Ashley Solutions

Once upon a time, as an absolute beginner to the web game, I thought that building my own site would be the really hard part. I fondly believed that once my site was finished, and out there, discriminating surfers would come to it in droves.


How wrong I was. For several months after launching it I watched my magnificent site lie there like a dead dog, attracting weekly traffic totals that could — I’m not exaggerating — be counted on one hand.


It wasn’t hard to see what the problem was. My Google ranking was absurdly low. No matter what search terms I pumped into it, Google simply refused to display my site on the first page of results. And let’s face it, how many surfers bother looking beyond the top ten? It was time to face some hard facts. If I couldn’t locate my site through a Google search, how could I expect Joe Surfer to stumble across it?


Resolving to do something about it, I hit the web in search of answers. Vaguely aware that a site’s Google ranking depends on how many other websites link to it, and on how good the rankings of those sites are, I looked into the option of link swapping. But everything I read about it discouraged me. I had no desire to e-mail complete strangers proposing a link swap. Besides, what I really needed was to get my link on a big site — a site that attracted some really major traffic. And why would such a site want to swap with me, with my abysmal ranking? What would be in it for them? Nor did I really want to invest in one of those software programs that do the job for you. Indeed some of the more out-there link-swapping programs seemed to emit — how can I put this? — a distinct odor of Spam.


It’s no wonder that people who know about these things are already saying that link swapping is effectively dead as a means of site promotion.


And then I stumbled across the answer that has turned my site around. The E-zine article. Here’s how it works. You sign up with an E-zine site, like Ezinearticles.com. It takes about two minutes; it’s totally obligation-free; and it costs you nothing. Then you write an article or articles on any subject of your choosing, like the article I’m writing right now. You submit it to them, and provided it meets their terms and conditions they publish it on their site. They don’t pay you, of course — but what they do do is let you put your own web address down at the bottom of your article.


It’s a sweet solution, because it boosts your web traffic on several different fronts. For one, the E-zine sites tend to be big, established, high-traffic sites, so getting your URL on one of them will significantly improve your site’s ranking in any general Google search. Then there’s the more direct route: as long as your article addresses a reasonably oft-Googled topic, lots of people are going to find it and read it, and if it’s any good a fair few of them are going to click on your URL and check out your site. There’s also the strong chance that your article, if it’s any good, will be republished on other E-zine sites, which means that you’ll reap the same benefits all over again.


Even if you can’t write articles, or don’t want to, there are people out there who’ll ghost-write your stuff for you, at a price.


Don’t take my word for it: go to an E-zine site, sniff around, and you might just find it’s the solution to all your web woes.

Kirk Kinbote was the driving editorial and design force behind http://www.adancingbear.com/

There have been a lot of changes on the web since I wrote the first edition of “Power Linking Your Way to 1 Million Hits” in 2002. Back then I told everyone that the only thing that will never change, despite search engine shake-ups and search technology improvements, is that links will always be the most important part of any website promotion campaign.

In fact, the people best able to withstand major changes and shifts in the search engines that affect their rankings are the people who have a broad, multi-faceted marketing campaign.

In order to weather any drops from single-sources of traffic to your site, you must have a lot of irons in the fire (links). People you have targeted as your best prospects should be able to find your site virtually everywhere they surf.

Web site owners who rely solely on search engine ranking are leaving 90% of the marketing pie on the plate! For long-term stability and steady, predictable traffic, you simply must broaden your reach and utilize a host of different publicity tactics in order to keep sales up.

One of the most effective tactics I talk about is article publishing. It is also one of the most misunderstood and abused tactics I teach. If you don’t get it, don’t do it. Below is my explanation of why we write articles and other short publications in the first place.

Publishing and Syndication of Your Articles

A lot of people miss the boat on this one. And it’s too bad that many people see that articles and other published works are important, but they don’t produce quality work, therefore their work doesn’t get picked up by big web sites and newsletter owners.

You see, most people focus on article publishing as a way to get a link published to their site. (Solely for search engines to find) Problem is, once they have syndicated their article to tons of free content sites, all they have at the end of the day is a link pointing to their site.

No one is READING the articles! Why? Because, honestly, they are terrible. Or they are just short of being blatant ads. People pick up on an amateur article within the first sentence or two and move on. Didn’t you write your article to get traffic?

Produce shoddy work and there is no click on the link. There is no traffic produced. The webmasters who focus totally on getting links as a tool to increase their pagerank in Google are missing the point entirely.

The point of Power Linking and all the tactics in the system was never to get high search engine rankings. Getting ranked well in the search engines was and still is a BY-PRODUCT of a properly executed Power Linking campaign.

When I talk to my clients about getting links, what I am talking about is getting links placed in places where human beings will see them and click on them. Not just link directories which are created solely for boosting link popularity with Google.

So when you publish an article, take the time to think about what people in your market need or want to know and give it to them. And write a GOOD article!

Linking is not just something that looks like this: www.power-linking-profits.com. Real linking is networking and making connections with future customers on an emotional level through your publicity pieces.

Linking is about respect. You gain respect by being published and being seen as the expert in your field. And it goes without saying that your published work needs to stand up to basic quality expectations of savvy readers in your target market.

