Get Free Targeted Traffic To Your Site

I mentioned in my last post that my traffic is all organic, and highly targeted... and that my traffic continues to climb at a steady rate.

If you missed that post see 2012 Advertising Rates which shares my 2011 traffic stats.

Would you like to get that same kind of free targeted traffic to your site?

I'm sure you would! So follow along - I'm going to outline exactly what I do, what Idon't do, and how you can duplicate my results for yourself. 

If you looked at my stats, then you can tell my site obviously wasn't affected by theGoogle Panda update. Click that link and read that article (again, if you already have) as it gives you a basic blueprint for post-panda site success.

How To Achieve Massive Traffic Growth

First, let's talk about what I didn't do last year to get well over half a million unique visitors (666,014) to this blog alone - not including any of my other properties.

I did not do any major article marketing, outsourcing or link building.

I also did zero PPC campaigns or paid advertising.

Those are all good marketing strategies to consider, especially when your site or blog is newer and you're just starting out. I'm simply pointing out that I did not actively engage in any of those things during 2011 myself...

How I DID Get So Much FREE Targeted Traffic

It's important to note that as of March 2012, I have been blogging for 6 full years on this domain. Prior to that it was on blogger, so I've been blogging consistently for almost 8 years now.

This affects traffic in two ways: 1) the search engines consider you an authority on your topic and/or your domain gets well established in the major search engines, and 2) you build up a readership, a mailing list and a loyal following over time.

Success is not going to happen overnight, no matter what those big red headlines promised you. Be ready to invest in your online business long-term.

Here are the specific things I did to increase my traffic dramatically:

• Blog Consistently
• Proper Web Page Optimization for every page/post
• Some Guest Blogging - when I had time 
• Creating Solid Content That Gets Shared
• Engaging With My Readers
• Active on Social Media Channels
• Add Social Media Share Buttons so readers can share content

Is It Really That Simple? Yes.

I know you probably expected a detailed blueprint giving you a million things to add to your task list. It's really not that complicated. The key to getting free targeted traffic to your site is really as simple as this:

Write great content. Address your market's needs & wants (via keywords & responses). ENGAGE with them. Make it easy for your readers to share your content (for you!). And be consistent until your readership is solid and your site/blog is well established in the search engines.

That pretty much sums it up...

These are the same marketing strategies I am using on my two newer blogs (my video blog and my low carb blog) to get free targeted traffic, including the strategies I listed earlier that I didn't actively do for ClickNewz last year.

I hope that proves inspiring and helpful. 

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Facebook Acquires Video Advertising Start-Up LiveRail

They Know What Users Want, Now To Sell It To Them

Facebook has acquired LiveRail, a start-up which develops ways for companies to focus video ads on their sites more directly to consumers. As the largest platform for the publishing of video adverts across a variety of sites, delivering over seven billion targeted video ads every month, the purchase of LiveRail marks a definitive move on Facebook’s part to further monetise the growing capacity of mobile devices in particular to integrate video into users’ News Feeds.

Source: mashable.com

The social networking site first trialled auto-playing ads at the end of 2013, and auto-playing videos were introduced into all users’ News Feeds in March of this year. This acquisition demonstrates Facebook’s commitment to this movement, and can be seen as a challenge to the growing threat of Twitter and that company’s long-term integration of corporately sponsored Tweets into users’ feeds. It also shows the impact which mobile browsing has had on the company’s business model; Snapchat’s recent introduction of sponsored Snaps suggests that Facebook is not alone in seeing video advertising as a significant aspect of the future of monetised mobile social media.

LiveRail’s reported purchase price of up to £291 million reinforces Facebook’s perceived commitment to targeted advertising as a large part of the company’s revenue stream. Targeted is the key word here; while the traditional models of advertising have prized volume above all else, LiveRail’s expertise in tailoring adverts to specific demographics and even to individual users is another indicator of the paradigm shift which mass engagement with social media has brought about.

Just as Tumblr have been careful not to disrupt or alienate existing users as they introduce advertising to their site by attempting to ensure that people only see ads which are of genuine interest, so too do Facebook hope to create an environment in which suggested content is almost indistinguishable from user-selected content.

Currently Facebook tracks the browsing history of users even outside of Facebook – a person searching for flights to Venice, for example, may then see ads on their Feed for hotels and restaurants in Venice. This extensive data mining, combined with the technology for tailored ads which LiveRail will bring, should attract advertisers who may previously have been concerned that their products were too specific to be worth dropping into the maelstrom of Facebook’s 1.11 billion monthly users.

