How to Promote Your Website FREE – 50 website traffic hacks

Starting to produce articles and trying to solve the good old question – how to promote your website?

Been there done that.

Traffic is the lifeblood of any business.

The success you have, the money your site makes, everything depends on traffic. Yes, you need to know how to convert it well but that’s another story for another day.

Let’s see how to promote your website – 50 website traffic hacks are ahead.

1. Publish awesome link-worthy content

There are bloggers who would dole out content in half an hour.  Also, there are bloggers who would spend 8 hours just crafting the perfect headline. If you aren’t able to figure out how to promote your website, the reason maybe the poorly written, poorly researched content.

Research doesn’t conclude with searching on Google alone. You can pick up the phone and start asking people who know about the subject.

When Brian Dean published his epic piece on all the 200 factors that decide your ranking on Google, he did just that. (See Google’s 200 ranking factors the complete list)

The post has been linked several times and brings him a ton of traffic.

2. Try something new

Almost everyone “writes” posts. How about making videos? Or trying graphically enhanced content? Matthew Woodward created lots of videos on Link building. Almost all his videos get 50k views.

3. Publish a series of posts

Whether it is an affiliate product review or something else, a series of posts can work well. You can try different keywords each time, focusing on some key aspect. That’s an easy and free hack how to promote your website.

Another idea is to divide a large topic say “SEO” into mini guides and distribute them over a period of time.

4. Repurpose your content

It’s easy to repurpose your content. You get more backlinks, more traffic, and gain more authority.

But only a few people bother with it. Repurposing your content can be as simple as making a pdf of your blog post and submitting it to pdf sharing sites.

You can use software that converts text to videos and publishes it on YouTube, Metacafe, and other video-sharing sites.

You can also publish your blog post as a guest post elsewhere. It’s all right to do so and you’ll not be penalized for duplicate content. You need to give the right signals to Google by linking Google authorship id.

(See 11 Ways to Reuse Killer Blog Posts to Generate Traffic and Income [AIB])

5. Apply the poster boy method

This comes from Noah Kagan.

Every business wants to show its success story to the world.

The poster boy formula calls to you being that story that businesses want to share. If you have achieved massive success with a tool then write a case study about it and mail the owners. They’d love it and spread the word.

(See The Poster Boy Formula)

6. Build backlinks

While building backlinks is against Google’s guidelines we know that it works. And it’s still going to work for a very long time.

Merely publishing good posts is not enough. To learn how to promote your website you have to start by promoting your articles.

Over time as the number of backlinks grow your site will start gaining authority and rank for multiple terms.

7. Join niche specific forums

Joining the biggest forums in your niche and contributing regularly to them is a good way how to promote your website.

Personally, being in the IM niche joining Warrior Forum was a great way how to promote your website.

The forum allows you to have a signature link that appears after each post you contribute.

You can also post links to useful articles and or videos.

Likewise, you can join some forum that is relevant to your niche with lots of members.

To date, Warrior Forum has driven 486 visitors to my site. As you can see I have participated in tons of discussions.

8. Produce useful content

Useful content is something that your readers can’t live without. It takes a lot of time to find the pain point and create something epic. However, when you do it, you enjoy a lot of success.

In my case, I found that most writers were lousy marketers. This lack of marketing know-how made them accept any kind of writing offer mostly in the range of $5 to $10.

I had a plan to compile a list of the sites that paid well and made a list of 120+ sites that paid for guest blogging.

Right now, the post brings me 100 visitors a day, and got links from several authority sites.

(See 120+ sites that pay 150 or more for guest posts)

9. Write and publish guest posts

Guest posting is not dead. While it’s true that a site may get penalized if it links out to irrelevant sites, guest blogging on relevant authority sites is a great strategy.

In order to land on big sites, learn to craft emails that sound good. A generic email addressing the host as webmaster, pitching finance articles to a blog on blogging will not help you. Try to learn about the site owner, his name, some tiny details etc.

