Driving Traffic to your Website - The Basics for Michigan Companies

One of the most crucial needs of business owners whether they are solely online businesses - or offline businesses looking to profit from the Internet is traffic. Without traffic, your web site barely exists, and is unlikely to make any profit whatsoever. With traffic, you stand a  greater chance of success - but it can't be just any type of traffic.

New Michigan website owners on the Internet frequently make the mistake of just wanting traffic, and join any and every program offering just that - "thousands of clicks or hits to your web site", with the vast majority of them unlikely to drive business. When web sites fail to make any money, many business owners "give up" on the web as a money-making myth.

For those business owners who do persist, and try to learn from their experience, they realize it's not just any traffic they need - it's targeted traffic. That means web site visitors who actually want to visit (rather than those who are 'forced' to visit via some traffic exchange program), and so those visitors are actually interested in what your Michigan business has to offer.

This type of traffic is far more profitable to you - your visitors are far more likely to purchase from you, simply because you have what they were looking for.

How to attract targeted traffic?

• Join An Affiliate Program
  
  An affiliate program gives those who promote your products a commission if they make a sale. Over time you can build up an army of people who are busy promoting your web site for you.
  
  There are many affiliate programs out there - here are a few that we suggest:

  • GregRobert Affiliate / Drop Ship Program

  • LinkConnector Affiliate Network

  • LinkShare Affiliate Marketing Network

  • Shareasale Performance Marketing / Affiliate

  • ClickBank Affiliate Program

  • AvantLink Affiliate Platform for Merchants




• Add Quality Content
  
  Providing quality content on your web site is an excellent way to permanently increase traffic to your web site.
  
  Search engines like Google appear to favor web sites with a clear navigation structure that provide quality content within a certain genre - that means not adding anything you can think of to your web site, but focus on a particular niche, and provide content broadly in line with that.
  
  You don't even have to create it all yourself. For example, look in article directories on the web for free reprint articles you can use.
  
  

• Generate PR
  
  While online public relations (PR) and other web strategies are relatively new, the disciplines of marketing and PR have been around for ages. PR and marketing strategies continue to evolve as the Internet has taken its place alongside these traditional mediums.  
  
  Press Releases
  
  With online PR, Internet newswires, such as www.MichiganPR.net,  PR.com and PRWeb.com, distribute press releases instantly to regional, national, or international media outlets (depending on your preference). 
  

  • PRWeb Press Distribution - Online Press

  • PR.com Press and Online Marketing
    
    

• Create Content
  
  Just as you are looking for content that can be quickly added to your web site, so are thousands of other website publishers (both in Michigan and Nationally). By creating content yourself, you can not only put it up on your own web site, but also provide it to others for their use with a small resource box at the end of the article with a link to your web site.  Quality links to your website, increase both your traffic and your Page Rank (which in turns helps your search engine rankings.)
  
  Hundreds of ezine publishers are looking for quality content that they can publish in their eZines, on a wide range of topics.  If a publisher with a large mailing list chooses to publish your article, this can lead to a surge in both traffic and sales on your web site when their ezine is published. Many ezines are published online too, providing another permanent link and source of high quality traffic to your web site.
  
  There are various courses and ebooks available online that can teach you how to effectively distribute your articles and get them published. 
  
  

• Publish An Ezine
  
  One of the most effective ways to build a loyal base of repeat visitors for your web site is connecting with your visitors through email periodically.  Whether it's an ezine that publishes regularly, or a mailing list who you occasionally mail to - keeping a dialogue open is crucial.
  
  By publishing quality information in your emails, you increase your credibility, build trust with your subscribers, and encourage repeated visits to your web site.

  There are many eMail Communication programs out there - here are a few that we suggest:

  • Constant Contact -- 60 Days Free Trial

  • eSavvyMarketing, Inc.

  • Vertical Response Email Marketing

  • Email Marketing Software - TemplateZone

  • eMailer2001 - Autoresponder and Bulk Emailer

  • Mailing List Broker / Email List Quotes- Free

  • W3 Data -division of White Pages Mailing Lists
    
    

• Pay Per Click Engines
  
  When you use pay-per-click engines, you are effectively paying to have a high ranking position for certain keywords, on certain search engines. If you choose your keywords carefully, the traffic is highly targeted - the trick is to ensure you are not paying more per click than each visitor is worth.
  
  To do this effectively requires some careful tracking of the visitors that arrive at your site from your keyword placements, but done correctly, the end result is net profit for you.
  
  The main pay-per-click engines are Google Adwords and Yahoo Search Marketing (Overture).  With Google, your ads are displayed within minutes; with Yahoo Search Marketing, it can take a few hours to a few days to have your ads approved and displayed.  Miva is also a consideration because of it's low cost / high ROI.
  
  

  • Yahoo! Search Marketing & Online Advertising

  • eSavvyMarketing Search Engine Optimization

  • Google Adwords - Increase Website Traffic

  • Search Engine Marketing with Search 123

  • Enhance Interactive PPC $25 account credit

  • MIVA - high ROI from your PPC ad campaign

  • Michigan Search Directory

  • Advertising Your Local Business - LeadConnect
    
    

• List your website in Multiple Directories
  
  

  • Merchant Circle Business Directory - Local

  • GoMyLocal.com Free & Paid Business Directory

  • Pet Related: Free Pet Business Listing
    
    

• Finally, take advantage of Free and Cost-effective offerings like those offered on the Michigan Business Directory:
  
  

  • Get a FREE listing in The Michigan Business Directory

  • Get an Enhanced listing in the Michigan Business Directory

  • Offer a FREE Service to Michigan Business Members