CNY Webmasters

I think this is, quite possibly, the most asked question by anyone starting out in this business or hitting a plateau even with their sites progression and development. Here are some ideas to consider when trying to get more traffic to your website. I suggest you test out methods and see which specific techniques work for your specific website because everyone’s sites works differently

1. Blogging
Blogging has become a phenomenon and highly attractive. People become loyal to good bloggers that write interesting, humorous and insightful posts. Blogs give you a chance to prove to others you’re an expert in your field.

Ok, lets say your not into the whole blogging idea, it is time consuming, here is another approach. Find Blogs out there written about your topic and post on them. A lot of blogs allow you to post on their site and there you will be able to basically put in your two cents and give them the following, HIGHLY IMPORTANT LINE ending your post which should always be in anything you write…

Do you know what it is?

“For more information go to mysite.com”

It may seem like a simple line but if you forget to put it in, you missed your chance to get targeted traffic to your site for free! When people are interested in what you have to say they will look at your site for more information so it is crucial that you have one HIGHLY IMPORTANT LINE in there.

2. Article writing
One of my favorite ways to get traffic and links all in once! Write articles about your site, go and submit them to just 10 different article/content exchange websites with your link/website info on the link in the article and watch the traffic come in, and the links pointing to your site go up. No joke, this method really works. The downfall would be you obviously can’t control where your articles appear and what type of websites.

3. Press Releases
Press releases have always gotten me great highly targeted traffic,. There are many PR services out there to consider, paid and free. I personally prefer the paid method (you get what you pay for) PRweb.com. They get your press release (after editors approve it there, so don’t make it a sales letter, make it and informative piece) into some great news resources to give you high traffic and highly targeted visitors.

4. Viral Marketing
Some of you may not think you know what viral marketing is, but you’ve seen it I guarantee! Think about those jokes you get in your email, that you keep passing on to your friends, or those funny You-Tube videos that you share with everyone. A lot of these are ll attempts to start viral marketing. Viral marketing is creating something that will be passed around by others causing the marketing pice (no matter how subtle) to take on a life of its own almost. You create something so funny or entertaining that people just start spreading it for you, and all the time there is a link to your website in there somewhere for people to learn more or see more at.

5. Integration Marketing
This technique is pretty much a traffic exchange that can be useful is you set yourself with a targeted site that is comparable or related to what your product or service is. Integration marketing is a hot topic and many claim it is a necessity to a successful website. I highly recommend you look at as many experts in this field as you can. The more you know, the more you can offer on your site and become more successful.

Ex. You have a newsletter on your website that people can sign up for. After signing up for your newsletter there are given the opportunity to sign up for other peoples newsletters or product information.

When you line yourself up with a website with similar client base this type of traffic exchange can be beneficial for your both. Or have other get their members to sign up for your list/newsletter or forum etc.

6. PPC advertising
Be very careful before you ever start a PPC campaign. You can literally lose all your money with these things if you aren’t highly informed on how to do this effectively. Keep you bids low to test waters and only increase them slowly to see if the results are worth the bid increase. PPC can bring you traffic, but not always that targeted traffic so you have to test this method to see if it is beneficial to your specific website.

7. Paid ads (very different then PPC)
Paid advertising allows you to determine which websites specifically will have your ads. You can make sure o approach highly relevant websites and strike a deal with them to place you advertising on their website, possibly even swap advertising, they place yours if you place theirs on your site.

8. SEO techniques
I never overlook ways to get free traffic. SEO techniques to help your site with its natural search engine rankings will always help you increase your traffic. To go into all the SEO techniques you can use here would make this the worlds longest blog post, there are lots of great resources out there to refer to to help your Serp’s… and also an idea for a future blog post for me 

As a web writer, it’s a “must” to write each web page with the entire architecture of your web site in mind. Think about navigation and web design as you write. Text, design, and format are interwoven on a web page. To the creator of a web site, these are separate pieces of the project. To the reader, it’s one instant impression.

