We all know that traffic is most essential for a successful Internet business. There are several ways to jumpstart your traffic flows which have been proven reliable, though most of them would cost some money. In this article I’d like to tell you about my favorite web promotion tactics, which wouldn’t cost you a single cent. Moreover, some of them will save you hundreds or even thousands of dollars. The first tactic alone can generate the equivalent of over $2,000 of free targeted traffic for you.

Per-per-click ads

Free pay-per-click (PPC) advertising works, especially Adwords by Google, Yahoo’s Overture and a number of other PPC search engines provide great sources of targeted Web traffic. They are very popular among web marketers. However, as the PPC search engine managers need to expand their customer base they obviously must convince people like you that pay-per-click advertising really works.

Here is the good news. There are dozens of PPC search engines who will give you up to $100 in free credits to prove that pay-per-click advertising will work for you. To claim your credits all you need to do is visit the various engines and web directories and sign-up. There are no catches and it won’t cost you anything except your time.

It couldn’t be simpler to obtain such free PPC advertising. The table at this page: http://www.affiliated-business.com/promotion/Pay-Per-Click5.html lists over 60 Pay Per Click Search Engines offering in excess of $2,000 of free web promotion credits. One after another select the PPC search engines from the list, click on the links to open the corresponding sign-up pages and sign up for your free advertising accounts.

Popular keywords

Using profitable (the more popular a keyword or key phrase is, the more profitable it is, generally) keywords or keyword niches for your site’s content. Generally speaking, Internet users utilize search engines to find what they are looking for. Search engines in return use keyword rankings to give away relevant search results. If you’d like your site to appear at the top lines of search engine results, you must use proper keywords and keyword phrases.

Try to employ the most profitable (or highest in-demand) keywords in your site’s content. You can write your own content or you could hire someone to do it for you. If you’re writing content by yourself you have to make it more entertaining as well as informative.

In doing so, you can get high rankings in search engine results and strong incoming traffic without any costs.

Link exchanges & article writing

Exchange links with partner sites is another great idea that works well especially when both sites feature the same niche, precisely because such link trading or exchanging could result in both of websites benefiting. When one site features another site’s link, they will provide one another with the traffic they both generate.

The efforts are doubly beneficial because it seems like both sides are working to generate doubly enhanced traffic so, in essence, he more links exchanged with more sites the more traffic those sites could expect to gain.

And again, you don’t have to spend a red cent. All you have to do is to communicate to another webmaster and come to an agreement with him/her covering the terms and respective responsibilities of the mutually beneficial transaction.

Write articles and publish them across the Internet is an excellent traffic-generating strategy, especially in view of the fact that there are many sites that offer free article submission and posting of your articles. You’d do better to submit articles to sites containing the same subject that your site deals with. If you sell computers write press releases and articles about computers and computer parts. Try to provide helpful tips guides and good advice. Writing articles that contain good service and knowledge would bring the necessary mileage your traffic flow needs.

When people find in your article is something of interest, you have good chances of following the track by finding out where the article originated. It’s best for you to just to attach a brief description of your site or service at the end of the article and to include a link.

Online communities

Here is a strategy that eludes many website owners. When you as a website owner join forums, blogs and other online communities you can really take advantage of these web communities, because the great thing about them is that you can target a certain group that fits the specific demographic that you are looking for. You can discuss lots of things about the products and/or services merchants you represent or offer yourself.

With online communities and forums you can build a reputation for your company. You must capture the market niche you represent and show your expertise and credibility. When you create a good foundation for your site, people will trust you and your web business. Your customers will pass on their trust and credibility to many people all over the Internet. Traffic will certainly increase because they know that you can provide what they need.

