If the secret to successful retail establishments is Location, Location and Location…then for Internet marketing it is: Traffic, Traffic and Traffic.

While each expert seems to have his or her own angle on how this marketing thing works, one thing we know for sure that is true for all of them…each, at some point in their success journey discovered HOW TO GET TRAFFIC TO A WEB SITE.

If there are no other common denominators among the gurus, we DO know that this is one of them: without TRAFFIC, we would never have heard of any of these success stories.

There are several ways to get traffic to a website.

Some take time; some take money; some are free; some are expensive. Some produce more traffic than others. Some produce traffic quickly – some over time.

So what is the best method? There really isn’t ONE best method. The best way to get traffic is to use as many methods as you are capable of using. If you have money to invest in traffic generation – spend it wisely. If you have time to invest – use it wisely.

The best way for the student of traffic generation to get the most from the methods is to study all of them and consider each one from the angle and opinions of other users.

There is a multitude of traffic generating methods every Internet Entrepreneur should be aware of and be using all the time. But it is perhaps just as important to know that new methods rise up all the time and that keeping up with those changes is equally important as utilizing the existing methods of getting people to your website.

That is not to say that the “older” methods no longer work – in fact, ironically, many of them seem to work for eons. But it is important to note that they often change or adjust with the fast changing environment of the Internet.

While some older methods may not be as powerful as they once were, it doesn’t mean they should be ignored. But instead, we continue to use them understanding that newer, better and more contemporary methods are also available and should be employed.

The lesson here is that there may not be one best method of traffic generation. Instead, the best way is to use as many methods as possible – and as new ways are discovered, they should be added to the marketer’s arsenal. It’s wise to keep your finger on the pulse of these methods over time to keep up with the best ways to use them.

Among the methods disclosed in this work, you may find a few that scare you – maybe they sound too technical or complicated. But in almost every case, they are not.

For example, learning how to BLOG and use that blog for generating traffic can be a powerful method. But if you have never created a blog – that may concern you.

Well, did you know that you can create a blog by simply filling out a form in your Fantastico cPanel? If you have a web hosting account with cPanel and Fantastico, creating a WordPress blog is as easy as filling in some blanks and clicking a button. But if you didn’t know that – the idea of “creating something technical” could be intimidating.

So don’t let any of these traffic methods put you off – study each one – try several methods. Be patient with the ones that require more time than money and be consistent with the ones that require maintenance.

Much of traffic generation has to do with keeping your website search-engine-friendly. We will cover those techniques that help you optimize any website or page so that your search engine ranking can be as high as possible.

Also, one of the most important methods in traffic generation is getting OTHER people to create your traffic for you. Among the methods taught here, the ones that involve ways to make your TRAFFIC generate TRAFFIC are the most essential.

You will find some traffic generation techniques less important to you – but others that are imperative to learn how to use.

Generating traffic is something you should always be doing. You should always be trying new methods and refining the ones you normally use.

Once you have your tools in place, getting traffic to your site is really the first step in creating a successful business.

1. Know your product. Be able to answer questions and give some details about what you’re offering.

2. Make a budget and stay with it. Decide this BEFORE you start bidding so you know your boundaries.

3. Get a feel for how to bid the right amount. Don’t start too high, but bid realistically.

4. Remember the purpose. Measure your profit margin against your spending or expenses. Know when to stop- if you spend more on advertising but have little or no sales at all.

5. Research the popular keywords. Decide which keyword phrases to opt and bid for. Stay specific to narrow your possibilities.

6. Write effective ads. It should catch the searchers’ eye. Use these approaches:

§ Discount offers

§ Testimonials

§ Celebrity/famous endorsers

§ Money-back guarantees

§ Free trials or sample offers

§ Freebies

§ Reverse psychology

§ Major benefits (“Lose weight”)

§ Direct instructions (“Click here”)

7. Keep your site professional and easy to get around. Make your content valid and up to date.

A firesale is based on a very simple concept. It is essentially a sales promotion where a product is first sold at an extremely low price and then after every few days, the price of the product is raised. This occurrence generally lasts for about seven days and then the offer is terminated forever.

For example, if you are having a firesale for an E-book, the sale will last for seven days. The price structure for the firesale of the E-book could be like this:

1. Entrepreneurs pay attention to the new opportunities that present themselves everyday.

2. Entrepreneurs don’t stop because they don’t know how to do something. They delegate tasks to people who are more gifted to perform the things you can’t, or learn to do them. They don’t re-invent the wheel if its not needed.

3. Entrepreneurs aren’t afraid of change or new things, so they try, investigate and willing risk making mistakes.

4. Entrepreneurs set realistic goals daily as well as for the long term.

5. Entrepreneurs study the background information of what they’re marketing so they can become experts in a filed they wouldn’t normally have any expertise in.

6. Entrepreneurs study other peoples’ mistakes and successes and learn from them.

7. Entrepreneurs realize that they’re running a long term business, not a get rich quick venture. They think and plan for the future.

