Best Traffic Technique

Traffic Question #4
from your traffic questions

Michael B. asked:
Hi Lynn. I was wondering what your best traffic technique is that you use and how do you implement that technique to make it work?

My Preferred Method for Getting Website Traffic... and Why

There are a number of ways to drive traffic to a website, and they all work well - particularly when you consistently use a combination of these methods. But if I had to choose only one method for getting website traffic, it would be an easy pick: Search Engine Optimization (SEO). And I'll tell you why...

• Combination of Methods & Results

SEO, by its very nature, both requires a combination of methods and offers a combination of results. There are two key words in the paragraph above: consistently & combination. If you get quality links, network on various sites, submit articles, blog, write press releases, etc - all of that is going to contribute to your search engine marketing strategy.

Each marketing strategy that you implement in order to boost your search engine rankings, actually drives traffic of its own. At the same time, great rankings in the search engines are going to attract new visitors that may link to you and reprint your articles.

It's a natural cycle, and that's the number one reason that I would choose SEO as my "best traffic technique".

• SEO is Easy!

Optimizing my web pages for the search engines is easy, and it is something that I do along the way. If I create a new web page, I place keywords in it as I go. I strategically link to that page from my navigation or established pages on my site. If the content is *good*, other people will naturally link to it as well.

While I do put some consideration into my keyword selection, and make sure they are used in the right places, my main goal is to write content or create a page that will encourage unsolicited links on its own.

If you had NO idea how to optimize a web page, never submitted your site to a single engine, and just wrote great content on a blog or website... it would get indexed in the major search engines on its own over time.

Where "SEO" is useful is in helping the engines determine which phrases are most relevant. Optimization gives you some control over where your pages end up in the search results - for which phrases or topics. And this allows you to target specific markets or micro niches.

• Highly Targeted Traffic

Because you can target specific types of visitors or micro niches, the traffic you get from the search engines is highly targeted. To use the widget example, lets say you sell widgets and set up a website to feature them. You can optimize each page to feature specific widgets with phrases like:

Primary Keyword Phrase: blue widgets
Secondary Keyword Phrase: buy blue widgets online

Primary Keyword Phrase: orange widgets
Secondary Keyword Phrase: electronic orange widgets with remote

The PMK is more general while the SKP's are more specific. This is often referred to as "long tail" if you want to Google it. It is easier to rank for the longer, more specific phrases AND those phrases send you traffic that is more highly targeted.

If someone types in BUY Blue Widgets Online... they are pre-qualified as a potential buyer. All you have to do is point them in the right direction. If they just type in Blue Widgets, you still have to "sell them on it" when they get there. Make sense?

If you have any questions about Search Engine Optimization, or additional tips you want to add, feel free to leave a comment below!

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