When I mention to a business client that their new website can have a blog (like in Blogging for your Business), I’m often asked, “what would I use a blog for?” Most of us have seen how individuals might use a blog as an online journal of their lives – a place to vent and talk about what’s important to them – but how does a business use a blog to actually benefit the business?

Here, in no particular order, are a variety of ways that a business can make great use of a blog format.

1. Answer Questions

If you ever receive questions about your business or industry, either direct or implied, you can answer those questions in your blog. You simply start by posting the question, leaving out who asked it of course, and then answer it.

This is particularly effective since most people end up asking themselves the same questions, so it’s likely that you will be providing valuable information to many people. In fact, you should fully expect that eventually people will be using a search engine like Google and will type in your exact question and your blog post, with the answer, will come up as a result.

If you have an FAQ system or page, you can discuss the same questions and topics – the format of the blog post is simply more casual and conversational, while an FAQ entry should generally be more formal and to the point.

2. Client Spotlight

If you just completed a large or interesting project, or simply have something nice or compelling to say regarding a specific client, use your blog to share. It’s a great way to illustrate how you might handle a specific project or even a challenge. Be sure to get the client’s permission before you post your entry.

3. Reviews

If you read an article in the newspaper or some other online source that you think your customers should read, post a link to it in a blog entry and explain why you think it’s relevant to your clients. Conversely, you could also use this method to respond to negative press your business or industry may receive online.

You can also review a new product or service.

4. Teach

Regularly take a topic or issue from your industry and teach your clients all about it. This method involves a little more work on your part, but is eventually even more rewarding and compelling than others.

First, do your homework. Make sure that everything you state is correct and verifiable. Use statistics if you can and cite your source

Second, create your blog entry in a Word file and see how long it is. Break it up into smaller sections if its lengthy and label them Part I, Part II, and so on. You now have not only several blog posts, but a series that will entice readers to come back for the next part.

5. Lists

A particularly common technique is to make lists. You can list anything you want, anything that might be interesting to your clients, and talk about each list item for a moment before moving on to the next. An easy topic might be Do’s and Dont’s for your clients as I’m sure nearly every business has common pitfalls that their clients struggle with, as well as things every new client should be doing.

Do not feel forced to come up with a specific number, like “Top Ten”, as that will simply frustrate you when you can only think of 8 items. It’s your blog, so list 5 or 50 if you want to.

6. Events & Conferences

Use your blog to talk about and announce upcoming events and conferences, if it’s something you think some of your clients may want to attend or be interested in. If it’s a conference for vendors like yourself, then talk about it afterward and share some of the things you learned that might prove valuable to your customers.

Regardless of which method you use, always make sure that you re-read your entry for correct grammar, spelling, and factual information. Also, whenever possible, make sure that you’re using your targeted keywords. If you can, refer to older blog entries or articles you may have written and link back to them (that’s referred to as deep linking).

Of course, the beauty of a blog is that there are no rules or regulations. Your posts can be as long or as short as you want, and on any schedule you like (though the more regular you post, the better). Furthermore, there’s no reason why you can’t utilize each and every one of the techniques above, and anything else you might find or invent. Your blog doesn’t have to be the same each and every week, as long as the overall topic remains the same – your business and your industry. Continue to write interesting and helpful information and your blog will become a great sales tool for you and your website.

About the Author

Michael Allton is the lead web designer and owner at Stadia Studio, a web design firm in St. Louis, and has been helping businesses get online since the 1990′s.

Photo by kuriboBlogging is a great way to reach your audience, share your thoughts, and even help you with your Internet marketing. I’ve been blogging for nearly 3 years and continue to enjoy the benefits of not only communicating with an audience, but engaging in meaningful dialog. Starting a blog is easy to do and pays huge dividends.

There are a number of free services available that offer free blog services. Sites like Blogger and WordPress only require a brief registration and set up. Once you determine a theme for your blog and a template, you’re ready to begin posting. Posts are entries you make on your blog that are published instantly.

