How To Increase Website Or Blog Trafic

In the pre-historic days of the Internet (say, ten years ago), it was not uncommon to come across websites that were basically digital versions of a calling card. Beyond the name of the company, a short pitch and some contact information, there wasn’t much to it. The message of these websites was basically, “Here I am. Take it or leave it.”

Today, besides the multi-media bells and whistles” used to draw visitors in (and distract their attention from the competition), the most successful commercial websites try to reach their visitors – and clinch their sales – by simultaneously using a number of different marketing techniques. One of the most popular – and the least understood – is the Blog.

The Blog as “Traffic Bait”

A blog (short for web-log) is a personal online journal. Frequently updated, blogs are usually posted to a single page in reverse-chronological order, in order to create an on going “autobiography” of the site, or the site host. Blogs can be devoted to anything under the sun – and can serve as an important engine for bringing in more web traffic.

If you add a blog to your site, and feed it regularly with new postings, you’ll instantly make your site more interesting, and give your first-time visitors a reason to come back for more.

When you blog, you can – and should – include a mechanism for comments. This builds community, increases your visitors’ sense of loyalty, and makes the “conversation” more interesting for everyone. What’s more, the comments can give you important feedback about your site – or the goods and services your site sells. This can be parleyed into a stronger presentation that will appeal to more people, drive additional traffic to your site, and ultimately increase sales.

The Great Blog-Link Conspiracy

Publishers of blogs will frequently approach other bloggers with the following proposal: “If you link to me, I’ll link to you." Of course, getting links to your site posted around the Web is a positive thing. But there’s more. You can generate more traffic by seeking out blogs that discuss topics related to your own area of expertise. Join the discussion. Comment frequently. Do your level best to be helpful. And by all means, be sure that every time that you comment, you include your name, contact information, and a direct link back to your site.

Conduit – Add “Draw” to Your Blogging Efforts

Conduit community toolbars can increase the effectiveness of blogging as an engine for increased web traffic. Every time you add a new blog post, you can alert your toolbar subscribers with a “teaser” that appears in the toolbar as a link or widget, and encourages them to click through to your site.

Conduit toolbars are also an excellent way to “dress up” your blog and make it more attractive. With Conduit, you can easily incorporate news feeds, music, streaming audio and video, podcasts, games and applications into your toolbar – all of which can be become part of your blog. You can even take advantage of Conduit’s standing agreements with syndicated content providers, and offer your visitors a selection of top-quality articles and media, absolutely free.

Best of all, by publishing a Conduit toolbar, your blog becomes part of the Conduit network’s 38 million subscriber base – making it possible to bring in more traffic, from more parts of the web, than ever before.

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Affiliate Marketing Can Increase Site Traffic

Ever wonder how Amazon.com got to be the biggest “department store” on the web? Here’s one clue: they invented the idea of affiliate programs – a business model in which publishers and other businesses promote their offerings on the Amazon site.

In an affiliate program, a site owner rewards one or more affiliates for each click-through or purchase they generate through their marketing efforts. By creating and promoting an affiliate program, an established business gains access to new markets. It also saves money on marketing – because its motivated team of “re-sellers” gets paid only if and when they produce results.

Creating Your Own Affiliate “Street Team”

Of course, if you’re looking to drive visitors to your site, creating an independent affiliate program is a great option. By making it attractive – and profitable – for others to promote your site and its offerings, you’ll expand your reach, and boost awareness among potential site visitors.

Establishing an affiliate program can also result in a greater number of links to your site – something that affects your site’s placement in the major search engines. There are many affiliate program platforms to choose from, and not all of them are configured for search engine optimization, so be sure to read the small print before you commit.

Playing – and Partnering – With the Big Boys

Let’s say you maintain a website that serves as the digital storefront for your CD shop. While your physical inventory may be modest, an affiliate relationship with Apple iTunes or Tower Records can turn your site into a monster music source. And that means more visits from more potential customers.

As an affiliate, you can dress up your site with your partner company’s marketing materials, gaining an instant boost for your corporate image. This not only earns you a commission when visitors click through to your partner’s site and make a purchase, it also makes your site a cooler place to hang out. And this “stickiness” leads directly to increased traffic, and more purchases of your core merchandise.

Let’s return to the Amazon example. Books are published about everything in the world, so there’s no limit to the type of business that might recommend Amazon for a book purchase. From the Harley retailer that thinks his clientele will appreciate Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance to the student organization pointing its membership toward used textbooks, Amazon’s affiliate program allows sites to attract greater traffic by doing well (and making money).

Conduit – Boosting Your Affiliate Advantage

Conduit community toolbars increase website traffic, by bringing home the message that your site – with all its attractive, affiliate-sponsored goodies – is worth the click. They encourage site visits, by prominently spotlighting your affiliate-related content whenever toolbar subscribers are online.

The toolbar also serves as an “always-on” pitch for new affiliates. By “working” your affiliate program among your subscribers using the toolbar platform, you’ll be targeting your message towards people most likely to spread the word – and most likely to come aboard and help you crack new markets.

From the moment that site owners create a Conduit toolbar, they can start earning performance-based revenue based on the sharing of syndicated content, and toolbar installs. It’s Conduit’s own affiliate program. After all, we wouldn’t try to sell you something we hadn’t tried ourselves.