How to get free traffic to your website

Keywords & Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
List building
Selling Products and Services
6Comments

onlinebusiness-get-free-traffic-website-1Again and again, when I do a survey, people tell me that they need more traffic to their website. Traffic is a universal need for online entrepreneurs.

Without traffic, you can’t get subscribers or sales. It’s the foundation of an online business. In most cases, your efforts will focus on getting subscribers because it’s easier to get people who don’t know you to subscribe than to buy. After they subscribe, you can nurture the relationship and convert them to customers or clients.

But how do you attract the attention needed to get people to your website?

I’ve come up with 7 categories of ways to get traffic. While I’m focusing on free traffic, I’ll also briefly cover ads, since they’re a popular way to get traffic.

Here are the 7 categories of ways to get traffic: Read More

by Ellen Finkelstein

How to Create an Opt-in Page to Grow Your Subscriber List

Automation
List building
WordPress/blogging
10Comments

online-business-create-optin-page-1Offering people in your target market a free product in return for their name and email is such a basic concept in online marketing, but many people struggle with the technology.

Yet without this free product, often called a freebie, you won’t be able to grow your subscriber list. And without the list, you won’t have people to sell to via email. Email marketing is the bedrock of online success.

In this post, I’m assuming that you have something to give away and just need to create an opt-in page where people can subscribe to get it.

Here’s a brief overview of the process. Note that the specifics will vary depending on your email service provider, page builder, etc.

Upload the freebie to an online storage location

In order to deliver your freebie, you need to give subscribers a link that lets them download it. Here are some options: Read More

by Ellen Finkelstein

Double opt-in or single opt-in? That is the question

List building
7Comments

online-business-double-opt-in-2I’VE UPDATED THE ORIGINAL POST!

You probably have an opt-in form on your website. If not, you should! You need an opt-in form to add to your email subscribers.

Many online marketers in the United States use a double opt-in procedure. When website visitors fill out the opt-in form, they get an email with a link to confirm their email address. Most bulk email programs use double opt-in by default. They consider it better to protect their reputation.

But is double opt-in a good idea for YOU? Well, this is a controversial topic.

And the trends are changing. Again.

Let’s look at the pros and cons of double opt-in.

Double opt-in pros

Read More

by Ellen Finkelstein

How to drive traffic with a crazy challenge or outlandish stunt

Events/webinars
List building
3Comments

online-business-drive-traffic-crazy-claimsOne way to build up a great following fast is to do something just a little crazy.

If you’ve ever watched a reality TV show such as Amazing Race or Survivor, then you know what a draw it can be to attempt something just a little crazy. Millions of people tune in each and every week to see which team will survive (or not) in Amazing Race and what new catastrophes will befall the cast of Survivor.

Now imagine if you could generate that kind of traffic to your blog or website, just by attempting something off the wall.

In fact, this is a tried and true marketing technique that companies have been using for more than a century and you can easily do something similar in your business.

There are many examples, but consider this stunt in 1954.  A.W. Fawcett, Guinness’ Managing Director, came up with the idea of dropping 50,000 sealed Guinness bottles into the ocean, each one of them sealed with a message which asked the finder to tear off a part of the message and return it to Guinness. Many did so and each received a personal reply and memento of the event. While today, environmentalists would protest, at the time, it was a big success.

Write a Book…Or 20 Read More

by Ellen Finkelstein

How to use guest blogging to get traffic to your website

List building
Partnering
WordPress/blogging
3Comments

stockunlimited-fist-bump-agreement-1862783 You have amazing content. You’re on the right social media platforms. Your clients love your work and you have awesome products. But for some reason, you just can’t get the traction that you want.

If this is happening to you, it might be that you simply need more traffic. After all, if customers don’t know your product exists, then they can’t buy it. That’s where guest blogging can be helpful.

Guest blogging is a simple way to partner with another blogger to get traffic and build backlinks to your website. If you appear on a major blog, you could easily double or triple your traffic. More targeted traffic means more visitors discover your brand, join your mailing list, and buy your products. That’s a win for you!

The bloggers who host your post also benefit. They get unique content for their blogs. This saves them time and helps them fill in their content marketing calendar. Plus, they introduce someone new to the community, which boosts authority status.

With guest blogging, the audience wins, too. They get to read quality content from a trusted source with a slightly different perspective. They also find a new niche leader to follow and favorite.

Now that you understand how guest blogging is a triple win, it’s time to tackle a big question…

How do I get someone to publish my guest post?

Read More

by Ellen Finkelstein