Some bloggers post comments to their blog each and every day, others once a week. Regardless of how frequently you post to your blog, content can be focused on a specific theme or random topics. The most popular blogs focus on a specific niche and provide valuable information, content, and commentary that encourage interaction with blog followers.

Sign up for a blog service. Begin development of your blog by signing up for Blogger or WordPress. Once you have an account, you can quickly set up your blog. Consider the goal of your blog and what type of commitment you are willing to make. Start small and be consistent.

Determine how you will monetize your blog. If you want to use your blog to generate revenue, there are a few techniques you can apply depending on which platform you’re using. One of the most popular methods of monetizing your blog is with the help of Google Adsense. This is a popular option and very easy to add to your blog. Not only does it generate a small amount of revenue for you on a weekly basis, but it also provides relevant links based on your posts.

Another great way to monetize your blog is through paid links. The concept of offering paid links is pretty straight forward. You create a section of you blog that lists recommended sites. In this list, you only place links that people have paid you to post. There are some tools you can use to automate this process. I simply add a link to a post that says, “How to post your link” with directions and a pass through to a Paypal page. You can set up a single time payment or subscription, allowing would be advertisers the opportunity to purchase a link on your blog monthly or for a longer period of time.

Many individuals are monetizing their blogs by using pay per post or other blogging network. Essentially, advertisers search for bloggers who are willing to write a post to promote their product and services or brand. You can sign up for one of these networks quite easily and be contacted when advertisers feel that your blog would be ideal for distributing a message. You write a blog post and get paid for doing so.

One thing to keep in mind is that the success of you blog is based on a number of factors. I believe that having a targeted blog that offers original content is ideal. You will build a large following. This is essential because most of the monetization methods are based on having enough traffic to make your blog appealing to advertisers as well as blog readers.

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Of all the successful blogs on the Internet, hundreds more have failed. Running a blog is like running a business website. Unless you are willing to put the time in and treat it seriously, you won’t be blogging long.

That is not to say that the failed bloggers weren’t serious about blogging. Mostly, new bloggers aren’t prepared for the work that goes into creating a successful blog. Just building the blog doesn’t mean that people will necessary come to you. You pursue the audience and give them a reason to see what you have to say.

1.    Fresh Content – no one wants to visit a blog day after day and see the same posts. Update your blog content at least twice a week. This will be easier if you write several posts ahead of time and upload them at the appropriate times.

2.    Article Marketing – the niche you’ve chosen for your blog is one that interests you. If it is interesting you will spend more time doing it. Create content not only for your blog but also to be submitted to article directories. Use the resource box to advertise your blog so people can find you.

3.    Social Networking – these sites are everywhere. Join Facebook, MySpace, Squidoo, Twitter or a dozen others and make connections. You can join groups of likeminded people who are also bloggers or entrepreneurs.

4.    Viral Marketing – this is where you spread the word about your blog. Talk to friends, family and even strangers. Give out business cards that have your blog address on them.

5.    Use RSS Feeds – RSS stands for “Really Simple Syndication.” Readers can subscribe to your feed and get email updates when new content is posted. It is an easy way for them to keep up with your blog without spending all day online.

6.    Submit Blog to Search Engines – doing this allows your blog to be ranked. Google and Yahoo! are two of the most popular search engines you want to crawl your blog pages. It doesn’t guarantee top ranking, though. You’ll have to do a little more work for that.

7.    Joining Forums – as a blogger you are a budding entrepreneur. Right now you are marketing yourself to find traffic and then profit. Become a member of business forums, work at home forums and others to meet new people and share ideas. You can add a link to your blog in the signature line so others can find you.

8.    Visit other blogs – show your appreciation to those who visit you by also posting comments on their blogs. It is a kindness that shows others you are not just out to advertise your blog alone. Add links to your blog in your comments.

