The top three methods for driving traffic to a website are the same as they have always been, utilize on-page optimization for search engines; don’t depend solely on the search engines for traffic; one way back links from quality sites do wonders. Although they are not new, many developers and marketers have a difficult time properly implementing these strategies. Here is a basic guide to implementation.

On Page Optimization
Ensure that your page is optimized by incorporating keywords in both the content on each page and in the titles, headers, Meta tags and Meta description. If you use carefully researched keywords appropriately throughout your site it will help increase your page rankings and help potential customers find your website. Many designers fail to focus on only one or two keywords per page on a website, but that is what is required to create an optimized site. Don’t use the keyword in every sentence; that will not read well and can actually drive people away from your site.

Other Traffic Sources
Search engines are a great way to drive traffic to a site, but they are hardly the only method. There are many listing services that will allow you to post a free business listing. Including your web address in your signature is always a good idea, particularly if you are active on social media sites and in forums. Starting a blog can help increase web traffic. Starting a fan page on Facebook can increase traffic. Search engines can help drive traffic, but you should never put all of your effort into only one method and any marketing option that doesn’t have additional cost beyond time should be explored. Of course, the best thing about using other methods to increase page views, is that it will also increase your search engine ranking.

Quality Link Backs
Not only do link backs drive traffic to your website all on their own, but the number of link backs to your site is one of the things Google uses to determine your page rank. Each link is a sort of vote in favor of your page. Not every page is a good one to provide a link back though. In order to actually reap the benefits the page on which your link is posted should have 30 links or less. It is best if the websites with your backlinks are in some way industry related. The best of all worlds is when you can obtain those backlinks for free.

There are as many methods for advertising a website as there are for advertising a traditional store. The great thing about internet marketing is that so much of it is available free or at a very low cost. While television and radio ads are still a possibility, the cost to purchase spots on those types of media is very high. A well planned online marketing campaign can provide the same level of exposure, without all the upfront cost. In fact, for most internet marketing the largest cost is time.