Driving traffic to your website

[Tom_Chambers]

I run an online music store which I launched with a partner several months ago. Since then, sales have been agreeable, but nothing like enough if we wanted to be able to live off the income. I know that if I get enough traffic to it, we'll be able to keep the ball rolling, but currently it's a bit quiet.

Does anybody who has had experience of this suggestion know any ways to generate maximum exposure without spending any money or perhaps through a modest investment?

[tobyhede]

I'd try AdWords or similar PPC advertising. These generally let you set your budget and experiment. My company started with $50 a day and managed to get some pretty good conversion rates. I've also run a $5/day campaign for some personal stuff that worked really well.

With PPC, you only pay for the clicks ... so the conversion rates are pretty good.

If you PM me, I can point you in the right direction*.

Also perhaps think of eBay? You can link your site with an eBay store. Advantage of massive traffic, already searching to buy products.

On top of that, normal SEO and blog approaches will help as well.

* Disclosure: one of my personal ventures involves PPC, but I am not openly spruiking on these forums.

[yinso]

AdWords and PPC let you buy links quickly to your site and experiment with the results. The downside of course is that you have to keep paying to get these links.

Content-led eCommerce has the advantage that if you have great content that others are willing to link to, these would last a long time as free promotions. The trick is of course building enough unique content and actually get others to link to your content. Blogging is in vogue these days and I am learning the potential marketability of blogging myself.

Check out Darrn Rowe's Problogger Make Money Online with ProBlogger Blog Tips for good intro on how to generate traffic.

[Caveman Joe]

For quick, easy and cheap traffic, check out Project Wonderful and Project Wonderful Talk. The results I've had with promoting HostingForAQuid.co.uk through PW have been very encouraging so far, but it does lack the ultra-detailed stats tracking capabilities of the Google AdSense/AdWords competitors.

[sunraybrett]

One strategy I read in a book on Google and in an article by Steve involves contributing to blogs and forums. If what you have to say in blogs related to your industry is helpful to others and not just outright advertising then people will visit your link. This is working well for our site and we contribute to a range of topics. Helping others is the best way to be helped. The more knowlegable, interesting and infromative your posts the more people wil want to see your site. Just look how busy this site is.

[Dwane J.]

When participating in forums, have your URL in your signature. One caveat, make sure the forums are relevant to your sites content.