I am subscribed to Noah Kagan’s newsletter. A few days ago I received an email where he shared the best cold email he ever received.

Here’s a screenshot. As you read through it, you’ll discover that the sender has included tiny details about Noah and made the mail intensely personal.

For detailed guide check this guest posting tutorial.

Food for thought when reaching out for links and guest posts eh?

10. Publish a series of guest posts

I saw Kevin Gao apply this technique on several blogs including CrazyEgg. He would divide a major topic into sub-topics and publish them one at a time.

Just see the screenshot to see what I mean.

11. Blog often, or on a regular basis

When I used to run a tech blog, I noticed that the greater the number of posts I published, the better traffic I received. I guess Google search spiders show you more love when you publish more often.

While I don’t condone publishing filler content, the tech industry gives you a place to publish often. New products are launched on a daily basis.

If blogging daily isn’t possible – blog with a certain frequency. For example, you can blog every Wednesday or every Friday.

When you publish posts twice a day for 5 weeks straight this is what happens

Website Traffic Increase (overall traffic): 481%
Search Traffic Increase: 427%
Referral Traffic Increase: 440%
Direct Traffic Increase: 570%

(See 50 Posts In 25 Days Project: Week Five Results)

12. Build a list

Many would start a blog and never go to the trouble of building a list. With organic traffic dwindling and millions of blogs to compete with, how do you plan on building a sustainable business?

Lots of visitors are landing on your site every day. Building a list is the only way to retain them.

13. Grow your email list

One of the better ways to grow your list is by giving away something for free. It can be an eBook, a set of useful resources, etc.

Including freebies has always helped to grow a list.

14. Include a link to your blog in the email signature

It’s true that it may lead to very little traffic. However, trickle by trickle, everything adds up.

If you’re someone who sends at least 10 emails a day then it’s time to get your email signature rolling with your website link.

Not all will click through to your site but some will.

15. Use SEO friendly WP themes

I have often heard that Thesis is an SEO friendly WordPress theme. It has a number of options that would help you optimize your site for search engines. It also renders the pages well.

There may be other themes that are SEO friendly and don’t break the bank.

Use them to grow your blog.

16. Answer to how to promote your website – Buy Some Traffic

If you’re getting started with your blog I’d advise buying traffic from Stumbleupon. You can also advertise your page on Facebook and drive the traffic back to your blog.

17. Use Google Alerts to track mentions

It is possible that your brand may be mentioned several times across the web without you knowing it. Someone might have commented mentioning your company or site.

It could also be possible that you get new links which you’re not aware of.

To solve these problems set up Google alerts with your brand name to be notified whenever you’re mentioned.

That gives you an opportunity to land directly into the conversation.

You can also use Google alerts to land into conversations that are relevant to your niche. Someone has a problem with SEO, you get notified and solve the problem.

18. Use mention.net

Mention.net too provides easy tracking of mentions across the web. Even those things which hide behind a registration wall.

19. Make a YouTube channel

Even if you aren’t much of a video enthusiast, make a YouTube channel for your blog. With a PR of 9 and impressive domain authority, all that you need for a link is a simple video.

And if you’re into making videos, don’t forget to link to your site from the channel.

20. Do basic SEO optimization

Basic SEO optimization is simple with Yoast SEO plugin. Choose a focus keyword to base the post on. Add in the meta tags and keywords and optimize the headlines with and subheadings with h1 and h2 tags.

Doing all these would bring good returns over the long term.

21. Optimize for mobile

A lot of people today use smartphones to access websites. If your site isn’t mobile responsive then you might be missing on a lot of traffic and conversions.

22. Join and create Facebook groups

Make Facebook groups on popular ideas, say “Make money online”, and allow people to join it. As the group grows, you have a platform to advertise your website for free.

I started one such group and I get 5 to 6 requests every day.

You have the option to make your posts sticky so that all who join the group can see it.

23. Post frequent updates on your Facebook page

There are few ways to grow your Facebook fan page. You can spend a lot of money or you can post frequent updates.

Page owners who update their pages two to three times a day see greater engagement. You should reply whenever comments are posted.

Another trick with Facebook is to post a large image and include a short description and link at the beginning. Amit Aggarwal used this approach to get more engagement to his posts.

(See A More Effective Way of Posting Links on Facebook Pages)

Earlier without images, the posts were seen by 30,000 people and now with images, it almost doubled to 55,000.

24. Join and create LinkedIn groups

I have already made a guide on using LinkedIn for marketing.

(See The Ultimate Guide to marketing your business on LinkedIn)

LinkedIn allows you to send weekly messages to your group members. Also, your name and website are displayed on the top right-hand side. Anyone who joins the group can see it. Plus, you can also create subgroups for laser targeted traffic.

25. Create and join Google plus groups

Google is literally forcing anyone with a Gmail account to open a Google plus account. Needless to say, there are a ton of people out there.

There are also tons of groups available on almost every niche where you can market your site.

Do not blatantly start self-promotion. Try to engage with others and promote others’ posts too.

It’s a win-win on how to promote your website.

26. Post images with links on Google plus

A similar approach of using large images and including a link at the top would work for Google plus too.

You can see an example below

27.Create a Google Plus hangout

If you’re a subject expert then you should definitely consider opening a Google+ hangout on the topic. Invite people from your Facebook, LinkedIn and Google plus groups.

Send out an email newsletter.

Spread the word with advertisements on Facebook and you’ll get enough people onboard.

28. Join the ViralBuzz community

Talking about tribes and communities — Viral Buzz community is something you can’t miss.

Here you get points for sharing other people’s content.

Answer to how to promote your website is POINTS. You can use the same points to promote your own content too.

Make sure that you submit only the best content.

A similar place where you can be is Kingged.

29. Join Inbound

Inbound too gives you points for sharing awesome content. The more you share the more authority your profile gains.

When you share your own content next it has a greater chance of reaching the masses.

With over 25k members Inbound can send you massive traffic. Of course, it’s in the IM niche so that could be a disadvantage to some.

There are other communities like HackerNews, GrowthHackers, Bloggers.com, BlogEngage etc. which you can check out.

30. Use Derek Halpern’s drafting technique

Derek uses a unique drafting technique while sending guest post pitches. It allows him to have the path of least resistance.

The easiest way to make someone accept your post is by giving something that is easy to accept. This can be done by writing the kind of posts that are similar to the ones already on the blog.

It requires one to study the blog properly but works with great success.

(See How to Get Major Media Coverage For Your Business with No Connections)

31.Use Pinterest to get targeted traffic

They key to make Pinterest work for you is to make it grow organically. You don’t need automated tools for sending out thousands of images every day. Just keep it to 30-35 pins.

Make Pinterest an integral component of your business and work on it.

Don’t make the mistake of promoting only yourself. Variety is the spice of life.

(See Using Pinterest To Attract And Retain Valuable Website Traffic (Case Study))

32. Use Google AdWords

Google Adwords can be an effective way how to promote your website.

To use it wisely I suggest reading this post

(See Google Adwords: A case study on Quality Score)

33. Outreach for links

If you’ve published a great post then it’s time you spend some effort on reaching out to authority sites with your post.

Getting replies to these emails can be somewhat tricky. Big bloggers are busy. However, making the emails personal can help you.

34. Link to other bloggers in your posts

You can use examples of several case studies and tutorials in your blog posts to make it more helpful.

Better yet, create an entire post with links to the best resources in your niche.

We did it here with a list of 152+ awesome tutorials.

We then emailed bloggers about this and many were happy about being mentioned.

35. Create a large following on Twitter

The best way to create a large following on Twitter is by using tools like Tweet Adder, Tweepi etc. They help you to narrow down and find people in your niche.

Tweet Adder helps you to search the tweets containing certain words.

You can make a list of such people and follow them automatically.

