If your business relies on the internet as a source of leads or sales, then getting visitors to your site is the name of the game.
No traffic, no leads, no sales.
Lots of traffic, lots of leads, more sales.
So it all boils down to traffic generation techniques.
There are a few basic traffic generation activities that you must do.
These include the following: Search Engine Optimization.
Do it.
Even if you have to pay for it.
In the long run your cheapest leads or sales are going to be those that came from organic searches via search engines.
Make sure you're listed in Google, MSN, Yahoo! and the open directory project (wwwdotdmozdotorg) and make sure you show up higher rather than lower.
Online advertising.
Pay-per-click advertising is probably the next most affordable way to get traffic.
Affordable because, generally, you can limit the amount of exposures that get made to something you can afford.
Consider programs like Google's AdWords, or banner ads of one sort or the other.
Email Marketing.
Create a list.
Mail it and provide offers or incentives that drive people to your site.
Conventional Advertising.
Use conventional advertising where appropriate.
Magazine ads are a good medium with a long shelf-life (by comparison to an email.
) Collateral Inclusion.
Be sure to put your web address on everything that you do business with.
It's all called collateral - stationery, brochures, invoices, business cards, etc.
Put your web address on your building sign or on your front door! Traffic generation is really quite simple.
Make a checklist and decide, for each of the categories above exactly how you'll utilize that method for traffic generation.
Check it regularly and make sure you cover all the bases!