As you may know, your search engine rankings, largely depend on relevant, quality backlinks (related sites that link to you.)

However, when it comes to less competitive keywords (which make up the majority of my search engine traffic for all my sites), your content and other on-page criteria may have more influence in certain cases.

So it’s still important to make sure your pages are as optimized as possible, and this includes ensuring that your source code displays your main content as close to the top of the page as possible.

The problem is, most CSS templates (static websites and blogs) are not coded this way by default.  Check the source code of your site (right click and View Source on your page.)  If you have a left nav, I bet that content comes up before the main content.

Just to experiment, I changed Flat Stomach Exercises (my Site Build It! site) last August.  Now the content displays right after my header in my code.

Shortly after this change, my search engine traffic grew dramatically and I haven’t updated the content in over a year.  I also haven’t actively promoted this site in several years.

Coincidence?  Could be.  I’ll never know for sure.

It would be very irresponsible for me to assume this change was the sole reason.  Please read that last sentence again because the last thing I want to do is mislead you.

Nevertheless, why wouldn’t you want your content to appear as close to the top of the page if you understand how search engine bots read web pages. (They view the source code from top to bottom.)  To me, it just make sense to make this change.

This is especially true for those of you with long, busy navigations with a lot of links, ads, etc.

And even if it only moves your pages up a few spots in the rankings, multiply that impact by hundreds or even thousands of different keyword phrases your site gets found for every month. Think about it.

This tip is probably not going to impact your rank for most competitive keywords, but could have the greatest impact on long-tail (less competitive) keywords. I don’t know about you, but long-tail keywords make up the majority of my search engine traffic.

Watch the video below and tell me what you t

Can’t see the video?  Click to watch.

Good News for Thesis and Site Build It! Owners

If you own Thesis (blog) or SBI! (static website), both of their default templates code the content before the left navigation by default. There may be more themes/products out there that do this, but these are the ones I own so I can only speak on them.

The reason I had to change my SBI! site is because I use a template that I created from scratch.  So if you use the basic float: left attribute for your left nav (CSS sites), more than likely this is true for your site too.

Earlier this year, I asked you about your top referral traffic categories (search engines, direct/bookmark traffic, referring sites, etc.)

So I thought it would be cool to see what specific sites send you the most traffic.

My top 5 traffic sources in the past month were…

1) 2CreateAWebSite.com

2) YouTube.com (From my two channels combined)

3) WebsiteBabble.com (My forum)

4)  Twitter

5)  Google

Just a few notes…

1) A lot of people assume I get more traffic to my blog, but my static website outperforms this blog by far when it comes to traffic and earnings.

2) Even though Google is ranked 5th for traffic referrals for this blog, it’s ranked 1st for my static website.

3) Regarding Twitter traffic, I do not have my blog address in my Twitter profile.  (I use a Twitter landing page because it’s more personal.)  So my Twitter referrals for this blog are coming from announcing my blog posts through Twitterfeed and RT’s (retweets) from my generous followers.

I used the Google Analyticator plugin to retrieve my “top 5 referrer” data.  I love it because it shows a quick overview of your traffic (top referrers, searches, etc.) right on your WP dashboard.  It’s nice because I don’t have to login to Google Analytics just to get a quick overview.

What were your top referring sites in the past month?

I’ve always been a stat junky.

I love checking my RSS feed subscriber numbers, my AWeber subscriber stats, Google Analytics account, etc. multiple times per day.

I’ll admit, I might need therapy.

However, if you really take some time analyze your traffic stats and even stats from other sites (I’ll explain that part in a bit), it can really help you improve your site and increase your traffic.

Here are some ideas…

Bounce Rates from Referring Sites

If you don’t have a Google Analytics account by now, I’d sure like to know why.

It’s the most comprehensive stat package you can get for free, and the information it provides is incredibly useful.

One report I like to keep an eye on is the Bounce Rate for Referring Sites.

By Google’s definition, a Bounce Rate is the percentage of people who left your site after viewing a single page (i.e. the page they entered on.)

So this is a percentage you want to keep low. If your Bounce Rate is 90% that means 90% of the people who entered your site, left after only viewing the page they entered on. You can view your Bounce Rate for your entire site or break it down by page.

Google also lets you take it a step further by viewing your Bounce Rate based on referring sites. For example, I discovered that traffic from EzineArticles.com returns the lowest bounce rate.

