Are You Struggling To Generate More Web Traffic?

     Credit: rutlo

Here's the lowdown. Your website is like a lonely island in the middle of a big ocean if you don't have web traffic. Nobody knows your site exists. You may think you have the greatest website and everyone should be reading the stuff you put on it but sorry, no one visits.

The crux of the matter is that web traffic is the lifeblood of your site and online business. It's that simple. So it's high time you get your hands dirty and, if you're dead serious, start to work on it... that is generating web traffic.

Don't worry, you're not alone when facing this predicament. There are thousands of other site owners who want to see more visitors but think it's too difficult, time consuming, or expensive to generate web traffic. According to an Internet marketing survey, nearly 70% of IMers said that generating web traffic is their #1 challenge.

Now you wonder, why is generating traffic such a challenge or even a pain for so many of us?

There are many web traffic options open to you but most of them have at least one fatal flaw...

• Pay-per-click (PPC) can burn a hole in your pocket if you aren't an expert. You'll go broke within a week
  
  
• Traffic exchanges involve hours of page refreshing drudgery to earn even a sniff of visitors. You could nod off while waiting to click and view the next site.
  
  
• SEO techniques are a moving target. If you get lucky with those rare hits, they'll change the rules again
  
  
•  Safelists flood you with thousands of emails you don't need and send your emails to others who won't read them either
  
  
• How-To ebooks and guides are typically full of tactics that no longer work by the time the ebook is available
  
  
• Submitter software packages use obsolete technology that most sites are already protected against before you even submit
  
  
• Co-registration leads are watered down names that have been blasted with so many offers they just tune you out
  
  
• Purchased visitors and bulk emails are so generic, untargeted, and rehashed you're better off trying to win the lottery than expect results from them
  
  
• Social bookmarking will get you some funny videos and knowledge of what somebody did at the party last weekend, but it's not going to send hungry customers to your site.

The truth is, most web traffic tools and tactics are simply too expensive, too time consuming, or they just plain don't work. So where does all this leave the poor online business wannabe? Where does he or she turn to find online salvation?

Yes, where do you go from here?

Although there are numerous ways to promote your site, one simple technique that will bring you traffic is to do article marketing. You don't need to spend a dime, all it takes is your time and your ability to write.

Writing simple how-to articles on topics you are knowledgeable about and distributing them to article directories has been a well-tested technique that will bring you rewards in the form of quality traffic.

Keyword marketing is another technique that will take your site to the top of the search engines. It's all about using the right keywords and key phrases. Concentrate most of your efforts on Google, and when you do it right, the traffic juice will come your way. Mind you, this organic traffic will bring interested visitors and buyers.

There are many articles and blog posts that give you the lowdown on article marketing and keyword marketing. It can be a bit overwhelming for a newcomer to read up all this but remember you are not alone, for there are many other newbies who are starting to learn about article marketing.

Well, it's not exactly rocket science. You don't need advance knowledge of anything technical in order to do article marketing. If you can write, then just write - about some particular topic you know.

Later, when you have attained 'greater wisdom' about article marketing, you may want to shift gear and move to the next level. That's when you start to look around for some software product that can help you distribute your articles automatically to hundreds of article submission sites.

There are quite a number of these products in the marketplace. It's up to you to check them out and choose the one you think will do the job of automated article marketing for you.

Mark my word, some of them will make you wonder why you never thought of this before if you're serious about article marketing. It will save you time and multiply your distribution of articles to a wider circle of sites. Your articles can be turned into "viral marketing tools" that will attract a lot more traffic and establish your credibility in your niche, making you an authoritative writer.

As mentioned earlier, all other methods or techinques to boost web traffic to your site is baloney, even if they work to a certain extent. Okay, that's my humble opinion.

Bingo! Another New Search Engine Called Bing

Bing there, done that.  Yup, Microsoft's new search engine Bing.com is unleashed. So how does it measure up to Google Search?

