Whoa, buddy. Before we discuss how to increase web traffic, we need to back track a bit and understand where this traffic originates. Part One of this four-part series goes into the sources behind web traffic, with parts two through four bringing focus on how to increase web traffic.

To start, don’t give me that “Well-it-has-to-be-quality-traffic” shpeal. There’s nothing wrong with traffic; when did just good old, eager-to-please traffic become a bad thing? I know the argument for “quality” traffic, but this series might just change your view. You give me traffic and I’ll show you how to get something out of it, but maybe that’s the sales guy talking.

To what I’m sure is your stunned amazement, I’ll tell you that traffic does not hail from fairies or magical genies (unless you’re really, really lucky), but instead from three, yes only three, places.

The first is direct traffic, which is when visitors directly type your URL in the address bar. I would also classify when someone types your brand name in the engines as part of the direct category — we don’t want to give the engines all the credit (greedy little engines). Like I mentioned, we’ll get into more ways of increasing traffic in parts two through four, so briefly, you can increase direct traffic both online and offline, basically it comes down to branding and referrals.

The second (these are not in order of importance) is from the search engines. There are two ways to get this sought after traffic: 1) optimize your site to show up in the SERP, or 2) pay for it.

And my personal favorite: links. Search engine spiders follow links, and so do people. Essentially, you can capture wide audiences via the linking medium. Keep in mind, too, that not all links are created equal; and how you link is just as important as to where you link. Some links are tough to get, but I’ll show you why it’s worth it and how to get them.

Don’t know which of these you like best? Well, I’ve got great news because you don’t have to choose just one; you can implement strategies for all three. So, stay tuned for upcoming posts on how to increase web traffic.

Most recent posts by Brian

• SEO Fundamentals in a Social Media World? - September 10th, 2009
• Tales from Web Marketing Meetings - July 29th, 2009
• Increase Web Traffic: Part 4 of 4 - May 20th, 2009
• The "Power of One" Link - May 8th, 2009
• Increase Web Traffic: Part 3 of 4 - April 22nd, 2009

1. Google vs. Duplicate Content - rel="canonical" tag | SageRock Digital Marketing Blog Says:
   March 11th, 2009 at 7:18 pm

   [...] header’ and forgetting about it, it doesn’t solve the issue for at least 1/3 of the web traffic your site receives. That might not matter to you and if that’s the case I will completely be [...]

2. Your SEM News for the Week of March 10, 2009 | SageRock Digital Marketing Blog Says:
   March 11th, 2009 at 7:21 pm

   [...] reports a 1332% increase in web traffic on March [...]

3. Digital Marketing in Recession | SageRock Digital Marketing Blog Says:
   March 11th, 2009 at 9:11 pm

   [...] to launch in innovative, high ROI online channels. The organic positions will be built when the web traffic comes searching. The Paid Search AB tests will be run and the campaign will be optimized when the [...]

4. Greg Says:
   March 12th, 2009 at 12:48 pm

   Nice. Looking forward to hearing all about traffic in the upcoming series. I think the term ‘traffic’ has gotten a bad rap over the years. Back when people realized that it wasn’t just about increasing your ‘hits’ but what you could do with them, that counted the most.

5. Juistin Brooke Says:
   March 12th, 2009 at 4:54 pm

   This is great information. Using these SEO strategies, you are way to bringing your site to the public, allowing it to be accessed by your target readers. Thanks for the info.

6. Increase Web Traffic - Creattica Daily Says:
   April 10th, 2009 at 11:22 am

   [...] Brian Augsburger is putting together a 4 part series on ways to increase traffic to your website. Part 1 deals with sources of web traffic, while Part 2 touches on how to build visitor loyalty. To what [...]

7. Increase Web Traffic: Part 3 of 4 | SageRock Digital Marketing Blog Says:
   April 22nd, 2009 at 5:30 pm

   [...] Now we are on a roll!  The focus of Part Three is how to increase Web traffic from the search [...]

8. Arvind Says:
   August 14th, 2009 at 7:50 am

   Nice tips man… why not release a pdf with some enhanced and depth tips

9. Free Search Engine Submission Says:
   January 26th, 2010 at 4:01 pm

   Some methods work better than others. You should analyze your niche to determine the most cost-effective way to promote your site.