Source: sify.com

This is not only a move to ensure direct profits. Next week Facebook will release its quarterly earnings, and with their share price still not as robust as some may have hoped by this stage their purchase of LiveRail could be seen as a move to reassure investors that the company is still focused on growing a more diverse array of revenue streams. Alongside their introduction of promoted posts earlier this year and their trialling of a ‘Buy’ button on businesses’ pages from last week, this latest move should suggest to shareholders that the company is at least open to experimenting with methods of monetising which consist of more than simply a string of ads down the right side of the page which are ignored more often than not.

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10 Ways to Generate Traffic to Your Site for Free

Most businesses now count on a web presence as a big part of their marketing campaign. Whether it is a small start-up or a major corporation, Internet marketing is absolutely necessary for businesses that want to reach the biggest audience. Luckily for those just starting out, there are a number of ways to drive traffic to your website for free. Here are ten free ways to get people to your site.

1. Social Media

One of the best free ways to start getting clicks on your webpage is by starting with your friends and family. Social media sites like Facebook and Twitter have become one of the best free ways to reach people you already know and to broaden your audience with people that you do not. Every time you put a link on Facebook or Twitter there is a chance someone will click on it from your network and then pass it along to a friend and so on. You can even try to get your link on the page of a competitor or a celebrity that can broadcast it to a larger audience.

2. Writing a Guest Blog

Many sites will allow you to write blogs for their site in exchange for putting a backlink to your page. This can be a great way to generate focused traffic, as the people on that click on your link will have already shown some interest in the topic. Try to find a blog in your niche that welcomes guest bloggers and then write something interesting for them. You can reach out to them via email. You should write the email and don't copy and paste your outreach emails to these prospecting clients.

3. Participate in Forums

Another great free way to get your website some traffic is by participating in forums that relate to your website, product or service. If you are promoting your sports blog then you could participate in sports related forums. You shouldn’t just keep putting your link on the forum, however, as it will make you look like spam. Instead, makeinteresting comments and participate in debates and then use a link to your site im your signature. This is an effective way to get your link in front of people that are interested in the topic, which will send more focused, qualified customers to your site.

4. Comment on Blogs

This is similar to #3, as you will essentially be trying to get your name or website in front of people that are already interested in the topic. If you know of a blog that is in your niche you should go there and make some comments. They might ask you to write a guest blog for their site, but even if they don’t you will at least be getting your name in front of the people that read the blog. You can try commenting on several blogs in your niche, which will increase the chances that you get some traffic.

5. Write an Article

Another free way to get traffic to your site it by writing an article about a related topic and then linking your page to it. You should try to write an article that has some helpful information that people are actually searching for. You should do some keyword research in your niche and try to come up with article subjects and titles that are related to popular searches. “How to” articles and “Top 10” type articles are always popular and could generate a lot of free traffic for your site.

6. Interview Someone in Your Field

This is probably best for bloggers and websites that already get some traffic, but an interview with someone in your niche or field could generate a lot of free traffic. This is because you will not only get traffic from people searching for the topic, but also people that are searching for the person you interviewed. If you are lucky enough to interview someone that is famous then this can be a huge boost to your traffic.

7. Make a Video

People are increasingly turning to video over text. To take advantage you can make a “How to” video or tutorial about your topic. Just be sure to make it interesting or informative and to put your link in the description as well as in the video. The other main key about video that YouTube is the #2 search engine, therefore, you be able to searched via Google search and YT search. Youtube is also a good source to drive mobile traffic to your site.

8. Do a Podcast

Podcasts are extremely popular. You can make one that deals with your specific topic or niche. You can mention your website many times during the podcast, which will help generate free traffic for your site. Many individuals interview people in their niche that give tips or advice to their community. For instance, if your site is about french food try to outreach to the top french cooks in the country. 

9. Use Proper SEO

This could be an entire article unto itself. The best way to get the most out of search engine optimization is by hiring a qualified SEO consultant. They will know the latest ways to help get your site to the top of search engines. A good rule of thumbs in SEO is that content is king. If you generate good content on a consistent basis you will increase the links and audience of your site.

10. Keep at it

You should not expect to see results in the first day or even the first month. If you keep plugging away and use a variety of these free techniques, you can drive traffic to your site without spending a dime. The hardest part about this expression is it takes a lot of work. Nothing comes easy, and those who spend the time and put in the work will generate results. 

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