I guess this shouldn’t come as a huge shock. After all, 2CreateAWebSite.com targets Webmasters and so does EzineArticles.com.

So it definitely makes sense why visitors coming from there would be more inclined to stay on my site longer. Nevertheless, it’s still useful info.

Now, I’ll admit. Article marketing is nowhere as useful as it once was. A couple of years ago it was the thing to do because it helped you gain backlinks. But you may have heard Google and other engines are devaluing such links.

So while I don’t expect any backlink miracles from using EzineArticles.com, I do appreciate the fact that people who find my sites from this source tend to stick around longer than some of my other referring sites.

Not to mention, the traffic I receive from older articles is still quite impressive.

I haven’t been writing as much for EzineArticles.com as of late, but after discovering this little traffic fact, I may have to start sending more content their way very soon.

Have you checked your Bounce Rate from referring sites? Google makes it easy because you can sort from lowest to highest and vice versa.

What sites send you the stickiest traffic? How can you increase your exposure there to boost your traffic?

Most Popular Pages

Check your stats and see what pages or blog posts are visited the most. How can you leverage that and generate more traffic to other parts of your site that may be less trafficked?

Say you have a site on skin care, and your most heavily trafficked page is one that shows people how to control acne. In that article, you discuss the benefits of using a particular mask.

A few months later you decide to create a new page all about different kinds of masks. Since this page is brand new, it won’t get much search engine traffic for a while. So why not link that page from the popular acne article to help funnel traffic to this new page?

As your site matures, it can be tempting to just add new content to your sitemap, left navigation and be done with it. But it’s important to continually look for new ways to interlink your content. I set aside time to do this once a month.

The “Time on Page” Stat

This is another statistic you can get from Google Analytics (Under the “Content” section). Sort your reports by the “Time on Page” stat and see if you notice any patterns.

If your longer pages tend to have lower times then that could indicate you need to break up your content better. Perhaps people are getting lost and drowning in a sea of text.

One thing I have to do on 2CreateAWebSite.com is condense a lot of my longer articles. I’ve been doing that for some pages and tracking the results by monitoring their individual “Time on Page” stats.

I’ve noticed many of these pages I’ve updated are now showing that people are staying on them a lot longer and my overall site’s Bounce Rate is improving.

Too much content with not enough breaks can make reading tedious and overwhelming. Make frequent use of sub-titles, break up your paragraphs often, use images and start incorporating visuals such as charts, video, etc.

You’ll be amazed at the results.

Search Engine Keyword Traffic

I touched on this in my post 5 Easy Traffic Building Tips, but it’s worth mentioning again.

Pay close attention to the keywords people are finding you for. Not so much for the keywords that bring you the most traffic, but the keywords that bring you the least amount of traffic.

That’s right, the least.

Have you ever checked your stats and noticed certain articles on your site get found for keywords you weren’t necessarily targeting? Maybe you rank #12 for “popular puppy toys” in an article you wrote about house training a dog.

Just think… if you can rank #12 with a keyword phrase you weren’t trying to target, imagine if you wrote an entire article that focused on popular puppy toys. Perhaps you can grab one of the top spots for this phrase and rake in even more traffic!

If you can do this for 15, 30, or even 50+ keyword phrases, imagine how this could impact your traffic over time.

Sure, you may not be able to gain a top rank like this for every keyword phrase, but I’m sure it will make a difference. Not to mention, adding more useful content to your site is always a good thing, right?

Digg and Other Social Bookmarking Sites

I like to spend time on Digg.com looking at the most popular articles related to my niche. Sometimes you can get ideas for what to write about and see what’s hot.

All you do is search their site for whatever keyword you’re interested in and Digg will return the articles with the most “Diggs”. Or you can search by category and get the same kind of results.

Not only can you get ideas for content, but you can also learn a lot about writing. Don’t just look at the content of the article, but look at the headline itself.

Is it catchy? Funny? Does it create controversy? What tips can you take from the author and apply it to your writing style?

Now, let’s face it. A lot of the articles become popular in Digg because the authors themselves are popular and have a large traffic base.

So I’m not implying you can just write a similar article and easily get as much traffic. But it’s still a good tool to use to get ideas.

TrafficJam.com

I’ve been lucky enough to appear on this homepage a few times and got a decent amount of traffic from it. (Don’t let the site’s PR3 scare ya away.)

In case you don’t know, TrafficJam.com provides a ranking of blog articles based on traffic they’ve received throughout the BlogRush network.