9.    SEO Marketing – whatever you write, use relevant keywords. Keyword density between three and ten percent is good for getting higher page rankings in search engines. Base your keywords on a research you do to find the most popular words used in search engines for your niche.

10.    Social Bookmarking – submitting posts to social bookmarking sites allows others who are members of those sites to track you back to your blog.

Using any of these ideas will start the traffic moving in your direction. It takes time but you will build the readership you want.

Blogs in particular provide a timely source of information and market news. There are numerous realty-related blogs on the web, but due to their very nature, blogs can quickly become outdated or obsolete. It can be very time consuming to sift through the blogs in order to find ones worth reading, so to save you the hassle, here are 10 blogs that offer realtors valuable information, expert advice, and entertainment all at once.

Bloodhound Blog – BloodhoundRealty.com/BloodhoundBlog

BloodhoundBlog is a “real estate market and technology blog” that discusses industry news, the National Association of Realtors, the role of real estate agents, and web marketing. With contributing authors of various specialties such as mortgage brokers, SEO’s, and agents, BloodhoundBlog is authoritative and edgy. Recent posts include: “Can a Realtor Truly be a Consumer Advocate?” and “Is NAR Criminal or Clueless? What Difference does it Make?”

Inman Blog – Inman.com/blog

From the folks at Inman News, Inman Blog features “Real Estate and Technology News for Agents, Brokers, and Investors.” Posts cover everything from social marketing, improving one’s online marketing campaign, as well as the latest technology for realty-related websites. There are also contests and surveys that aim to take the pulse of the national real estate scene. Recent subjects included “The Truth about Real Estate Compensation,” and “Confessions of a NAR Economist.”

The Real Estate Tomato – RealEstateTomato.typepad.com

Known for providing “juicy blogging advice for realtors,” the Real Estate Tomato is geared towards the tech savvy realtor who understands the importance of blogging to get website traffic, attract clients, and to establish oneself as an authority. In addition to blogging, the Tomato also talks about social networking sites such as Twitter, techniques for search engine optimization, and the latest trends in marketing online. A recent topic was: “An Honest Look at the Impact of Video on your Real Estate Blog.”

Real Estate Investing for Real – BiggerPockets.com/RENewsBlog

This blog is an offshoot of BiggerPockets.com, a popular site dedicated to real estate investing. Recent topics included “Is your Real Estate Website Committing this Conversion Killer?” and “How to Create an Effective Business Social Networking Profile.” Informative and current, this blog is a great educational tool for investors and agents alike.

Future of Real Estate Marketing – FutureOfRealEstateMarketing.com

As the title suggests, the ‘Future’ blog is all about e-marketing and utilizing the latest website technologies. “Photosynth Could Spark Virtual Earth Comeback” is one of the site’s recent posts.

The Real Estate Bloggers – TheRealEstateBloggers.com

Providing “Real Estate, Mortgage, and Development News” the Real Estate Bloggers focuses on a variety of topics, including creative marketing techniques. Recent posts include “$1 Million Real Estate Coupon – Thinking Outside the Box,” and “Why the Chrysler and GM Deals will Raise Mortgage Rates.”

Realty Thoughts – RealtyThoughts.com

With topics such as ” Why Realtors Need to Get iPhone Equipped” and “Delicious for Real Estate: Dwellicious,” RealtyThoughts keeps agents and brokers on the cutting edge of real estate marketing, technology, and lead conversion.

CopyBlogger – CopyBlogger.com

Though not specifically geared towards real estate professionals, CopyBlogger is essential reading for anyone putting content on the web. Whether you’re writing content for your website, or posting on a blog, CopyBlogger is extremely helpful in terms of attracting and converting leads. Recent subjects included “The #1 Conversion Killer in your Copy (And How to Beat it) and “Why Social Media Marketing.”