Well, it was just launched on Wednesday (June 3) and, at first glance, it seems to be doing a decent job. Bing appears to have a number of cool stuff under the hood but I guess you need a couple of weeks of navigating around it to see how Cuil (oops, I mean cool) it really is as the new search kid on the block.

Did I mention Cuil? Ok, that's the search engine which was launched with a big blast of fanfare in July last year. If you remember well, it was supposed to topple Google as the top dog in Web search. Somehow, things didn't pan out positively for Cuil and it has sort of faded into the mist of history.

Will the same happen to Bing? I knew that thought would be playing on your mind!

Some of the well-connected Web players have taken Bing for a test drive before the launch. Andy Beal of Marketing Pilgrim did that and he thinks "it's a huge improvement on Windows Live Search...you might just find that Bing pleasantly surprises".

According to Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer in a launch statement, he referred to Bing as "an important first step forward in our long-term effort to deliver innovations in search that enable people to find information quickly and use the information they've found to accomplish tasks and make smart decisions."

Without a doubt, Bing is a move by Microsoft to grab market share away from Google who has dominated Web search far too long. By tagging Bing as a "decision search engine", Microsoft is trying a new approach to user experience and enabling intuitive tools to help people make better decisions of the search engine.

In other words, Bing is designed to empower people to gain insight and knowledge from the Web, moving more quickly to important decisions such as making purchase decision, mapping a travel plan, researching a health condition or locating a business.

In the next few days we will be reading feedbacks from people who have taken Bing on a run and I'm sure there will be mixed reactions from all and sundry. Obviously, people like Google's Matt Cutts will point out shortcomings in Bing. That will be like Bing, Bang, Bong and whatever!

Ever Considered The Opportunity To Make Money Blogging?

Blogging for Profit  If you're looking for an online opportunity that can provide you with a regular income, you're definitely not alone. Economic times are tough these days and thousands of people need to bring in extra income or replace lost income. All this due to company downsizing and retrenchments as the global economic crisis bites hard.

People have to start somewhere if they are looking at the prospects of making an income online. There's a learning curve to go through before one can come up to speed. The problem is that there are many scams and opportunities that don't pan out these days.

Instead of trying things that don't work, it's a good idea to go with a proven method of making money from home that thousands of people have had success with.

In fact, the best opportunity to make money online is something you are probably familiar with! The answer? Blogging.

The chances are very good that you read blogs regularly, if not every day. The same is true for many other people out there, in the US and in most other countries that have Internet access. Blogging gives you a truly worldwide market.

Now making money with blogging is all about having quality content related to a niche that people are interested in. The people in the niche you choose should be used to spending money, so you can have high hopes of earning money.

For example, those who have some kind of problem that they would like to get rid of will probably spend money to do so. If you have a blog in the niche, you can place advertisements that will be great earners.

Take for example a niche for people who are trying to prevent an impending divorce. They are desperate to find a way to get their husband or wife to reconsider, and to rekindle their love.

There are many things that go into creating a successful blog. Some examples of these include:

• Proper blog set up and installation

• Quality content

• Focus on long tail keywords that will bring in traffic and buyers

• Proper advertisement placement and affiliation

All of these things can seem like foreign concepts to those who have never dabbled in Internet marketing before.

Have no fear -- if you have the right instruction, understanding these things and implementing them is far easier than you might think possible.

To eliminate the learning curve and be sure that you get started right with your blogs, I would recommend you join The Niche Blogger. This membership site was actually created by a stay-at-home mom who wanted to find a way to eliminate her debts.

She went through a lot of trial and error, and decided to document the blogging process for her family members who also wanted to start blogging.

There was a lot of interest in her methods because she was so successful, so she decided to make it available to other people who wanted to learn how to blog.

There are an incredible number of members who are creating great niche blogs using these methods. Many of them had never even blogged before!

If you are serious about finding a make money online opportunity, you really can't pass up blogging.