EVERYONE needs more traffic. Everyone except for your local interstate highway or freeway. Jokes aside, website traffic takes a lot of time to build up.

Yes – you could buy it, but hey, there is no challenge in that is there? You want it FAST. You want it NOW. and You want it FREE.

There are many places to find free traffic. In fact, the internet is saturated with traffic building techniques. This however, creates a big fat problem.

Which techniques actually work?

Which techniques work better than others?

Which techniques send long term traffic?

How much time is it going to take?

Here are 10 Golden Rules for getting more website traffic to your blog – and yes, they are all free – YIPPEE !

Apply these rules and you will get traffic.

Master Of None

Got a blog? Got a Website? What is it about?

Is it about everything?

Have you heard the saying – “Jack of all trades Master of None?” This is critical at start up phase. Your blog needs to be narrowly targeted.

If it is about Cars – Narrow it further. Make it about high performance luxury cars.

If it is about Craft – Make it about Craft for kids.

Got the idea?

Focus on doing this first, until you start getting lots of repeat readers and then slowly start to broaden your topics.

People need to know exactly what your blog is about as soon as they arrive. Visitors that are interested in your topic or niche, will hang around, bookmark it, and come back again.

The others that are not interested won’t – but you don’t want them anyway, so tell them to shooo….!

They are untargeted traffic so are unlikely to buy your product and you will need to be a very good salesperson to convince them otherwise !

The NERD Part

Yes, you might have to ‘NERD UP’ to deliver quality. This means writing excellent content. Time and time again you see this on the internet.

But, have you actually done it? Or, have you written rubbish?

‘Bust your guts’ finding good quality information. Don’t just post for the sake of it.

Do some research whenever you post and dig deep to find out what works and what doesn’t. Then test your ideas yourself and give feedback to your audience.

Facts are much more powerful than ‘dribble’ regenerated from someone else’s blog.

Oi – OVER HERE!

Which one of these titles is better?

A new Traffic Tip

or

HEY – YOU…….psssssttt check this TOP SECRET traffic tip to meltdown your server…….!!!

OK, it sounds a bit unbelievable, however, it creates more interest. The key is to grab the reader’s attention while being able to promise what you are saying you can do and deliver.

The title of your post is very important. A good title will not only attract attention, but it will pick up relevant keywords in the search engines. Check out your title using the Google Keyword Tool to see what keywords you are competing for. There may be an alternative choice that will bring you good traffic through organic search.

Yes, this takes a bit of time, but hey – this time will come back in droves of traffic.

Also, you should have your blog set to permalinks so that the keywords are in the URL. Check this out more here. If you haven’t done this – do it now. This is very important for Search Engine Results.

Then, use keywords in your titles – but make the title have IMPACT. Obviously you don’t want to jam 10 keywords in a title because it will just sound ridiculous.

THINK carefully about your title.

Hey Good Looking….

Make Sure Your Blog Looks Professional – Design is everything.

Is it really looking good? You know – really good?

Have you used a dodgy template?

The visual appearance is the first thing that people see when they visit.

It needs to;

1. Be easy on the eye
2. Be easy to read
3. Have clean lines
4. Have complementary colors
5. Load fast.

Research shows – when selling a product, in order of importance, price comes first and the appearance comes second.

Price
Appearance

The same goes for your Blog. OK, it is free to visit, but the next aspect in line is appearance.

MAKE it LOOK SMOKIN HOT !

If it doesn’t do any of these things – you are immediately behind the eight ball and you might as well – go back to your day job.

Gobble, Gobble, Google.

Get every page or post indexed as fast as possible.

If you don’t know the important of indexing – then you probably shouldn’t be trying to make money online. Google picking up your keywords is a great way to get free traffic. In fact – this has to be one of the best ways!

It is free and it just keeps coming.

If you don’t know the important of indexing – then you probably shouldn’t be trying to make money online.

Indexing your post is easy – go to Digg and submit it. Chances are it will get indexed overnight.

Simple – do it for every post.

What – You Again???

Add value through good features, good content, good graphics and replying to those that comment. Make it a good place to hang out and people will return.

Make sure you have a search tool so your frequent visitors can find what they want.

Participate in the comments made by your visitors. This shows interest in them and creates a community around your blog. This will encourage others to join in.

Update on a regular basis – There is nothing worse than returning to a blog after 2 weeks to find it has still not been updated.

However – remember you want to add some good quality content not just waffle. No one likes a waffler, they switch off at the drop of a hat.

So make sure you spend the time to research your topic and provide quality.

Post links to your blog on other blogs in the comments sections. This is targeting your audience. They will click your links and visit. Give it time – they will come.

You can find other blogs in your niche by using Blog search or typing relevant keywords in Google and going through the results.

Are You The Social Type?

To do this, you need to sign up to several communities and participate. Attract people to your blog through making comments on other people’s sites and looking at other people’s sites.

This is hard work. You can’t sign up to them all.

However – add quality to the ones that you do set up. Don’t just set up a profile and hope that people will flock your way – because they won’t. You need to participate in the community before people will take an interest in what you are doing.

Waffle On

Ever thought about the way you speak to others? If you are writing articles then chances are your articles will be similar to how you speak. Are you dribbling on and boring us to tears?

No one is going to read it. You need PASSION, EXCITEMENT & INTERESTING STUFF to grab people’s attention. This is essential.

Articles are a great way of attracting visitors.

However, you need to be able to reel them in like you are reeling in the ‘big one’. Make them want to read more, dig deeper and find out more. This is the key to getting them to click through to your site.

Articles also get sucked up by the Big G pretty quickly. They get indexed fast and are a good ‘sales pitch’ to your site or blog. Attract people through good quality articles and you will get visitors.

To do this, you need to sign up to several communities and participate.

Name It

What is the name of your website?

Does your domain look like this?

http://www.googlesites/bazza’sinternetmarketingtips.com

What sort of a shambles is that? You want to make people take notice.

This might be better

http://BigBazzasHotTips.com

A real domain and plenty of character. Then you can set your graphics off to match.

This is highly recommended. It looks much more professional and will make a big difference to the response that people make to your site. They see you are serious and are in for the long haul. Not only that, you should make it easy to remember.

Which one is better?

http://bigbazzashottips.com

or

http://BigBazzasHotTips.com

The second one is easier to read so every time you display your domain name – show it in ‘Titlecase’.

This will get you repeat traffic.

Your Opinion Counts

Make comments on other people’s blogs. This shows you are participating in the community and making an effort.

People in your niche will be attracted to your QUALITY comments that provide something decent to read and BANG ! Over they will come to check you out.

You need WORLD CLASS quality ideas and content that people are just dying to hear. Content that is unique, hard to find, new, great to read and informative. Something that your readers can apply to their lives.

Just apply these 10 ideas and you will start to get traffic.

Yes – it is gonna take some sweaty work, but hey, if you are not keen to put some hard yards in, Internet Marketing and making money online is not for you.

Go out and pump gas instead !!

So there you go. 10 Golden Rules for generating website traffic. All these ideas work and are free. Participate in other communities and put a good effort into making a good blog or website and you will get return visitors.

Disagree with what I have said? Got something else to add? We want your comments.

Please feel free to comment and if you want to link to your site – please do.