Seth’s Blog – SethGodin.typepad.com

Like CopyBlogger, Seth’s Blog is not directed towards the real estate industry. However, Seth’s refreshingly honest commentary on marketing and sales techniques can be a great resource for agents and brokers. Customer service, marketing, and the philosophy of selling are discussed. Sample posts include “On Becoming a Household Name,” and “Making Commercials for the Web.” Seth’s Blog is a great place to learn how to promote your brand and services.

It’s Lovely! I’ll Take It! – LovelyListing.com

Because even realtors need to laugh, It’s Lovely! I’ll Take It! is a hilarious blog that teaches realtors the importance of taking proper listing photos. The blog shows bad listing photos from around the world. Highlights include graffiti on the wall, blurry photos, bad angles, rundown houses, and shots of family pets. There are also notable shots of Nazi memorabilia, filled toilets, and naked people in the background. What’s so fantastic (aside from the biting commentary the author provides) is that the shots have been taken by real agents, and used to market their properties. Learn how NOT to market your listing by following the hilarity on this blog. You’ll learn a lot.

Before examining the different kinds of media available and their corresponding attributes, I need to stress a very important point: messaging. No matter the media or the campaign, having strong messages that clearly outline your objective is crucial. Good messages, writing and communication are the engines that drive all media strategies.

But, as the media isn’t “one size fits all”, it depends on the type of company you have, the kind of book or service you are promoting, and which media is consumed by your typical customer. The following are the four main media outlets to consider when developing a “media savvy” marketing and PR strategy:

Television. Built for speed and power, TV is a badge of credibility for anyone seeking to get their message out. It allows you to present the audience with a visual image of your message, e.g., graphs, demonstrations and pictures. These visuals make your message easy to understand and more entertaining for the viewer.

What about the difference between local and national television exposure? Simply put, local television is good for placing a stake in the ground and getting the hometown crowd interested in your message. National television, on the other hand, is good for the same but on a grander scale.

Now what about the impression that you make on television viewers? TV viewers are used to 8 minute segments, and then a commercial. They’ll see your interview, and then forget about you a week later. Because of this fleeting nature, a TV campaign alone is incomplete as a full, lasting, PR strategy.

In the end, TV is most effective when you are able to obtain repeat interviews with multiple story angles to keep yourself on the tube.

Talk Radio. Talk radio is a great way to get your message across to a large group of people at one time. There’s a captive audience during morning and evening drive times, in the middle of the day with stay-at-home moms or people in the workplace, and with those “night owls” who listen late into the night. Also, the demographics of the audience are a marketer’s dream. According to the recent Talkers Magazine research project, talk radio listeners are educated, attentive, affluent, and active consumers.

Talk radio schedules are also packed with a plethora of specialty shows (politics, health, relationships, lifestyles, finance, consumer advocacy, sports, etc) enabling you to reach mass or niche audiences alike. Radio interviews also allow you more time to tell your whole story than a TV appearance. These interviews average 10 to 20 minutes in length (and some can go even longer) whereas, TV interviews only range between 3 to 6 minutes.

Print. A recent study executed by Forrester Research Inc. (an independent technology and market research company) revealed that people trust print news coverage far more than other media outlets. I’ve always felt print is “King” when it comes to media exposure. An article or story about you and your company not only popularizes your message to millions of readers – it also provides legitimacy and credibility in a way that’s unmatched.

Although this industry is being hit pretty hard with layoffs, there are a growing number of opportunities for PR agencies to obtain solid placements. Just think about it: with less staff journalists writing good editorial content, these publications will depend more on PR professionals and syndicated content to fill their pages.

In the long term a print campaign can help boost sales, which is especially true when combined with a radio and TV campaign. Not to mention that your newspaper and magazine articles can be recycled in numerous ways to strengthen your entire sales and marketing efforts. Why not use your published article as part of your email newsletter, as a feature on your website’s homepage, or part of a sales package to prospects or retail store buyers. Overall, print is an excellent source for establishing credibility and increasing brand awareness.

Internet. Not so much the new kid on the block anymore, an Internet campaign is a proven method to reach both mass and niche media. If you want to market to an enthusiastic audience who enjoy interacting and sharing information, an internet (or online) marketing and PR initiative is perfect for you.

