Building Website Traffic

Building Website Traffic

In 2006 amount of websites reached 100 million. It means that for ever 2 internet users in United States thereis 1 website. All webmasters dream to have a lot of visitors to sell products or share ideas and thoughts. Moreover, every 3 seconds new blog appear in the World Wide Web. Bloggers already showed us that regular blog can be as powerful as major media companies. Searching for traffic webmasters are looking for more links and apply for different SEO services. Some SEO companies promise submissions in hundreds and thousands directories and search engines, other promice PPP advertising, a lot of companies promise one-way or reciprocal links for your site. All this ways can bring traffic to a website if you do right thing or apply for good service.

First things to know about people online behavior:
- 70% unique visitors leave website in less than 30 seconds.
- Most people don’t know difference between natural and sponsored search results.
- 15% visitors on your site are thiefs, scammers, hackers, and spammers.
- Only 10% people know how Google sort natural positions.
- If you open directory and promote it like newest best search engine using offline media… people will believe.
- Less than 1% people click banners.
and more…

More than 80% internet users searching for a websites using search engines. Google, Yahoo, and MSN is major ones and they can provide strong traffic if your site promoted well and occupy top positions for major keywords. About 95% internet users in English speaking countries use Google, Yahoo, and MSN. Some searchers use less popular search engines and directories such as SNAP, Dmoz, Ask, Teoma. Russian internet users, for example, use Yandex or Rambler search engines. To get top positions website should have good amount of backlinks on another trusted websites. Only quality links can guarantee top natural positions. Pay Per Click campaign can offer good traffic also and it drive visitors from sponsored fields in search engines results. In fact, many people still don’t know difference between natural and sponsored results. If you signed up for Google AdWords or Yahoo sponsored search program, you pay each time when someone click your link. In this case you will pay in average from $0.10 to $1.00 and even more if you want to get better positions. Some companies pay Google 20-50 and more dollars just for 1 click and they can afford to spend so much money especially when they sell extremely excpensive product like a real estate, luxury cars, expensive watch etc… It is worth it to spend $100 000 only for 2000 clicks if it transfer in 1 customer who bought Ferrari car for million or two. You can also try PPP services from AdBrite, Clicksor, or Bidvertiser. Their service is similar to Google AdSense where webmasters place JavaScript code on their sites and your link appear in this place. Directories can’t drive a lot of visitors to your site. Only Dmoz and Yahoo directory can send some people from some categories. ManhattanService never miss any directory and always submit to make sure that we listed. We never get more than 5 visitors a month from single directory. However, directory provide free or paid link and if it indexed by search engines, your site will rank better in search results. Links from other sites can guarantee traffic if it:

- trusted site
- many visitors
- good link location
- doesn’t look like 100% advertising
Today average click rate on banners and sponsored links less than 1%. Regular visitors don’t trust banners anymore. People will click on a link if it in content or website point that content was taken from site they link.

The most popular way to get traffic is social sites. It is new, fresh, smart way to get visitors. Digg, Technorati, or Del.icio.us can provide thousands visitors in one day if your link or story appeared on frontpage. EzineArticles used to be just another article directory, but now it is a huge social network where millions people write, read, and share
articles and stories. The bad thing about social sites, they can’t give you regular traffic like Google or Yahoo. You will have only short term traffic which will disappear after your story will go to archive. I would say that social sites like a lottery… if you got luck in your arms it will disappear later. Don’t forget that on Digg of Furl you have to compete
with major publishing and media companies. When you spend hour to write one story and submit, CNN, BBC, or New York Times will write hundreds stories which will be submitted by regular readers in social networks.

Things to remember:
Don’t trust SEO companies who promise millions visitors in one night. Website promotion often takes about 2-5 months and even million dollar companies wait a long time to get their visitors. Companies who give you fast traffic use “black hat” seo and search engines will punish your site in the future. Don’t pay illusions about getting #1 positions with keywords like: cell phone, car, real estate etc. These keywords belong to companies and websites who at least 10 years online. You can get top keywords for this positions only if
you work for next 10 years.
Don’t try to cheat with Google, Yahoo, MSN, or even smaller search engines. It is the most stupid thing you can do. Sooner or larer they will find your trick and it will be easier for you to open another website and start everything all
over again. Beware people who promise you many quality links for free, or link from a major site for bargain price. It is most likely scammers.

P.S. Target right keywords. The biggest mistake of may webmasters when they target wrong keywords. Firstly, for search engines it looks suspicious and they think that you trying to cheat. Secondly, visitors will be leaving your site in 5 seconds.