I’ve used this site from time to time to get ideas for what’s hot in my niche and tips for writing good headlines.

You can utilize the above tips with any social networking/bookmarking site. Pay close attention to the articles getting all the publicity and see how you can apply these principles to your own content.

————-

So there you have it. Hopefully you can see how useful statistics can be. Rather than just checking the most common stats (total page views, top referring sites, etc.), dig deep and see how can use these numbers to improve your traffic and overall visitor experience.

By all means, sign up with Google Analytics and take advantage of this thorough stat package that won’t cost you a thing… Well except the time you’ll spend gawking at the reports and absorbing all the numerous statistics they report to you.

Some of you spend months searching high and low for sites and techniques to help boost your traffic. Yet in many cases, the most effective tips are often closer than you think.

When you’re first starting a website, it can be tempting to seek new advertisers, build a community (forum) and add other features/additions that can generate revenue and make your site look appealing.

The problem is, if you don’t have enough traffic, your site will end up looking vacant, smallish and unimportant.

So I thought I’d make a list of a few things new Webmasters should avoid when starting a site.

Don’t Look For Advertisers… Yet

Most serious advertisers know what to look for when searching for sites to advertise on. They’ll check your Alexa Rank, PageRank, PageStrength and other tools to get an idea for how much traffic you’re getting.

So don’t throw up “Advertise Here” message unless you have the traffic and advertisers to support it.

If you do this prematurely, it lets everyone know you don’t get enough traffic because the “Advertise Here” message continues to display, yet you have no advertisers who choose to advertise with you.

Don’t Launch a Forum or Other Community-Based Applications

Many members on my forum, WebsiteBabble.com ask about starting their own forum. Yet, I always caution them to make sure they have enough traffic before doing so.

It doesn’t look too good when you launch a forum that gets 1 or 2 posts per week. People won’t want to participate in a forum that looks inactive.

I’ve found that the best way to establish a forum is to build a website or blog that generates a good amount of targeted traffic (500-1000 unique visitors per day). Then use that traffic to help promote your forum.

Incorporate links to your forum in popular web pages and blog posts. For example, if you have a heavily trafficked page on how to develop a site with CSS, you could invite your visitors to post questions about CSS in your forum.

Also, don’t be afraid to create a few fake accounts and post some starter questions and answers to get your forum going.

Once the activity picks up you won’t need to do this anymore, but that’s a great way to encourage participation in a new forum.

However, if your traffic levels are low, hold off on the forum for now.

Don’t Display Your RSS Feed Subscribers

With the popularity of FeedBurner, many bloggers opt to display how many people have subscribed to their feed.

This looks pretty impressive when you get into the 4-digit arena, but not quite so good when the number is under 20 – especially if your subscriber rate is not increasing much.

It doesn’t look too good when someone visited your blog on January 1st when you had 20 subscribers, and four months later they return and you have 22.

Sometimes it’s best to keep your numbers to yourself.

The Moral of The Story

Notice the above points all revolve around one thing… generating enough traffic. That should be the first goal for your site.

I know it’s tempting to add user interactivity, forums, chats, make money from advertisers, etc. but without traffic, your site becomes a collection of features that no one is using.

It’s much better to spend the early days learning how to generate targeted traffic to your site. Then once the visitors come, you can start thinking about adding such features.

View my traffic building tips page to read about some of the ways I’ve brought traffic to my site over the years. See if there are any methods you can implement yourself.

Good content is king.

The more useful, relevant and unique it is, the more likely it will connect with its intended audience.

So why don’t people keep this in mind when commenting on blogs?

I’ve been generating decent traffic from this lately, and it’s mainly because I’ve revised my commenting strategy.

I used to reply with a quick comment like “Great post, thanks.” That may be cordial, but it’s not very unique or noticeable.

So of course my comments got lumped in with all the other “Great post” variations.

Now I take a little time to craft my comment and the results are paying off. Here are some tips to help you become a more effective blog commentor.

1. Don’t Be Afraid to Disagree

When I’m scanning comments on other blogs, I always find myself reading comments from people who disagree. Why? …

Because their comment stands out among all the “Great post!” comments.

Disagreeing doesn’t have to be rude or disrespectful. There is a tactful way to do it. Simply state that you disagree and more importantly explain why.

This is your time to shine and potentially prove you are a credible source. This may also engage other readers and the author.

Back up your reasons with facts and useful information. Saying you disagree just for the sake of disagreeing is pretty pointless.