As the internet is a “useful” content driven medium, if you have lots of terrific articles (published or unpublished), company photos, video presentations or even old PowerPoint presentations, these can all be fed into your online marketing machine which can syndicate it widely through the web, thus increasing your brand’s visibility and building credibility simultaneously.

With websites, blogs and other social media outlets you have the added bonus of starting or interacting with a large community of prospective clients in a real way. Imagine the idea of a networking cocktail party without time constraints and costly travel? Sounds great right? The internet offers extensive reach and cost-effectiveness, while supporting the other aspects of your media PR strategy.

Depending on your campaign’s goals, I would advise using a combination of all the above media outlets. Again, the key thing to remember is your messaging. Be sure that whatever media you end up utilizing properly serves your message and is a good fit for your marketing objectives.

Koka Sexton wrote a guest post over at Matt McGee’s HyperlocalBlogger blog, giving 5 great ways to grow your local blog. The ideas are great, and I thought I’d share some of them here.

1. Use twitter to spread the word. Set up a twitter account for your local blog and use it to announce new posts from your blog. Use tools like Monitter to find other local twitter users, and Twollo to auto follow people based on keywords.
2. Use Craigslist for traffic. He suggests going to your local section on Craigslist, and post in the “rants and raves” section about your local blog posts. He says he’s had success writing long posts that end with: “If you want to know more about what’s happening in your city check out www.yourlocalblog.com.”
3. Let your readers know you care. When people leave comments on your blog, thank them for posting and engage them (I know, I’m horrible at this). I’m into health and low carb, and a great example of this is Dr. Michael Eade’s blog. On especially active posts, he responds to almost every comment.
4. Write local content. Follow local current events from the radio or newspaper and write your thoughts.
5. Local advertising. Koka suggests writing about local businesses you frequent. Write about the pleasant experience, great prices, etc. When you go to the establishment, tell them about your post, and they will point other people to your blog to read about their business.

You can read the entire post at:

http://www.hyperlocalblogger.com/5-ways-to-grow-a-local-blog/

Check it out and let me know if the techniques help you grow your local blog!

Many times, budget-minded business owners fear that small business marketing needs to be expensive in order to be effective. Fortunately – this isn’t true. Here are five simple tips for small business owners who are looking to save dollars, while still running an effective online marketing campaign.

1. Optimize Your Website

There are three simple steps to take so that you can be sure that your website is working for you.

The first is to use a descriptive title for your site as well as keywords and a description that allows search engines and site visitors alike to know what they will find when they visit your web page. Once that’s taken care of, make sure that you are placing keywords appropriately in the text of your website.

Your keywords should be specific to your products and services, and should be chosen with consideration for the terms prospective customers would use when searching with Google or Yahoo or whichever other search engine they use.

Finally, these keywords should also be used in the alt image tags as they relate to the photos and illustrations that you post to your website.
2. Market Your Website with Articles & Distribute Press Releases

Article marketing is an extremely effective way to draw visitors to your website. By creating an informative short article that relates to your business, your area of expertise and your keywords, you can show readers a bit more of what they’ll find from your business – which you can link to in your resource box at the bottom of the article.

Online press releases are another effective marketing tool. Like conventional press releases that let local newswires pick up a story about a new staff member or a new product line, online press release distribution will allow you to get the word out to those who publish online newsletters or who review products and services like those that you offer.

Both articles and press releases published online create valuable, relevant inbound links to your website (via the link to your site in your resource box at the end of each article or press release). Search engines place a great amount of value on the number of inbound links you have to your site, so this is an excellent way of building popularity with the search engines, as well as your human customers.

Both article marketing and distributing press releases will enable you to establish yourself as an expert and your company as a source for products or services. Each is effective, and often, submission to article directories is free – that’s right, free marketing for your business, all it takes is a little bit of time.
3. Start a Blog

It’s a common statement when it comes to Internet marketing: content is king. A blog – short for a weblog – allows you to create fresh content at regular intervals, driving traffic and search engines to your website.