To boil it down to the bones, the 2 keys to creating a winning web site that will captivate your readers are:

• Good Informative Content

• Effortless Navigation

Pretty tall order, right? It is, and it’s your job as a web writer to make it happen!

Web surfers are your customers. As a web site content writer, the best way to stay in business is to provide something of value to your customers. On the Internet, that “something” is appealing, well-designed information.

Let’s examine for a moment an off-line writing example, the procedure manual. Most businesses have them in one form or another. If you compare the structure of a detailed manual to web writing, you’ll discover a few things that are keys to success.

Manuals often grow to be hundreds of pages, and are updated all the time. Cross-referencing from one page or section to another is frequent (just like hyperlinks!) Changes made to one section often impact another section, which will keep you on your toes. If you write “see pg. 279 for more information,” there better be more information on page 279!

It’s even more so with a web site. Your pages, as they slowly but steadily grow, will become many. Certain pages will link to others, and they must always be easy for your readers to find.

Suppose you write a web site about baseball. Baseball players, rules of the game, equipment… everything baseball! Now it’s time to create new pages about famous baseball stadiums. Your new page about Fenway Park is great… but don’t forget to update your Index Page or Site Map with easy to follow links.

Next, within the structure of your existing web pages, add good, purposeful in-text links to these new pages. This will fulfill your readers in a big way (not to mention the search engines!)

Your web site is made up of text, links, and images. As a writer, you’re very close to these separate “parts.” But your readers will not see your pages as isolated features. They will not notice all your content first, and then go on to check out your site design and pictures.

They’ll experience everything at once, instantly. All these features – refreshing content, appealing design, and well-planned linking – work together as one subtle ensemble in your readers’ minds the moment they enter your site.

As you write your pages, keep navigation and your site’s structure very much in your mind. Deliver an “easy-to-browse” web site chock full of great information, and you’ll knock a home run every time.

Ian Del Carmen is an online business professional running his main site at http://www.ianDelCarmen.com. His other sites include http://TheOnlineBusinessProfessional.com, http://MobileEbooks.net, http://InfoProductLaboratory.com, and many more…

Many small businesses today are looking at making their presence on the web and starting their own websites but hit a brick wall when considering where to begin. Hiring some web designers can be expensive and in the end, not as helpful as you would expect.
When hiring a web designer they may be only knowledgeable about design which will cost your website in the end.

People that can do great design may not be aware of what it truly takes to make a successful website, an appealing to look at web design will not guarantee success.

Here is something to think about. You typically have 3 seconds to grab someone’s attention when they land on your page. If you fail to get their attention they may be gone forever. If you get past the 3 seconds then you must have a website that is easy to navigate and quickly apparent to the visitor what you’re offering, what you can do for them and how you will solve their problem.

In order to accomplish this you need a simple step by step navigation system that they can use, and content written for you visitors, not search engine writing stuffed with keywords. Search engines don’t buy your products; clients do so always keep that in mind.

Statistics have shown that it typically takes 7 visits from a client to make a sale, so you want to be sure that you have interesting useful content and tools that will keep them coming back. This is one reason many people have added blogs onto their websites, this will give visitors fresh content and perspectives on your subject to always come back for (if you keep it updated regularly) or even adding tools they can use whether it be calculators for financial sites, or webmaster tools . Anything that they can interact with and use on a daily basis is always a plus to keep them coming back for more.

When looking for a web designer I suggest you do your research and ask the questions. Are they experienced in more then just design? Are they aware of SEO techniques, navigational set up and making an over all SEO friendly website?

I have met many amazing designers and when their sites go live they fail miserably. If you are considering a web designer that you found online, look at how their site ranks and its overall flow. What better example then their own website?

I only write bout this after having several clients come to me after being charged ungodly amounts of money for their website and they are a mess. The site doesn’t rank, the clients aren’t staying on their site, and navigation isn’t user friendly. I hate seeing people get ripped off from big expectations. Paying a lot of money for a website isn’t always the best for your business. Doing research on your designer and their skills is worth more then any high class design!