2. Make ‘em Laugh

Lighten up and inject some humor where appropriate. You’ll be surprised how this will make people look twice at your comment.

Most blog comments are serious. Make yours stand out with some light-hearted fun.

3. Create a Powerful Opening Line

Just like writing content for your blog or website, you want to get people’s attention. Consider that opening line to be your comment’s headline.

Most people scan, so if they their eye happens to catch your witty opening line, you’ve just increased the chance they’ll read your comment instead of skimming to the next.

4. Add Another Item to the List

I often look for blog posts where the author mentions an ordered list of items – for example, “5 Ways to Build Traffic.” In your comment, why not suggest a 6th way, and if #6 has worked for you, briefly explain how.

Obviously people reading this post are interested in ways to build traffic, so naturally they’ll find your addition relevant and hopefully useful.

5. Impress The Author

Nothing impresses Webmasters more when blog commentors show they are familiar with their work. When it’s relevant, refer back to previous content the author has written and tie it into your comment.

Sometimes this puts you on the author’s radar. Perhaps they’ll even visit your site. It never hurts to seek out a few brownie points… especially if the author has a large audience. They may decide to feature your site in one of their posts.

I always look twice at someone who makes a well thought out comment, especially if it’s clear they’ve been reading my work.

Who doesn’t need their ego stroked once and a while, right?

6. Look for Highly Relevant Posts

Use the blog’s search function to find posts that match up well with the theme of your site and comment on them.

Say you have a blog about fantasy football and you are reading a sports blog. Do a search for “fantasy football” and look for posts that will allow you to show off your knowledge and expertise.

7. Use the Name of Your Site Instead of Your Name

When you fill out a comment form, most blogs will link your name to your site’s URL. Instead of using your name, use a catchy, keyword-focused name that may encourage people to click on your site.

I have to be honest. I’ve never done this, but may try this in the future. I added this strategy to the list because I was reading a comment on my own blog, and I actually clicked the person’s link because their title caught my attention.

Keep It Short and Simple

No one wants to read a novel. While it’s important to add something of substance, you also don’t want to get ignored because you wrote too much. More is not necessarily better.

Make your key points quickly, and do so without a lot of fluff and fillers.

9) Comment on Other Comments

If you can spark a meaningful conversation with another commentor, this can also draw some attention to your site. Not only will this increase your visibility, but you get a chance to show off your knowledge.

10) ???

I’ll leave #10 to you. Have you done anything useful I did not mention? What were the results?

(Hint: This is where you put Tip #4 into action.)

I just got serious about blogging in December of 2007.

I had a blog on Blogger.com for 2 years, but rarely updated it.

Then in November of 2007, I installed Feedburner and discovered I had 430+ subscribers. I was shocked due to the fact I hardly ever blogged.

I didn’t want to lose those subscribers or the traffic, so I decided to challenge myself and see if I could generate an even larger readership.

After switching to WordPress last December, I got more serious about my blog efforts.

I subscribed to Darren Rowse’s blog, ProBlogger.net – a very informative and inspiring blog to newbies and seasoned bloggers alike.

Then I started doing some key things…

1. I am More Selective With My Topics

When I had my Blogger blog, I would often re-write information that was already on my site. I didn’t put much effort into the subject matter of my posts.

(Yawn!)

Now, I’m much more selective. I try to think more about my audience’s needs and what they would find interesting.

And even if I choose a topic that has been blogged about a lot, I try to add my own spin to make it unique. For example, how many articles have been written about “How to Write Good Content” or something similar?

Too many, right?

Well the reality is, most people don’t write good content and they find it a chore or get writer’s block.

So I blogged about this very issue and addressed it from a new angle in a blog post titled “Is Writing Content a Chore for You?” An email I received inspired much of the content in the post.

2. I Make Use of Some Handy WordPress Plugins

Some people go hogwild on the WP plugins. While there are some really cool ones out there, you don’t want to make your blog so plugin-licious that it’s difficult to navigate and read.

You can have too much of a good thing, but there are a few that really come in handy.

Two plugins I believe made a difference in my traffic and readership have been the SiteMap and Related Post plugins.

The SiteMap plugin is important because it generates and submits your blog’s sitemap (an XML listing of all your posts) to all the major engines. Once you install it, the plugin works its magic automatically.

Some of my posts get found in the search engines only hours after I create them.