Like article marketing and press release distribution, having a blog allows you to establish your expertise about the products and services that your small business offers. Unlike article marketing and press release distribution, however, a blog allows you to begin to carry on a dialog with your current and prospective customers.

Your blog works like search engine magic for your website. By linking your blog to your website, you draw the search engines to your website. Your site will rank higher and your customers will have a much easier time finding your site.
4. Commit to a Link Building Campaign and Submit Your Site to Directories and Search Engines

As a small business owner building and promoting your business on the web, having quality inbound links is important. Links allow your site to be found by those who visit similar sites looking for the products and services that your company offers.

Links – like those at the end of your articles and press releases, like those that link back to individual products or services from within your blog, and like those from others who have purchased from you in the past – help to improve your site’s search engine rank.

By submitting your business’ website to relevant directories and even to industry-specific – niche – search engines, you’ll begin to generate additional links. More importantly, however, these niche directories are increasingly used by those looking for very specific sites. Having your listing present will make it even more likely that your prospective customers will find your page; that makes them a particularly valuable marketing tool for your business, and, again, it’s often free to submit your site.

5. Look for Joint Ventures with Other Like-Minded Business People

It’s not uncommon for small businesses to work together – a movie theater and a restaurant offering coupons for a discount if you spend the evening at both places. In my past life working with large corporations I realized that the largest companies grow by means of joint ventures all the time. However, many small businesses do not look into joint ventures when it comes to marketing their businesses.

Is it always easy to find the right joint venture for marketing your business? No, of course not. But it is possible to find like-minded business owners whose customers could benefit from your products or services just as your customers could benefit from those that they offer.

As a result, both small businesses will be better able to extend their outreach and develop a wider customer base. If you are going to enter into a joint venture, search for companies with similar goals and a similar customer base but a different type of product or service. Stay on the lookout, keep an open mind and you just might find the perfect opportunity to market your business to a new audience.

A perfect example of this principle is a recent joint venture I did with a company who specializes in teaching business credit skills to small business owners. This company markets to the same clients that I wish to add to my customer list, but they offer a completely different service. By working together, we were able to market our services to each other’s mailing lists, resulting in both of us attracting new customers we would not have had otherwise. The great part about this joint venture was that there was no out-of-pocket cost to either of us – just our time and a little creativity in coming up with suitable promotions to each other’s lists!

Taking your business to the web does not need to be difficult, nor does it need to be expensive. By taking a creative approach, small business owners on a tight marketing budget will be able to find traffic and increase their customer base.

Focus on reaching the search engines: use the right keywords and use them appropriately. Let people know that you have the information they need with articles and be sure to get the word out by distributing press releases. Interact with your customers with a high quality blog, and focus on getting great links. Lastly, take advantage of partnerships with like-minded business owners.

Marketing your small business website may require a lot of hard work, but it doesn’t require a lot of money – oftentimes, the best results are derived from the most creative (not the most expensive) solutions.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Entrepreneur and outdoor photography adventurer Caroline Melberg is President and CEO of Small Business Mavericks, a division of Melberg Marketing. She has over 20 years of experience creating marketing communications materials and writing copy for some of the largest and most successful companies in the world. Her small business columns are syndicated online, and she publishes the popular e-Zine “Maverick Internet Marketing Secrets.” Learn insider Maverick Marketing secrets you can use immediately to find new customers and increase your sales. Get your FREE subscription at www.SmallBusinessMavericks.com today!

Do you need some backlinks from High PR sites? Check out this list:

http://www.greatdirectories.org/free.html

Another site to check out for submitting your blogposts:

http://atniz.com/2009/02/08/submit-blog-post-to-high-pr-and-traffic-dofollow-bookmark-sites/

I haven’t really looked into submitting my individual blog posts, but it looks interesting. Check ‘em out!