Also following people with large followership would get you some automatically.

36. Conduct interviews

I have often seen that celebrity bloggers like to share their interview posts. John Chow used to write blog posts about his interviews.

I am pretty sure that big bloggers would share the interviews with their followers on social media.

It’s a great way to ride on someone else’s success.

37. Obtain testimonials from influencers in your industry

Though it may not directly contribute to traffic, it may help retain traffic.

This can be attributed to the Halo effect. The association of a big blogger with you makes you a big blogger in front of others.

38. Engage with your readers

If your readers ask you for help via emails then engage with them and help them. I once wrote a post about linking a debit card with PayPal account. It’s the only debit card that works with PayPal in India.

Till date, I have received more emails and comments on that post than on any other. People share that post with others and recommend me because it helped them set up their online business.

39. Include social media sharing buttons

It goes without saying. Most bloggers include social sharing buttons but are they well visible? Check yours now.

40. Use Tynt

Tynt is a free tool that you will automatically build links to your site whenever the content is copied.

There could be readers who highlight and use your content but don’t link back.

Matthew realized that 4.3% of his readers were doing that and then he started using Tynt.

These are his results with Tynt.

(See How to Increase traffic and build links automatically in the 60s)

41. Use Linkody to get backlinks

If you’ve been recently covered in the press or get reviews on blogs you will get an influx of links. You can use Linkody to get alerts on the new links and send a mail to the journalists or bloggers to thank them.

This will help you build a better relationship with them. In the future when some major news happens you can rely on those journalists to cover you.

(See How can Linkody help PR pros as a backlink checker)

42. Use HARO to get interviewed

HARO is short for Help a Journalist Out. It’s a network of journalists which you can contact with the latest news. 

43. Use Buffer to find the most shared posts and emulate them

Buffer is a great way to find the most shared posts in a specific niche, say SEO. When you key in the keywords you get the posts that have been tweeted, liked and shared the most. Do this for a few days and you get a treasure trove of ideas for your own blog and guest posts.

Since these are shared so much you’re bound to grow your blog when you write about the same topic.

44. Read the most popular blogs in your niche and find what they are doing

The most popular blogs in your niche are popular for a reason. They have long experience in writing about stuff that gains attention.

Go through the posts they have written over time and compare the shares that each of the posts has garnered.

Think about what you can do to make these posts better. Then write those.

45. Write attention grabbing headlines

According to famous copywriter David Ogilvy,” On the average, five times as many people read the headline as read the body copy. When you have written your headline, you have spent eighty cents out of your dollar”.

Spend time on your headline. They shouldn’t be an after-thought. It really pays to craft them to perfection.

(See Scientific way to write headlines)

46. Go on a commenting spree

Each comment you post has the potential to bring in someone who has never heard of you before.

Comments bring traffic and when people start seeing you pop up everywhere, they pay attention.

Post comments regularly.

47. Create and share infographics

There are various forms of content marketing. It doesn’t end with writing guest posts. Neil Patel recommends creating infographics and sharing them with the world. Each infographic cost him around $600 but the traffic generated really paid it off.

48. Send a thank you email to readers

A thank you email with a link your subscription box is an excellent way to grow your list.

It can be sent after their first comment on your blog. I have seen Pat Flynn of SmartPassiveIncome doing so.

Not many utilize this opportunity but it’s worth doing since the reader has already engaged with your content and may engage more.

49. Write an incredibly awesome about me page

Include a signup form at the bottom. The about me page is the second most read page in most blogs and not including it is a missed opportunity.

Craft your story. Tell about your failures and victories. Relate to them and you will have a good story.

50. Craft the perfect summary about yourself

Even though guest posting is now more common than ever, a well thought author bio won’t hurt. It helps pique the interest and thus encourages more clicks.

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What’s your go-to hack how to promote your website?

We have been testing these hacks day and night – some of them convert better than we expected and we would be more than happy to discuss the results.

I hope you got enough info on how to promote your website.