You have to put in quite a bit of time and effort to start and develop an online business. If you are trying to build your online business, you need good quality website traffic more than anything else. Having a profitable online business is not possible without a steady stream of targeted visitors. You can read all kinds of e-books and take many courses about internet marketing, but you have to decide on a certain method to start with. To get clear, follow one particular technique and follow through with it until you get results. As you perfect this method and start getting results, you can add new tactics to your arsenal. This article will explore the benefits of article marketing, which is a good strategy to begin with for a number of reasons.

Article marketing gives you the ability to inform your readers about your products so that they are more likely to buy them. People on the internet are tired of being sold things, but they are open to recommendations. Articles give people a chance to find out about what you are offering and then make a choice about whether or not to buy it. You can, for example, write an article with some general information about the topic and then mention your specific product and include a link to your website. Your visitors can then absorb the information and feel that they are still free to act as they want. It’s always important to focus on pre-selling before you actually sell because it tends to warm up the prospect.

Another advantage with article marketing is that it can help you build a solid email list very quickly.

Your articles can be written to target a particular niche and entice them to subscribe to your ezine or newsletter. You can use the resource box at the foot of your article to add a link that points directly to your opt-in page. Add an offer of a free ebook or report for people who subscribe so readers are even more tempted to click through to your sign-up page. You can then send out updates to your subscribers that let them know about any products you’re promoting.

You can also make money off of affiliate products with article marketing. Article marketing effectively brings your targeted audience to your site where you’ll then earn money from every product you sell. This is what we in the business term “Bum Marketing” whereby you create many articles using certain keywords and then you put them on the various directories. Article marketing is great for making affiliate sales as people are already searching for what you’re offering and you just answered their problem. If you can do this while also making your articles optimized for the search engines, you’ll get much more traffic and make more money.

In essence, you can make lots of money article marketing but it’s how you conduct your practice that makes the difference. Most people don’t succeed with article marketing and that’s because they don’t do the required research. Do not ignore proper research of the keywords and content if you ever hope to succeed.

As an Internet consultant, strategist and developer for over 20 years, one of the greatest concerns I hear from my small business customers is that building traffic to their Web site is too great a task, particularly as more Web sites compete for online consumers and strategies have become more and more technical over the years. 

If you share these same concerns, my advice to you is to start where you’re comfortable, and grow from there.There are a number of activities you can start with to increase your Web site traffic that don’t require any Internet knowledge at all.  Here are three options:

Word-of-Mouth.Don’t forget to tell every person you meet about your Web site.Strangely, people seem to overlook this easy yet powerful resource.Perhaps they think that their Web site is too simple compared to some of the more extensive sites they have seen. Others just forget that it’s a valuable resource for someone wanting to learn about what you have to offer. Be proud of your Web site and let every person you talk to know why they should visit it.

T-Shirts.  Have a black t-shirt made with your Web site address displayed in yellow, gold or silver.Before putting this tactic into action, I would wear a suit to my speaking engagements or educational seminars. Now, instead, I wear a very nice long sleeve shirt with my HereNextYear logo embroidered on the front.  Along the back collar, www.HereNextYear.com displays. If I am attending a workshop or seminar, I plan to sit front and middle. At the break, someone always comes up to ask me about my business.   

Don’t skimp on quality here.  It is some of the most effective and targeted advertising you can invest in.  Buy a nice high end shirt and take it into an embroidery store with a digital copy of your logo to have your Web site added.  It is one of the best investments you will make to spread the word about your Web site and build traffic. 

Give-a-Away Premiums.   Have pens, magnets, cups or other small items available to give away to anyone you see.Give something that is related to your business.If you sell mobile phone service give a small phone case, or if you are a financial advisor hand out inexpensive calculators. Remember the whole point is to provide a reminder to your prospects and customers that your business exists. So be sure to display your Web site address on all those items.

Business Card.Most business owners are familiar with business cards and probably exchange them with other people all the time.However, the aim with this business card is only to direct your prospective clients to visit your Web Site.  Consider offering a free report with information of value to your customers when they visit your site.Promote the report and the Web site address they should visit to receive it on your business card.  Give a card to everyone you meet and post one on every bulletin board you see.

True, there are many options for building traffic to your Web site, and many of them require some real time and skill.However, it is critical to keep in mind that many of the most effective actions are the same approaches people have been successfully using for years and years.Word of mouth and personal publicity will always be one of the best advertisements for your Web site, and the good news is that it is a simple strategy you can begin immediately. 

To find out even more Web site traffic builders that you can start using today, get your free report:  “101 Ways to Get More Web Site Traffic”.