Here is a great list of local blog directories that you can add your local blog to.

It will be updated as time goes by, so check back for more places to add your local business blog.

http://www.hyperlocalblogger.com/33-local-blog-directories/

Without traffic, you won’t have any sales from your site, unless you have a good list of opt-ins, but you don’t want to rely on only existing customers, always keep your list growing.

Traffic alone won’t make the sale, you have to learn how to convert the traffic into cash. You should put as much or more time into learning and testing your ad copy so that the traffic you generate isn’t just window shoppers, the right ad copy can turn window shoppers into buyers, that’s the main goal, right?

So what are some ways if you are low on funds to get traffic coming to your site, I’m glad you asked.

Let’s say you’re just starting out, you have no list, but you have a site and a product, or maybe you’re just an affiliate and have other people products on your site, here is how you can get free traffic.

#1 Blogging

The only thing you’ve heard about blogging is that its where people meet that have nothing better to do, and you’re not the sociable type, you don’t need to be. People meet there and discuss problems they have with several issues, some of which you may have answers to.

If you can be a provider of answers, you can be the Pied Piper to them, and they will follow. Of course, you’re there on business, and you have a goal, traffic.

Don’t visit these with the blatant objective of “follow me to my site and buy stuff”, they will smell you a mile away. Rather do your research, and make these places you pick, your “therapy” time, getting away from give me, give me, give me mentality, and be a giver of knowledge. Remember a biblical passage says “Give, and it shall be given unto you”.

#2 Search Engines

Study what keyword terms best fit what you’re selling, find out if that phrase is used much, and if it is, build your pages on that theme. There’s more to a page than just the copy, there’s many to consider, the search engines do, you should also.

When you do a search on them, you will find the first line of each site listed will capture your eye, or let it slide on by. How do you want possible traffic to view yours.

The bold first line of each entry you see comes from the title on your HTML page, not the title of your content. If you want to attract attention before they even come to your page, you have to include your keyword phrase as well as an eye-catching headline phrase. This will also be graded by the search engines, and help you rank higher than if you forget and it just says “Untitled”, that’s a real show stopper.

#3 Write some articles

Here’s another opportunity for you to give. Done the right way, you will have others use your article on their site, and along with your little blurb at the bottom, or some cleverly placed text within the content (if the user forgets to copy your signature from the bottom) you’ll get readers to click on the link, or type in your URL and visit your site. Placing your ideas on the internet at article submission sites, gives others the opportunity to use your content for their sites, and it can spread too many places, giving you places on the internet you would never have visited to tell others about yourself.

#4 Social Bookmarking

You don’t have to be an eloquent speaker to be a welcomed visitor to these types of sites, all you need is some friendly input and not be afraid of saying hello to strangers. Don’t however, put personal information on these sites that could lead to something dangerous like identity theft, but listing who your favorite band is, your favorite song, your hobbies, things like this will attract others of common interest, and not forgetting why you’re there by placing links to your web site in strategic places will bring some more free traffic.

#5 Link Trading with other sites

Sometimes frowned upon if done solely for the purpose of traffic, this method can bring high quality visitors if done the right way. Let’s say you have a site that sells dog leashes. You need to ask yourself, who might need dog leashes. Well, how about dog owners, and where do dog owners also visit on the internet. How about dog training sites, or dog groomers, or animal shelters, or veterinarians… Think of the whole picture, from every angle.

Contacting these sites by email or phone, you can suggest that you both can benefit by providing a link to each other that would benefit each other’s visitors, without being in competition with each other. That’s the secret of successful linking, being a benefit to the visitor and your link partner, and not in competition.

William Wellsworth invites Internet Entrepreneurs to Discover Practical Methods Of Finding Markets that Virtually Guarantee You an Income from Day One. Learn 7 Ways to Find products that are ALREADY selling in the marketplace…know before you start if there is money there at http://www.chooseyourmarket.com

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/