The Related Post plugin is useful because it encourages people to read more of my blog. It helps them discover posts they might not have discovered had they not seen the “Related Post” link at the end of a blog entry.

Before installing this plugin, I noticed my most recent posts always received 95% of the traffic. Now, older posts are getting more traffic.

3. Visual Appeal

I doubt my graphics have made a huge difference in my traffic, but every now and then I get an email or comment from someone who says they love my blog images and graphics.

One lady says she can’t wait to see what kind of graphic I’ve created to go with the post.

Some of my graphics include pictures of people and things found on Photos.com (I’m a subscriber.)  Usually I’ll add my own flavor to them with good ole’ PhotoShop.

However most of the graphics like the one in this post were created by me. Learning PhotoShop has been a great asset to my business.

While the content is what really makes or breaks a blog, a few appealing images and graphics can help round out your blog’s appearance and give it a more professional feel.

4. I Blog More Often

Blogging more often is not always a good thing. If you don’t have anything interesting to say then no point in blogging just for the sake of blogging.

It’s not worth losing your subscriber base so be sure your posts have substance.

When you blog often, the search engine spiders will visit more frequently, and this could help your traffic. Blogging often also keeps your subscribers coming back regularly and keeps you on their radar.

5. I Interlink My Blog With My Main Site

I am fortunate enough to have a site that already receives over 7,000 visitors per day, so of course that’s a huge help. When I create a new post, I look for relevant content on my site and provide a link to that entry.

When I used Blogger, I didn’t cross promote all that much. Now, I’m much more conscious of opportunities to interlink the two. So if you have a website and a blog, keep your eyes open for ways to link the two together.

6. Competitor’s Blogs Keep My Juices Flowin’

First and foremost I want to make clear that I am not suggesting you copy someone’s content. Not only is it illegal but it’s highly unethical and dishonest.

But there’s nothing wrong with getting ideas from another blogger’s topics.

For example, if you see a blogger has written about the iPod Touch features (a topic that is overdone); rather than just re-wording what they wrote, create your own entry but take a different approach.

Maybe your post could be something like, “10 Reasons the iPod Touch is Better Than the Zune”. You’re writing about the same topic, but you’re taking the content in a new direction.

Not to mention you could capitalize on a new audience – people looking to compare the Zune and the iPod.

I encourage you to take a look at your competitor’s blogs, get ideas and look for ways you can create your own fresh, unique content.

7. I Switched from Blogger to WordPress

I wrote a post about this a while back, but it is worth mentioning again. I really do believe WordPress is a much better platform because of all the plugins and flexibility.

Blogger is probably easier to setup, but WordPress is pretty user-friendly too – especially if you have a Web host that offers CPanel. (I use HostGator and setup this blog in 5 seconds.)

I have much more control over my layout without having to edit the raw code (like you do with Blogger). Plus, WordPress breaks up the template into separate files so it’s easier to figure out what file controls what section of your blog.

Not to mention, WordPress has much better design templates, in my opinion.

And as I said above, additions like the SiteMap Plugin also help get your posts spidered and indexed faster.

8. I Craft My Titles More Carefully

I discovered titles that pose a question or contain a bit of shock value generate the most clicks. My recent entry “Would You Like $57,000 In One Month?” has a little of both.

Usually my newest post wins the “Daily Traffic Award” but this post is 2 weeks old and still beats out my newer posts on some days.

Taking time to develop a good title can make a huge difference. Particularly since more and more people use RSS to keep track of their favorite blogs.

You never get a second chance to make a first impression, so make that title count!

9. I Give Away More Freebies

Who doesn’t love something free, right? Plus, it’s a great way to build loyal fans and viral traffic (because they’ll tell others who tell others and so on.)

But I have to be careful with this one because I want my freebies to have value. I hate it when I see Webmasters giving away items that have been distributed over and over again, or freebies you can find anywhere.

How insulting and unoriginal.

If you want your freebies to go to work for you, take some time to develop something useful and unique.

Here are some of my favorite freebies I’ve offered from my blog…

• The Perfect Site Guide
• Free RSS Icons I Created
• Free Traffic Book (PDF)
• Free AdSense Book (PDF) (for beginners)

10. I Share My Personal Success

I wasn’t comfortable doing this at first. I felt I was bragging, but I slowly found it builds credibility. And I noticed other successful Webmasters often do the same thing.

If you’re trying to teach people how to do something, it helps to show them how your advice has worked for you.

While I don’t offer specifics about my income, I may display an AdSense check here and there or remind people I am making a living online.

It’s important that my audience knows I am actually walking the walk since I often talk about making money.

In Conclusion…

Doing the above things has not only helped double my blog’s traffic in 2 months, and my subscriber count is up by nearly 100 subscribers.

Which of the above strategies can you implement on your blog?

And if you’ve done anything to help boost your blog’s traffic that I haven’t mentioned here, feel free to share.

If you’ve been marketing online for any length of time, no doubt you’ve read articles that emphasize the importance of collecting email addresses.

Well, I’ve taken that a step further by using an autoresponder, which is a script that automatically sends emails at intervals specified by the user.

I’ve been using AWeber’s autoresponder on my flat stomach site for the past 2 years, and the results have been amazing.

I send Tummy Tips to my audience and I’ve created a serious of messages and have them all queued up to send once a week.

AWeber not only personalizes each message, but sends them out when I specify. So once I create my messages, set the interval and queue them up, the automated marketing machine begins.

While I realize the concept sounds very simple, I continue to reap the rewards from this basic routine day after day.

Here’s why…

I Send Short, Relevant Messages

I realize people are busy and generally have hundreds of emails to sift through. Rather than writing long, drawn out emails that could potentially bore them over time, I keep the messages short and relevant to their needs.

With this approach, they can read my tips quickly, and get on with their day.

It’s a Great Reminder

Sending emails regularly reminds people to visit your site. People bookmark sites all the time and often forget to return or don’t come back very often.

However, when you’re sending emails regularly, it helps keep your site fresh on their mind.

Gain Credibility

People love useful, free content. And when you can provide them with tips and advice that can change their life, this boosts your credibility tremendously. They’ll also be more inclined to buy products you recommend.

That’s why it’s super important you take your time and craft messages your audience will value. Don’t try to pitch products in every message. Give them useful information and keep the sales pitches to a minimum.

People Spread The Word

When people like your site, they will gladly tell others. I can’t tell you how many emails I’ve received from happy subscribers who’ve forwarded my Tummy Tips on to friends and/or told them how and where to subscribe.

A Revenue Builder (If You’re Subtle)

As I mentioned above, go easy on the sales pitches. If you’re pushing some product on every message then you’ll quickly turn your audience off. They’ll pick up on your motives and unsubscribe in a heartbeat.

It’s OK to promote products once and a while, but make sure there’s a good balance between content and selling. In fact, I would go heavy on the content and much lighter on the selling.

I do promote various books and services throughout my messages, but certainly not in every one. When you take this approach, people have a tendency to pay more attention when you finally do recommend a product or service.

It’s Your Turn

Now that you see how the autoresponder benefits my site, it’s time to think of ways you can reap the rewards for yourself.

If you have a tutorial-based site autoresponders can work very well because you can break down the learning steps into days to make learning easier and less overwhelming.

And since AWeber allows you to specify how far apart the messages are sent, you can choose intervals that work best for your content.

Remember to be responsible with your emails. Don’t send thoughtless or recycled content that will bore your audience.

Build credibility and long-term traffic by providing useful news they can use, and watch your automated traffic generator go to work for you.

Building traffic to a site or blog is an ongoing process that takes time. And over the past 10 years, I’ve learned it’s about the sum of the little tasks you do often.

For example, you may not think much of that 3-paragraph blog post you wrote this morning, but two years from now that very post could bring you a few hits per day from Google.

Don’t laugh. I know a few hits doesn’t sound like a lot, but what if 150 of your archived blog posts brought in an average of 5 hits per day? You do the math. That’s 750 hits. And of course I was just using an arbitrary number. You could very well do better than that.

And remember, this is just from old blog posts floating about the search engines. I’m not counting the traffic from your website, recent blog posts, current articles etc.

It’s about the cumulative effect of small tasks completed over time, and as a Webmaster you should always be thinking of ways to build and diversify your traffic.

When I review my website stats, I always notice I’ve received traffic from articles I wrote 5, 6 or even 7 years ago. Work I did way back then is still paying off today. You can do the same. So here are 5 tips you can use often to add to the cumulative effect of building traffic.

1. Yahoo! Answers

I have gotten a decent amount of traffic from this, especially when you consider the small amount of time I’ve put into it.

Yahoo! Answers is exactly what the title suggests. You simply post answers to questions posed by other users. As a Webmaster, the best way to get the most from it is to find questions related to your niche.

