Okay ... so you've built your website, now what?
There are several ways to drive high-quality traffic to your website without you having to spend anything. Here are 10 strategies you can use:
1. Optimize your site for the search engines.
You'd have to be a fulltime search engine optimization expert to keep up with all the changes the major search engines make, but there are a few basic things you can do to help your site come up for relevant searches. Here are some to get you started:
a) Define your keywords - this is how people will find your business online. The trick is to find keywords that are highly relevant to what you offer and popular enough that they will attract decent traffic to your site, but not so competitive that you can't rank well using them. Use your keywords in your web page copy. To get started with keywords I recommend goodkeywords.com. They have an excellent tool which is free.
b) Create your Meta tags - this is how the search engines "read" your site. Put your keywords in your Meta tags in the source code of each page of your website.
c) Don't use lots of graphics or Flash, frames, or "alt" tags in HTML for pictures - search engines don't like them because it makes it hard for them to "read" your site.
d) Get links to your site - create a page in your website and call it either resources or links and add good, relevant links. Or you can sign up with links-exchange.net and have them create a links page for you with one link from your site. Linking is the second biggest indicator of how your site is ranked.
2. Submit your site to the search engines.
Why wait for the search engines' robots or spiders to find you? Submit your website at addme.com, dmoz.org/add.html, submitexpress.com or ineedhits.com
3. Use pay-per-click advertising or PPC
Google Adwords or Yahoo Overture both offer pay-per-click advertising options. You can create a PPC campaign for a very small investment, and because you have complete control over your budget, you can set it for whatever amount you feel comfortable with. It's very difficult to get to the top rank in the search engine, but it can be very easy to get on the first page of results with a PPC, bringing targeted traffic to you. The best part is you only pay when someone clicks your ad that takes them to your website. Adwords and Overture are both easy to learn.
4. Place or swap ads with other ezines in your niche.
Seek out other ezines in your niche whose publishers might be interested in swapping ads. They can either be normal ads, or just a recommendation within the content of the ezine itself.
In addition to or instead of swapping ads, you could also purchase ad space in an ezine in your niche that has a large circulation. If you pay to place an ad, I usually suggest running it for a minimum of three consecutive issues for the best results.
5. Find a Joint Venture or be a Bonus Participant.
You're probably aware of the tactic of adding valuable bonuses to your offerings to encourage people to buy. As a traffic-building technique, you could do the same for someone else's product offering. This will bring people to your site to see what you have to offer. You can join with someone in advertising to bring results for both of you. There are also JV sites online where you can offer free products that will get people to your site. Don't forget to capture the visitor's name and email address so that you can follow up with him/her later. The money is in the size of your list.
6. Become an "ask the expert" on a high-traffic website in your niche.
Seek out websites that are information portals for your niche, and see if they offer an "ask the expert" section. Offer your services as an expert, to answer questions from their visitors about the challenges they face.
7. Be an active participant on a large discussion list or Forum in your niche.
Research and join a handful of discussion lists in your niche, and schedule time every week to check in and see if you can offer any valuable advice to the conversation. Be careful to follow the list rules about promoting your website, though. Most lists are intended to be a place where people can ask for help without worrying about being sold to. However, most lists also allow you a couple of lines in your email signature where you can promote your business. Use this space to point people in the direction of your website.
8. Write articles and post them online
This is one of the best ways in driving traffic to your site. If you write articles, other people read them or use them as content for their websites. You come across as an expert in your niche. People read them and click on your link.
9. Write a Press Release
Press Releases are another way of getting targeted traffic to your site. You can write a Press Release about your business. Be careful not to make it sound like an advertisement, though. Just give your expert knowledge. For more on Press Releases I suggest this website: PublicityHound.com/pressreleasetips
10. Online Networks
There are many places today where you can network online. These networks usually have groups which you can belong to and post to, for example ryze.com, ecademy.com, adlandpro.com, directmatches.com and linkedin.com to name but a few. They work the same as discussion forums where you can post your articles, and just generally discuss issues with others. You have a page on the network where you can advertise what you have to offer and include a link to your website.
These 10 ways of attracting targeted traffic to your website are tried-and true, meaning they do work. You may have to do some work, and give it some time, but the end result will be more high-quality traffic to your online business.
Marketing 
About the Author:
