The best traffic generation method differs from marketer to marketer. Some say that article writing works the best. Some say Pay Per Click, Blogging, Joint Ventures, AdSwaps, Twitter and so on.
Up and till this moment, no one has come forward to confirm what the best traffic generation method is.
Could it be because the successful marketing gurus don’t want you to know what the best traffic generation method is so that you can’t compete with them?
Well today’s your lucky day. I’m going to reveal what the best traffic generation method is so that you can totally focus on it and create an avalanche of traffic without a shadow of a doubt.
The Best Traffic Generation Method
Here are the steps you need to implement the best traffic generation method:
Step 1: Experiment/Implement
Here is a list of contenders for The Best Traffic Generation Method:
- Article Marketing
- Pay Per Click marketing
- Forum Posting
- Blogging
- SEO
- Solo-ads
- Banner and other paid advertisements
- AdSwaps
- Recruit Affiliates
- Joint Ventures
- Social Marketing (Facebook, Twitter)
- Video marketing (YouTube)
- I’m sure there’s more which I’ve missed out
Wow. It’s quite a big list right?
Well spend some time and try each of these methods. If there are some methods which you have tried already and are not getting any results then skip it.
Buy some products, search for information online or hire a coach. Just do whatever you can to learn the techniques and implement them.
Step 2: Check the best performing ones.
After testing the best traffic generation methods for a while, check to see which ones delivered traffic. For this you need to do some tracking to see which source generated the most traffic.
You can check your results by promoting a different URL for each traffic generation method.
If you’re testing 6 methods then each one should promote the same squeeze page (but different URLS for tracking purposes). The squeeze page with the most subscribers over the past month will prove which traffic generation method is most effective.
Step 3: Elimination
Find out which traffic generation methods are not worth your time.
For example, if posting on several forums can only generate one subscriber every 2 days and it takes you an hour each day, you many consider eliminating this traffic generation method from your list.
Or you could try to focus posting on one forum only and see if it makes a difference.
The point is, you should remove the traffic generation method from your list that is not performing well.
Step 4: Enjoy
With your list of traffic generation methods which have performed well, ask yourself which of the techniques did you enjoy doing. Would you put in a lot of effort and become the best with those traffic generation methods?
Next, list out the traffic generation methods which you hate doing. This part is very important.
Step 5: Outsource
If there’s a traffic generation method which performs well for you but you just absolutely hate doing the task, then outsource it.
Pay someone in Odesk, Elance or Fiverr to do the work for you. It’s an ideal task to outsource because you know that it generates traffic. In another words, you’re getting your money’s worth!
On the topic of outsourcing, you should also think about outsourcing tasks which can speed up the traffic generation method which you’re doing.
So if you like to write articles, you can hire someone to take your article and submit it to article directories.
The best traffic generation method – Summary
By now, you should be working on the best traffic generation methods which you enjoy doing and are giving you results, and your freelancers are working on your other traffic generation methods which you hate doing.
Moving forward you need test for a new traffic source and see if it produces good results.
If you do indeed find another good traffic generation method, then add it to your arsenal.
However, as an entrepreneur, your task is to build your business which involves focusing on building relationships, managing your team of freelancers, creating products and tracking your business. Your best traffic generation methods should be outsourced (if possible).
A very good example of a marketer doing this successfully is Sean Mize. When he first started, Sean realized that he could write articles fast and well. And that was what he did. He wrote hundreds of articles per month!
Then he got smart after he became an expert on article marketing – he outsourced writing his articles. Just because you’re good at performing the best traffic generation method in your business does not mean you have to do it yourself.
Hey Alan,
That’s quite a comprehensive list you’ve put together, am sure each one is worth trying out. I really appreciate what you said about outsourcing the tasks that one doesn’t enjoy doing. I sometimes do get overwhelmed with all that needs to be done, and have learnt that the golden rule is to build the strategy that works best for you and then outsource stuff that you can’t do. This leaves you with more time and energy at hand to focus on planning things.
Twitter: alan_cheng
on April 8, 2012 at 9:38 am
Hi Sarah. Yes you’re definitely on the right tracks. We can’t do everything in our own business as we’re not experts in everything.
Alan Cheng, thanks so much for this helpful method that you shared kindly
Twitter: skycrawler68
on February 20, 2012 at 3:18 am
I get about 80% of my traffic for the search engines. I do some social bookmarking. I will look forward to when I can try a few paid traffic generation methods. I did try adwords for awhile but the cost was a little too much for a beginner.
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 20, 2012 at 7:20 pm
Hi Mike,
I’m not good with Adwords either and so I avoid it.
I would consider solo-ads if you want to buy traffic.
Best of luck!