For example, if you have a site on fishing, you could do a search for questions related to this pastime and answer as many questions as you can find.

Now the key is not to just rush through this. Craft thoughtful, useful answers that provide value to the person who posed the question. If you impress the viewers, your profile may get a few clicks. And guess what you can put in your profile? You guessed it…

Your website address!

I know a lady who sold a Site Build It! subscription through Yahoo Answers. She responded to a question about working at home and she casually mentioned she used Site Build It!.

She did not spam Yahoo! Answers by putting a link to SBI! in her reply, but someone clicked her avatar along side her answer, viewed her profile and emailed her specific questions about SBI!. After a few email exchanges the curious surfer bought the software and she was $75 richer.

Will you get hundreds of visitors per day from posting at Yahoo! Answers? Probably not, but remember it’s the little things that add up.

Plus, Yahoo! Answers are always appearing in the search results. Imagine all the people who may stumble upon your well-thought out replies to various questions.

2. Forum Posting

A few years ago, forum posting was often a top bullet on the “How to build traffic” list because it was a great way to build backlinks to your site. Using a sig file with your posts created a ton of inbound to your site and Google often rewarded Webmasters with a higher PageRank, more traffic, etc.

While forum posting may hold some backlink benefits, it’s effect has been downgraded tremendously. And I certainly wouldn’t waste your time flooding forums trying to build this number up.

The best way to use forums for traffic is to develop a good reputation with other forum members and subtly promote your site by way of your signature (sig) file. Much like Yahoo! Answers, the more useful your posts are, the more likely others are to respect your advice and visit your site.

Use Search It! to find forums in your niche or simply go to your favorite engine and type in “your_niche + forums”. This will likely bring up a nice selection of forums related to your subject matter.

You can start by posting in my forum, WebsiteBabble.com. Not only is it loved and indexed often by Google, but the members are friendly, fun and smart!

3. Blog Comments

I think this method is highly underrated and forgotten by a lot of Webmasters. Posting useful comments regularly on high-trafficked blogs can really bring in good traffic over time.

And with all the cool plug-ins available, many blogs entice people to make comments by allowing them to add pictures, their website address and more.

4. Broadcast on YouTube

I just started doing this 5 months ago and my videos have received over 100,000 views (combined). And just like regular SEO for your content, you can optimize your videos to be found in the YouTube search results.

My main goals for the videos were to add personality and create credibility to my site. I never dreamed this method would generate the kind of traffic it has in the last 5 months.

Think of content you can put in video form for your audience. It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. A 3-minute video can be highly effective if presented well. Just organize your key points, speak clearly and publish!

And of course YouTube makes it super easy to add the video to your site. Just copy and paste a few lines of code and you’re done!

Some people learn better by hearing than reading. Your audience will find this method of delivery quite refreshing, especially if you have a tutorial-based site.

In a Web with so many faceless, cold sites developed by Webmasters who prefer to remain anonymous, adding videos to your site and YouTube could work well in your favor. Credibility is key with making money online and what a great way to build trust with your audience.

And to generate traffic from people who find my videos in YouTube, I use Windows Movie Maker to display my website address during the video.

Read my article on how to broadcast yourself and your site on YouTube.

5. Check Your Web Stats

Ever check your traffic stats and find certain pages have been found in the search engines for keywords that were not the main focus on the page?

For example, say you have an article titled “How to Create a Blog” that contains a few paragraphs where you review Blogger.com. You check your traffic stats and find that page shows up #12 in Google for “Blogger review.”

Instead of settling for the trickles of traffic that keyword phrase brings, why not build a page that focuses on “Blogger review” that can obtain a much higher rank for that keyword. And to help that page’s positioning, you can link it from the original article since the content is related.

Not only are you building another content-rich page with potential search engine traffic, but you’re providing your audience with more useful information they can use.

Dig deep into those traffic stats. You may find some untapped keywords that are a potential gold mind.

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So there you have it – 5 easy tips you can implement to build long-term traffic. And as a Webmaster, this should be a goal that remains at the top of your list.

While there are hundreds of other ways to build traffic to your site or blog, I wanted to focus on something other than SEO fundamentals, blogging, link exchanges, PPC, etc (yawn). Plus, you can start executing these strategies now.

Building traffic takes time. And as the old saying goes, Rome wasn’t built in a day. Just know that the little things you do today can evolve into long-term rewards of a lifetime.

Happy traffic building!