When a new blog or website is launched, it usually doesn’t get much traffic for the first three months. Still, it may remain in the land of low-traffic in case it isn’t avidly developed. This is really why a great number of new bloggers lose hope after simply a couple of months.
It’s a fact that most new blogs and websites don’t succeed and are either taken down or abandoned. It’s a shame that something that was worked on so intensely doesn’t get the recognition it deserves.
Often the problem lies in the fact that the webmaster doesn’t have lots of money to invest in website promotion. What they often fail to realize is that it doesn’t cost a lot of money to effectively promote a website. Truly, it may frequently be arranged for nothing. Adam White, the founder of SEO Jet, says that with the recent Google updates you will have an extremely tough time having success with Google rankings if other websites aren’t linking to your homepage using your brand name or your URL as the anchor text. Here are ways to promote your website that won’t cost you a dime:
Bonuses
Free bonuses are a fantastic way to promote your site and it’s very effective. The way they work is simple. You entice your visitors with a free eBook or software program. The catch is, they have to refer 3 friends to your blog. You ask them to have their friends submit their email address to you with their name included. Once you get 3 emails from the same referral, you present them with a nice ebook. Not only are you building an email list, but you are also getting new visitors to your site.
Link Building
Among your main goals ought to rank great in all of the famous search-engines. One approach to have this done is by link building. This can be done through trading links with other sites that are related to yours. You shouldn’t approach websites and blogs that are in direct competition with yours, however.
Articles & Social Media
This method is most effective and is often overlooked. Write five articles that would be worthy of publication on your blog. Submit them to three of the most popular article directories with a link back to your site. Make sure you make them keyword rich and optimize them well. After they have been accepted by the directories, go ahead and submit them to a few social media sites. This will bring lots of traffic. If one of the articles really picks up speed on any of the social media sites, your traffic will explode!
Write An eBook Directory
This is a really great idea and it’s not hard to do. You compile a list of websites that are related to your niche and include your site in the middle. You offer it as a free download to your visitors. You can even throw in a few affiliate links. Readers will love it because it’s a compilation of sites about a subject they are interested in. Encourage your readers to give it away on their sites as well.
Use Web 2.0
Web 2.0 is a relatively new trend on the internet. It refers to sites where most, or all of the content is submitted by the public and is constantly updated. These sites are really becoming popular and submitting a few well-optimized articles here and there can work wonders for your traffic stats.
Offline Marketing
When I say “offline”, I mean entirely off the internet. This entails promoting your products in non-technological ways. Print up some bumper stickers with your website address and put them on your car. You can ask family members and friends to do the same. T-shirts with your web address and website slogan are also a great idea. You can have a low-cost magnetic sign made for your car. If you don’t want to spend any money, simply print up a few paper signs and put them in your rear window when your car is parked. The potential here is endless. Believe it or not, this type of marketing works extremely well.
Contests
People love to get free things, and they also love to win. That’s why running contests and blogging is a winning combination. Keep it simple. For example, you could have a “comment contest”. Each time a reader leaves a good comment they get one entry. Set a time limit for the contest to run, and then assign a number to each entry. After the time limit expires, use a random number generator (available free on many websites) to pick the winning number. The prize could be just about anything. One of the best prizes to offer is a free ad on your blog. This will keep people coming back and interacting with your blog.
Forums & Blogs
Commenting on blogs and posting in forums has long been an accepted method of promoting your website. That’s because it works. The key to success in this area is restraint and quality. Don’t go crazy. Comment on four or five blogs and forums every day. Make sure the comments are relevant and well written. That’s the right way to utilize this method. Spamming fifty blogs and forums every day will only hurt your search engine ranking and your reputation.
Classified Ads
There are lots of classified sites on the internet, and many of them are free. There are a couple of ways to utilize these for your purpose. Many of them have a “free” section. You can give away an eBook with a link to your blog inside, or you can simply advertise it with a link back to your blog in the ad. Both ways should be effective. Some of them even have forums and sections where the website advertisement is permitted. You may even be able to submit an article to some of them. Take advantage of these valuable free resources.
How To & Answer Sites
Many people make it a habit to look to these sites for help. That’s where you come in. In order to make use of these sites, you’ll need to submit valuable content. Again, spamming is a no-no. Most of these sites allow you to leave a link to the source of your answer. Answer one or two questions per day and provide useful answers. If you answer too many questions at one time with your link, you’ll be suspected of spamming and your account will most likely be deleted. Exercise restraint here and these sites can be a valuable source of both backlinks and traffic.
The ten techniques highlighted above are simply a few of the several free approaches to improve your site. Webmasters who’re artistic and work strenuously at improving their websites are the ones who will appreciate success. Patience and persistence are essential if you’re a blogger. All in all, keep a positive mindset and don’t lose hope.
