What is the best way to increase traffic to my website?

Answer: Some business owners elect to implement SEO methods themselves; however, higher search engine rankings take time to develop and there is no technique, short of paying for a higher search listing, that will produce quick results. Google, Bing, and other search engines have varying selection criteria and will give higher listings to those companies that advertise on their sites, which can impact how a search will list the hits. But every business has to assess it target audience and how much of its marketing budget to spend on website marketing versus print, on-site signage, Yellow Pages, and other types of marketing.

Keywords, viral marketing, contact or landing pages, and other inexpensive tools can be used to drive website traffic. The best website marketing tools vary by website based on the purpose (e-commerce, business information, networking, blog, etc), target audience, geographic trade area, and other factors. You can review example industry discussions on free and other website marketing tools at websites like the following:

Search Engine Optimization, keywords, banner ads, social networking websites, and blogs are the common Internet marketing tools and methods of driving more traffic to websites. However, the type of website marketing that will be most effective for your business will require analysis and experimentation just like other marketing methods in order to determine what is cost effective to reach the defined target audience and geographic sales trade area for your particular products or services. Website marketing has gotten much more complex as the Internet has matured. Search engines now look for the quality of your content, how closely it pertains to keywords, how long the site has been around, and other factors. In addition, there are Yellow Pages and other online phone directories just like printed directories.

Search engine optimization is the process of achieving top rankings in the search engines for a website’s most relevant search terms. The most relevant search terms, which are those that you want to rank highly for, are the phrases that potential customers are most likely to type into a search engine for determining a website’s product or service offerings. Search engine optimization targets these search terms. However, there are no search engine optimization secrets, just ranking and promotion methodologies to follow in order to beat your competitors in obtaining a high ranking for desired search terms. To develop an understanding of search engine optimization techniques, you can review considerable SEO information, tips and suggestions with an Internet search. The following are example websites:

SEO information and resources:

Also, you can locate discussions on how to be on the first page of search engine results at industry websites like the following (we have no experience with these services or suggestions):

Geographic and niche market search information:

Keywords/AdWords: These and similar methods require trial and testing, but the following is industry information and suggestions for these tools:

Place meta tags:

Increase traffic by using various services such as:

There are numerous popular search engines and directories on the Internet. Below you will find a list of links to several popular search engines and links to information and forms on their sites to assist you in submitting your website address (URL).

Bing

Add URL info: http://www.bing.com/webmaster/SubmitSitePage.aspx

Open Directory: How to Suggest a Site to the Open Directory: dmoz.org

Search engine registration is often free, but you can review an example list of fees at the following website:

Hard Costs of Search Engine Registration: wordsinarow.com

Banner ads: Though other tools have been developed in recent years, banner advertising is still one of the most common forms of advertising on the Internet today. There are many services that provide banner exchange services. These programs provide simple instructions for implementation. Whether or not they produce the desired results is determined by testing. The following are a few examples:

Social networking websites: Business networking and other social websites and blogs are new and very popular at the moment and some may be able to reach target customers (individuals or businesses) and create interest in certain business products or services. These methods are newer, there is considerable competition, and business networking and marketing results will vary by situation based on various factors. We do not have any quantitative results on the business marketing success rates of the many networking websites. Basically, you would have to research and then test this type of advertising in order to determine if it reaches your target audience or can otherwise be effective for your business. These websites generally have explanatory information for business advertisers on their websites. You can research the top business and social networking websites through websites like the following:

Groups:

You can also find other websites like the following with discussions and advice for advertising on social websites:

The Facebook Marketing Toolbox: insidecrm.com