gives a summary of some of the most common tips.

If this sort of information is beyond you, then please be wary when paying for search engine optimisation experts. Check that their site appears well in the search engines and demand to see previous sites they have worked on. Google provides plenty of tips for when you are approached by these sorts of people as some employ very devious techniques, not all of which benefit the customer.

Link Exchange

Depending on the content of your site, you might be able to increase targeted traffic through appropriate link building. For example, property sites sharing links with finance web sites, hobby sites with providers of accommodation for suitable holidays and a big area for this is dating sites. Done properly, this can provide very accurately targeted web traffic. But if link exchanges are purely for search engine ranking, then the traffic is unlikely to be targeted.

Top Sites Directories

Similar to link exchanges, but the site you link to counts the number of visitors you send to it and then ranks web sites in order of hits in. The theory is that the sites that send most traffic then receive the most traffic back. This works well for sites where people might visit several sites, for example interests. But how targeted the traffic is depends on the other web sites sending traffic to the directory. In some categories, e.g. dating, this might be targeted enough. In others, e.g. fishing, then the categories may be wide spread, for example gear to holidays. Therefore the traffic might not be targeted.

Banner Exchanges

You place a small banner on your web site and in return another site places a banner on theirs for you. Hopefully visitors will see your banner and cross to your site when they have finished on the first site. With a good system you might be able to carefully choose which types of sites your banners appear on, allowing the traffic to be well targeted.

Exit Pops

When a visitor exits your site (or when they arrive) you force a new window open to advertise another web site. Again, in return, another web site forces a visitor to your web site through a pop up window. Expect a return of around 70% of the traffic you send. Again, through careful choice of the displaying web site, the traffic can be fairly well targeted.

Paid methods to increase targeted web site traffic

Pay Per Click

If you can't get a good search engine ranking, why not pay for the search engines to send traffic to your site? The main disadvantages are that is can cost a lot, take a up a lot of time and be difficult to monitor. But you can target keywords carefully. Don't go for the obvious keywords, these may be more expensive and actually less often used. Think carefully about what terms people might be searching on and you may be able to increase targeted web site traffic for a lot less than you first find.

PopUnders

Thesed used to generate lots of targeted web traffic, then popup blockers became popular. In short, you can purchase a popup so that when a visitor enters or leaves another site they are also forced to visit your site. But many of these schemes use large networks of independent sites that cannot be controlled and you don't really know the value of the popup and how many popups are being delivered. The traffic has also seen the generating site, so in some cases won't be as interested in your web site. The categories tend to be very generalised and not very targeted.

Expired Domains

Cheap, cheerful and large volumes can be delivered quickly to lots of targeted categories. Not as well used in the UK as in America, because not many people have heard about it, therefore not many people use it, therefore the traffic services don't buy many domains to provide the visitors. But it's growing and the delivery is speeding up. Again, success depends on the target of your site but all visitors are sent straight to your site and haven't seen the generating site. If you can turn targeted US traffic into income, then the visitors to your site should be delivered quickly.

To buy this traffic, click here.

Affiliate Schemes

If you have a product to sell, then affiliate selling can be an effective method. Here, affiliates drive more targeted traffic to your site and in return you pay them for every completed sale. Can be difficult to run, but there are many third parties that can help you and provide all of the services you need, including promotion to potential affiliates. Check out ClixGalore Affiliate Networks for starters. They offer an affiliate scheme for merchants that does not have a startup fee and is easy to manage. Also a very good offer if you want to display affiliate adverts.