For internet marketers, traffic is the engine that makes your business grow. Without it, you won’t be able to attract an audience and sell your goods or service, making for a very quiet website.
But how are you supposed to find traffic that is reliable without breaking the bank? Fortunately, there are a lot of free options that you can tap into to drive those eyeballs to your business.
10. Blogging
If your business doesn’t have a blog, you are missing out on the number one way to drive free traffic to your site via keyword searches, viral resources, and content that solves your reader’s problems. Unless you’re planning to outsource your writing, writing a blog is free to do and can reap traffic for years.
9. Youtube
Though blogging is king, there are many people who would prefer to listen or watch content instead of reading words on a page. For that reason, every post or piece of content on your website could be enhanced by attaching a short video to it and posting it on Youtube. Not only will you attract the viral content to your page, but you’ll also draw in some of the millions of visitors that visit Youtube as well.
8. Facebook
The resident champ of social media, Facebook, is a treasure trove of viral traffic that can supercharge your website overnight. With a click of the mouse, people can share or comment on your content and help you reach an audience you never would have otherwise. Creating a brand page also allows you to form a central hub for your fans, making Facebook a perfect place to organize your followers.
7. Pinterest
Though largely seen as a page for crafters and DIYers, Pinterest is a great place to find groups that have common interests. If your website is particularly visual, you can create a link to your content and share it on boards that will reach fans and followers of those boards too.
6. Reddit
Reddit prides itself on being the “watercooler” of the internet. People gather all over the world on various “subreddits” to converse about the topics of the day, which can include your site. Create a profile and become active in a community, then, when you’ve built up some credibility, share some of your own content when you believe others will find it useful. Whatever you do though, don’t spam; nothing will make the Reddit community turn on you faster than if you come across as a salesman.
5. Snapchat
Snapchat is a great way to interact with your customers through a fun and unique medium, which can help create more followers that will then engage with your site. Snapchat is perfect for brand-building and doing behind-the-scenes stories that show your true personality, so feel free to get creative!
4. Tumblr
One of the more deceptive sites on this list, Tumblr ranks very well with “secondary” websites like Yahoo and can create a host of internal links as well. Posting within a community and creating threads is a great way to get the traffic flowing.
3. Twitter
Second only to Facebook on the social media food chain, Twitter provides their followers with up-to-date info on various topics. The higher your followers, the more instant access they will have to your news and promotions. To grow your traffic even more, create trending hashtags as well.
2. Forums
Similar to Reddit, find various forums that you can become an active member in and contribute to. Not only will you find great ideas for blog posts and topics, but you’ll also have a steady stream of visitors every time you drop a link on a post. Even better, some forums allow you to put a link in your bio that people can click on every time they see you.
1. Instagram
If you’re an artist or graphic designer, Instagram can be your best friend. Notoriously wary of third-party applications, Instagram has conditioned itself to cater to users first, which makes using paid promotions and automated software tricky. Stick a link in your profile or on your picture captions, let it trend using a hashtag, and watch the traffic pour in.