Come off looking like a hack who is only interested in getting a link published at the end of their cruddy article, and you lose all respect. So even if someone does click on your link, they have reservations about you right off the bat before they even get to your site. This is no way to sell products and services.

If you remember nothing else, please remember this: No matter what linking method you work on this week, keep in mind that the most important links of all are the links intended for real people to see and click on!

Get linked in content directories and on web pages that get hit by as many of your target prospects as possible. And link to get traffic, not search engine rankings!

People focus too much on search engine marketing. If you do your job as a marketer, you will naturally rank high in the search engines. There is no need whatsoever to focus your marketing campaign on search engines entirely.

Focus your marketing efforts on people, your customers, and you will have what I call “Natural Search Engine Rankings.” You see, Google wants the most relevant results. That’s where their bread is buttered. Well, what I have been trying teach thousands of customers all this time is that you need to focus your marketing campaign on your customers so that you are the MOST relevant site on the net in your market.

Don’t worry about Google. They WANT you to be #1 if you deserve to be. How to be #1? By marketing to your customers directly on sites they surf the most and being the natural relevant result in their search.

Good search engine rankings will follow a great marketing campaign. By the time you get your #1 position on Yahoo though, you should have so much traffic and sales because of a properly implemented marketing campaign that you hardly notice you finally made it!

That’s the REAL power of linking.

Copyright 2004 Jack Humphrey

About The Author

Jack Humphrey is the author of Power Linking 2: Evolution, now in it’s 4th revision at http://power-linking-profits.com He is also the CEO of http://EquipMint.com, a membership site for anyone who sells anything online.

How many ways can you get free web site traffic? Who knows, but here are some to get you started. Hopefully there will be one or two ways here that you haven’t yet tried.

1. Submit your web site to search engines. Don’t wait for them to find you. You can automatically submit to 20 at freewebsubmission.com. You’ll have to submit manually to Google (www.google.com/addurl.html).

2. Directories. Do a search for niche directories for the topic of your website. Just type in “directory + online games,” or whatever your site is about. There are also many general directories that accept submissions for free. The primary value of directories is not direct traffic, however. It is the links that help your ranking (and therefore traffic) with the search engines.

3. Forums. A great source of traffic for some sites. Talk about things of interest to you, and get free traffic to your web site (always sign off with a link). You may want to link to subscription pages for newsletters or e-courses you offer, to get maximum repeat visits from the traffic.

4. Free classifieds. There are many places that you can advertise for free, although few of them seem to be of any value. Test a little, and go with the ones that deliver.

5. Exchange Links. Exchanging links with other web sites can get you free traffic in two ways: traffic from the site, and traffic from the search engines, because the link helps your ranking with them.

7. Give testimonials. Do you love an e-book or other online product? Tell the author, and let her know she can use your testimonial. Mention that you’d appreciate it if she left the link to your site (under your name) active. Good testimonials are valuable, and you’ve probably seen them with a name and link attached.

8. Write articles. A great way to generate free web site traffic. In fact, thats what this article is about, and I have to tell you that there are at least ten more ways to get free traffic in my newsletter. You may want to visit the site and sign up.

Steve Gillman writes on many money-related topics. To learn more, and to subscribe for FREE to “Web Site Optimization Secrets,” go to: http://www.TheMoneyMakerSite.com

Some of the best advertising available online would be getting listed in directories. This doesn’t mean submitting to search engines. If you write quality ad copies and build a quality site; the important search engines will find you.

What I am talking about is directories that you pay to be listed in. With these types of directories you pay to be listed in for a certain about of time. Some are weekly, monthly, yearly and even lifetime listings. This is also an excellent way to get those ‘back links’ to help you rank better in search engines.

It is a proven fact that ‘back links’ help increase online traffic. But, the back links that are most effective are links to your website without a return link. Take Link Exchanges for example. With Link Exchanges you request one website owner to place a link to your website on their site with a link on your website to their in return. These are effective however, most directory listings that you pay for do not require a link in return and these are a more effective form of backlinks.

Search for directories that best fit the target of your marketing program. Take a look at this list http://www.mommyshelperonline.com/why-purchase-directory-listings.html for example. If your target is for small business owners, home business owners and work at home moms then some of those directories may be of interest to you. The key is to find your market and advertise there.

Still looking for more traffic secrets? Aren’t we all?!? For even more secrets to Non-Stop, FREE Targeted Traffic, I highly recommend taking a look at author Jim Edwards’s book Turn Words Into Traffic. The targeted traffic it brings you is as good or better than anything you could pay for … except you don’t have to pay for it! Check it out; you’ll be glad you did .

Don’t be too quick to jump at every program available that might help increase your online traffic. Stop by and find out what NOT TO DO too http://www.mommyshelperonline.com/increase-online-traffic-donts.html

About the Author
Anita DeFrank a WAHM of two and co-owner of DirectSalesHelpers.com which was created specifically for those in Direct Sales. Do you find yourself asking how to make more sales? The above is only a small taste of the wealth of information available at http://www.directsaleshelpers.com. Stop on in if you’re serious about your direct sales company and want to know how you can make more sales.