Newsletters and ezines

When Web marketers have offered newsletters and eZines in their marketing campaigns they have been extremely successful which indicates that if a newcomer were to learn the methods used to employ this strategy s/he can also make use of newsletters to drive traffic to his/her website. And the steps are relatively simple. Provide people with a catalog of your products along with interesting useful articles, and if your content really interesting and entertaining, more people will sign up for your newsletter and recommend it to other people. The more people who signs up for your newsletter, the more people will be willing to visit your site. So, if you arouse the curiosity of your customers they would be pushed to help you grow your traffic.

The viral marketing edge

There are many advantages a website owner can gain with the use of viral marketing. It is a promotional method that allows you to spread the word about your company and product without any costs, and all it takes is to bring a great idea, a good addicting game, or funny story and let the Web do the rest. Many ideas are still out there, and if you can create a gossip or a buzz, you will likely benefit from the many web projects that are advertised by using scandals and rumors to make them more popular.

Also you can provide your web site visitors with content they wouldn’t read anywhere else. People will stay longer at your web site to read the original content. With this method, people get infected with the creativity and entertainment of the website content and they will pass it on to many people.

Each of the methods mentioned above can drive streams of free traffic to your website. All it takes is a bit of effort and extended man hours. Learn all you can about the techniques discussed here and you will soon have a site with a great traffic flow without the usual costs that come with it.

Methods one to three

Get a killer domain name – People will never forget a catchy domain name. Be sure to choose a short and easy to remember domain name that is appropriate to your business and has a nice ring to it. Remember the domain name is your online brand.
Upload fresh and useful content – These days people are banner blind. They want more than ads. Give them information they can’t find anywhere else, and give it to them for free. Give them the content they want and need. If you do don’t know what it is, Ask them.
Get your site seen by the Search Engines – Search engines bring more than 75% of traffic to most web sites. You can submit your site all day long but the best way to get seen is to get links on quality relevant sites. The search engines will find you within days. You can seek out both one way links from other sites and also reciprocal link exchanges with other webmasters. Just stay away from those nasty link farms!

Techniques four thru six

Pay For Top Spots – The quickest way to get website traffic without trying too hard is to pay for it. These advertisements would be posted on prime locations or banners of websites. Banners are cheap and are great for branding, although you shouldn’t expect a ton of click throughs. Popular websites like leading newspapers and search engines would provide immediate recognition and visibility to their customers. If you have the cash, spend it. Many don’t or won’t.
Form a Community – Start a message board, email group, or even a chat forum. Actively participate in these groups by posting answers to other people’s questions. Be visible and always include your signature at the end of your postings. The best thing about these types of sites is that people come back again and again. Check your hosting account to see if you have free forum software included. I bet you do.
Start your own mailing list – It is the best way to keep in touch with your prospects and your customers. Build a relationship with your list. Your email list can make your site a success again and again. The best customer is an existing customer.

Methods seven, eight & nine

Start an eZine for your website – An ezine is an extension of your site, but this will highlight new information and features of your site. People will be reminded of your website as they read each issue. If they find the issue interesting or worth sharing, they can easily and instantly pass this on to the people within their network. Give them a freebie for signing up.

Submit Articles – Write your own article just like this one and submit it to e-zines, websites and magazines that accept article submissions. Be sure to include your business and contact information and website address in the resource box.

Exchange ads with other websites – Create ads that will promote your business and website. Submit this to e-zines or other websites in exchange for free ad space in your own electronic publication. Your presence on other sites is very important in getting the increased traffic that you want. This is usually facilitated with either simple links or flashy banners.

The tenth traffic-driving tip

Always update your website – Your website should always be up and running and full of fresh content. It is to your advantage if you maintain your website with new articles and updated features. If your visitors always find what they want and need, they will definitely be coming back again and again. Additionally, search engine spiders love a site with changing content!

Review multiple times

Now go back to the top and read through this list again. You may think you know this information already, but I wonder how many of you have actually taken action on it. Also don’t be discouraged if you don’t see amazing result straight away. I guarantee working on these strategies a little bit each day will bring some serious traffic in the weeks and months ahead.