Online Marketers: How to Get More Site Traffic without Relying on Google or Other Search Engines

July 29, 2013 - PRLog -- Google's latest algorithm update, Penguin 2.0, shook up a lot of sites. One thing it made very clear -- at least in my opinion as an online writer (eg, content marketing specialist) -- is that relying solely on search engine traffic is like playing a game of cat-and-mouse with your online business.

Google's Not the Only Game in Town When It Comes to Getting More Site Traffic

Luckily, search engines are not the only game in town when it comes to traffic. Sure, they're important -- there's no doubting that. But, it doesn't have to be the only weapon in your content marketing arsenal as an online / affiliate marketer.

Beefing up your own online community is one way to "beat" Google, if you will, when it comes to getting more traffic and sales.  Following are four things I did -- and you can too -- to increase traffic to your website/blog. Note: All of them are free – and effective.

4 Things I Did to Increase Site Traffic, Which Has Led to More Sales

I. Get Active Daily on 5 Social Media Sites: Twitter is my favorite social media site. I have almost 12,000 followers and have been active on it since 2008 or 2009 (I can’t really remember). I had accounts on several other social media sites for a few years, but never interacted.

Now, I’m active on the five major sites daily, ie: LinkedIn, Facebook, Pinterest, Twitter and Google+.

II. Update Your Website/Blog Every Day: I used to update my main blog once a week; now I update it five to six times a week. This gives search engines a reason to come back to index new pages more often. The more pages your site has, the better chance you have of visitors finding you.

III. Give Readers Something They Really Want: Inkwell Editorial is about freelance writing. And, what’s the one thing freelancers want? Job leads. So, I started posting job listings every Monday. This gives visitors a reason to come back week after week after week.

Ask yourself, “What do my readers really want?” And, try to give it to them. If you don’t know what this is, straight out ask them by posting a question on your site, in your newsletter on your social media accounts. Then, act on the info they send you.

IV. Add a Work Day: Doing all of the above meant that I had to add an extra work day to my schedule. But, it’s been worth it.

Sometimes working more is what you have to do to reach your goals. And actually for me, it’s worked out great because I spend Sundays writing and scheduling posts for the coming week. This frees up more time during the week for marketing and working on my own projects (ie, writing ebooks).

Conclusion: Getting More Site Traffic without Relying on Google (And Other Search Engines)

It’s getting harder and harder to rank well in search engines. But that doesn’t mean your business is doomed. All it means is that you need to get busy building a community of followers online who will visit your site because they know you exist WITHOUT search engines referring them.

And the best thing about this type of traffic is that they tend to be more loyal – because they come back of their own volition, not because your site was returned in search results.

Now that’s the type of traffic you can take to the bank!

Learn more about how I revamped my blog’s marketing strategy (http://inkwelleditorial.com/how-i-revamped-my-blogs-marke...) to get more site traffic – without relying so much on search engines.
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About the Author:  Yuwanda Black heads New Media Words, an SEO writing company, and is the publisher of Inkwell Editorial, a blog devoted to helping others start successful, home-based writing careers. She's also the author of over 50 ebooks, most of which cover some aspect of freelance / SEO writing. They can be found on major outlets like Amazon and Barnes & Noble. Get everything you need to start a successful, freelance web writing business (http://inkwelleditorial.com/seo-content-writing-package).