Web site traffic: the 3 categories

1. By making payments: You can use Pay Per Click advertising (PPC) to buy traffic for your web site. The key players in this field are Google (AdWords program) and Yahoo Network Sponsored Search. You may also find several other companies doing the same job but all of them work on the same premise. You will need to create your account at first. Then, using a group of relevant keywords, you have to create your advertisements. You have to choose the amount to be spent per click or per day and select your targeted geographical region for which you want your ads to appear. You can even choose a particular time when these ads should appear for your targeted geographical region.

When a web surfer will use one of your keywords in Google to search for products/services, you will see your ad on the right hand side of the search results, under “Sponsored Links”. If the person then clicks on your ad and lands at your web site, you will have to pay for that click. There are many conditions that determine the amount that you have to pay for each individual click. One important aspect is the competition for that particular keyword. If the competition is tough, it will be quite costly to achieve a high rank. Some other determining factors are the position that you are aiming for, percentage of people clicking on your advert etc.

If proper planning and research is made to select the Pay Per Click vender and your niche, Pay Per Click advertising (PPC) can turn out to be a hugely successful business option. However, it is wise to remember that PPC has a steep learning curve.
2. By Borrowing it: This option is mainly based on give and take policy. There are quite a few ways to borrow traffic for your site. By using link exchange, you can put links to other web sites on your site, which in turn will link back to you from theirs. This method generates traffic from a more successful web site in quick time. However, such traffic may not be targeted traffic always.

Another way of borrowing traffic for your web site is via a joint venture. You will need to contact another company or marketer who offer products/services that complement yours. If you are able to generate their interest, they may send a mail to their existing client list or put a blog post on their site to talk about you and your relevant products/services. The key element about borrowing traffic for your site is that you need to offer something to get some measurable return in terms of “hits”.
3. By creating it: This is the best way to bring traffic to your web site. You can make people come to your site by offering them unique and informative content. You should also make sure that the design of your site is attractive and the interface user friendly. Ensure your site’s visibility on the World Wide Web by posting your site URL to the relevant categories of directories, submitting your site to the major search engines, writing articles, participating in various forums and blogs etc.

If it is possible, you can also consider offering some free goodies to your readers like an e-book, free template etc. Creating a 2-minute promotional video for your site and uploading the same on YouTube is another option that may bring people to your web site.