8. Entrepreneurs don’t let problems stop them from reaching a goal. They learn new things from road blocks and hurdles.

9. Entrepreneurs are professional, thoughtful in their communication and to the point. They don’t give people fluff or false hope.

10. Entrepreneurs are real with who they are and understand their own personality. They know their strengths and weaknesses.

11. Entrepreneurs use their resources and time wisely, while learning to make room for taking risks.

12. Entrepreneurs don’t get frustrated if something takes longer than expected. They always focus on the goal.

13. Entrepreneurs know that there are many parts of entrepreneurship that WILL NOT be fun, but they do them anyway.

14. Entrepreneurs learn to move on to new projects. They don’t get attached to something that isn’t working or is using too many resources.

15. Entrepreneurs don’t give away their best information upfront. They understand how to pace what they bring to market.

16. Entrepreneurs remove things that distract them or take their mind off the goal.

17. Entrepreneurs don’t have pre-determined or fixed ideas about how something will end up. They are flexible and try new things.

18. Entrepreneurs are honest with others and themselves. They earn the trust of their following by being trustworthy.

19. Entrepreneurs don’t make decisions on whether or not something is enjoyable. They think about what their target wants.

20. Entrepreneurs are always making new products or ventures. They are constantly exploring new options without get wrapped up in one thing. They can get out of their own box.

21. Entrepreneurs don’t take things personally.

22. Entrepreneurs run their business the way they want, while always being open to advice. They can understand that no one person can possibly know everything.

23. Entrepreneurs are proactive with their decision making. They DO what they DREAM.

24. Entrepreneurs are prepared for long hours and lots of work because they know that success does not occur overnight, or on its own.

25. Entrepreneurs incorporate ideas and products that they know already work.

26. Entrepreneurs know how to delegate tasks to other more gifted than themselves. They know how to let go of something and let another person get add their own style, twist or flavor to it.

27. Entrepreneurs learn about who they are marketing to and craft their communication accordingly.

28. Entrepreneurs welcome feedback and criticism from those who matter the most: their customers.

Choosing a Good Domain

Although domain registration is no longer expensive, finding a good domain name that is available can seem like an impossible task.

You will probably not find an available domain that is made up of any single word in the dictionary. Even if one does become available, these are so heavily back ordered, that getting one is not realistic.

The best approach is to decide on 3 or 4 words that describe your business or website. Then, play around with those words until you come up with something that is fairly easy to read with no spaces between them and/or fairly easy to pronounce or spell.

Since most of us end up advertising our web addresses (URL) via electronic means, your end user will, in most cases, only need to click on your website address as a link somewhere – whether it be in an e-mail, search engine or some other website. So don’t worry if your domain is not perfectly easy to spell or pronounce…but it should be sensible and recognizable.

Unless you plan on promoting your website on the radio or thru a lot of audio media, it doesn’t have to be as easy to say/spell as amazon.com, yahoo.com or ebay.com – that kind of easy to say/spell domain basically does not exist anymore. Those days are probably over.

However, you should avoid “cute-sie” play on words types of phrases. Don’t think of your domain as a personalized license plate that makes people guess at what you mean.

For example, if your website is selling e-books, avoid the “ebooks4u2read2day.com” kind of domain. Some people use numerals to create abbreviated words, but it is usually confusing to the eye. Use numerals carefully, if you must use them at all. They are best at the beginning of a domain and not in place of a word.

Also avoid hyphens if you can – unless it really helps clarify your domain. Some words MUST have a hyphen in between them to avoid creating some other word. That should be just about the only reason to use a hyphen. A good example of hyphen use is this: paint-it-right.com. Without the hyphens, that domain can look downright vulgar!

If you must use a hyphen, keep it consistent thru the domain. Don’t hyphenate some of the words. This is a BAD use of hyphens: my-newwebsite.com. This would be better: my-new-website.com. But, this is best: mynewwebsite.com.

Dot “COMS” are always better than other TLD’s. Although, you can often get a .NET version of a domain you cannot get a .COM for, be mindful that people will probably inadvertently look for you at the .COM first. If there is already another site by your same name, you could be sending traffic to your competitor. It is better to have a less desirable .com than an easy to say/spell .net (or .biz, etc.)

When it comes to the look, “feel” and sound of a domain, it should describe the site as best it can and still be sensible when you read it. Some of my favorite domains that fit this standard are:

pushbuttonpublishing.com (easy to remember)

ezwebstudio.com (describes the product)

bonboncharms.com (name of the company and product in one easy-to-say phrase)

audiospots.com (easy to say; short domain)

247webtalk.com (proper use of numerals)

10billionfiles.com (proper use of numerals that describes the site)

info-on-the-web.com (good use of hyphens)

the-com-artist.com (proper use of hyphens with play on words that describes the business)

mrgoodbrush.com (just the name of the company alone is a great domain)

Good online tools for researching good and available domains are at instantdomainsearch.com, nameboy.com and deleteddomains.com. All of these sites help you by searching for and displaying what is available, as well as domains that are similar to what you are looking for. You can always register your domain at teknondomains.com