Best Ways to Get Free Website Traffic for 2014
The task of getting free traffic to a website once involved the arduous tasks of link trading, submitting to link directories, posting at free ad sites, using traffic exchanges and visiting multiple sites leaving your link. This has often lead to link spam, though when used in moderation are in some instances still ok.
With Google Penguin and Panda search engine updates, Google has been penalizing the black hat link spamming practices of the past (and rightly so). Luckily for webmasters, there are even better and more effective ways of receiving traffic these days, and for 2014. Link spamming does not pay off, and webmasters who try to grow their traffic the honest way will win in the end!
Check out: Best Free Online Website Builders
For those of you with websites, here are some effective and safe ways of attracting free traffic to your website.
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Social Networking
The advent of social networking has led to an easier, and more efficient way of promoting websites. Building free traffic is as easy as creating profiles at social networks, and sharing links to your website regularly. You must realize though, that sharing just your own stuff will make you look like a blatant self-promoter. The best way to get free traffic from social networks is to like and share other posts, comment often and show yourself as an expert in your field.
This type of traffic takes time to build – but this is the type you want. What would you rather have, 1000 people who visit your website in one day, and never return, or 10 who regularly visit your site every day? Do you get my point? Quick traffic methods are fleeting, and do not last. But, the type of traffic you should be searching for is the type which steadily returns everyday! Agree? Leave a comment!
Here are just a few of the free ways to get free traffic with social networks:
- Create a Facebook page, join Facebook groups, and be active on Facebook.
- Signup for a free Twitter account, and include your website link on your profile.
- Signup with Pinterest, and pin your own photos from your website. Regularly repin the other Pinterest users as well.
- Create a Google+ profile and page, and join groups - Being active on Google is essential for webmasters. Create a Google+ profile and establish authorship of your website.
- Get a professional profile at Linkedin, and network with professionals in your field.
- Create a Youtube channel, and post videos there regularly. Make sure your website link is included at the end of videos, and in the video description.
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Blogging
Blogging has become one of the best ways to grow free traffic to a website. Every website should have a blog associated with it! Honestly!
Regularly updated blogs with good content are more likely to be frequently crawled by Google bots.
What this means is that blogs tend to rank in search engines easily - and having one associated with your website means your website will rank higher as well.
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Promote your blog feed!
Every blog should have a conspicuous feed subscription button. Even better would be an email subscription form.
In this way, those who subscribe will regularly receive updates in their feed readers or email.
These are people who have a devoted interest in your website, and are likely to return time after time!
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Create a newsletter!
Use an email subscription form to get subscribers for a newsletter. Once you receive a few subscribers, you can regularly (weekly, bi-weekly or monthly) send out a newsletter keeping those people updated with your website.
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Have social sharing buttons on your website
This is one of the most important ways for modern websites to get free traffic. If visitors like your content, they may want to share it with friends.
Have at the very minimum a Facebook like button, Google plus one and Tweet button.
Others you may want to consider are Linkedin share, Stumbleupon, Pinterest pin button and Buffer.
Did you notice what all these free traffic have in common? They are mostly passive ways of promoting! You do not have to spend time begging for people to visit. But, you do have to do the initial work of setting up social profiles, networking, posting regularly and creating great content that visitors will want to share. If they like your stuff, they will revisit, share it and subscribe. All this takes time… but is the right way to grow a steady flow of free website traffic.
If interested in more ways to grow your website traffic, check out this helpful post:
How to Get Free Traffic to a Website
What are your opinions? Are there any free website traffic methods I may have left out? Please tell us below!