Twitter: sparklyscotty
on February 17, 2012 at 10:23 pm
Great article, and a good strategy, although the logic in Step 2 is flawed:
If you are using 6 traffic sources and 6 squeeze pages then you aren’t JUST testing the effectiveness of each; you are testing them in tandem.
To get accurate figures you would have to have the same squeeze page for all traffic sources to see which traffic source converts best, and use A/B testing to see which squeeze page converts best.
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 21, 2012 at 10:10 pm
Hey Angela,
Thanks for catching that. I do mean 6 squeeze pages that are all the same but different URLs so that we can track the traffic source.
I’ll modify the post to reflect that. Cheers!
Twitter: BDSGN
on February 15, 2012 at 8:13 am
Hi Alan,
This is a nice list you have I will have to check some of these ideas out and see what works!
Take care
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 15, 2012 at 8:33 am
Thanks Nick. Hope you find several that you enjoy doing.
Good luck!
Twitter: BDSGN
on February 15, 2012 at 8:48 am
I do SEO and Social Media Marketing mostly. I have also been doing a lot of affiliate marketing as of late.
Twitter: JanusNg
on February 14, 2012 at 9:56 am
Hi Alan,
I think your 5-step traffic plan really makes sense. I used to feel overwhelmed with so many traffic generation methods. I didn’t know what methods to focus on, and was worried that I would miss the most effective one. And there were some methods that work but I just hated doing.
I think it’s very important to find the most effective strategies that you enjoy using.
Now I concentrate on guest posting, blogging and blog commenting. I find these methods very effective and they’re something I like doing. I plan to use these methods consistently to get better results.
This is really a useful post for people who are confused about traffic generation.
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 14, 2012 at 10:09 am
Hi Janus,
Thanks for your comments and I’m glad that you found the tips useful.
If you enjoy blogging, then by all means focus on it. As you mentioned, if you use the methods consistently you will get results.
Thanks for dropping by Janus. Hope to see you around again.
Twitter: lilachbullock
on February 11, 2012 at 7:18 pm
Thanks Alan, great list. Currently I get around 50% of my traffic from social media and the rest via Google and other referral sites.
I’m going to be experimenting with solo ad’s and also creating a product so will be using affiliates too – will keep you posted as to how that works:)
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 13, 2012 at 8:41 am
Hi Lilach,
That’s great. Do let me know how you get on.
I’m not good with social media so it looks like we can learn a lot from each other.
Hi Alan,
I heard someone say yesterday that when he hears people say that they are not getting leads online, he is sure that they are not doing anything.
With the many methods you have set out here,I just cannot help but agree with him.
These are definitely good steps to follow.
Thanks
Tosin
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 11, 2012 at 10:10 am
That’s so true. An online business’ primary objective is to get leads and then follow up with selling. Even Facebook, Twitter, Google etc…they all ask your email for registration.
Well, you offered us quite an interesting and intriguing a list of traffic generating methods! I think that everyone of us will be able to find the most necessary and the most suitable one for ourselves.Thanks a lot for sharing this information
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 10, 2012 at 11:27 pm
Thanks Amanda. Good luck on find the strategy you’re most comfortable with.
Alan,
Indeed there really isn’t a one size fits all, but once we discover what is a good fit, divide and conquer! We don’t need to be a jack of all trades, just the master of one:)
Thanks for sharing
~Becca
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 10, 2012 at 6:36 pm
Hi Rebecca,
Well said. I used to think being a jack of all trades was cool and the right thing to do. It took me years before I realized it diluted my expertise.
Hi Alan,
That is quite a list of traffic generating methods! I’m curious to know if you’ve tried all of them. If so, which one performed the best for you? So far, I’ve only done blogging, solo ads and social marketing. So far, I’ve had the best results with Facebook.
Until next time.
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 10, 2012 at 6:42 pm
Hi Jamella,
Yup. I’ve tried all of them apart from banner advertising.
The one that worked best for me was solo-ads. They cost money but doesn’t take much of my time. Which is why I love using them.
I’m surprised that in your case, Facebook was better than solo-ads. That just proves my point…there is no traffic generation method that is right for everyone.
I would remove Article Marketing from your list. This technique — you write one article and post it to a site like ezinearticles.com, where others can copy and post it to their sites — is no longer very effective. Google now punishes sites for what is considered “duplicate content.” Instead, seek out other blogs to guest post on. These articles, which contain original content, also contain links back to your site and expose a different readership to your writing.
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 10, 2012 at 6:54 pm
Hi Lesa,
Article marketing is not as effective as before but it still works. You can generate traffic with it, but need a lot of volume.
However, if you love writing articles and can churn 5 daily without breaking a sweat, then this method is right for you.
In addition, article marketing is not just about submitting to Ezine Directory. Submitting it to a blog (guest blogging) or a high traffic website is also consider article marketing.
Submitting your content to article directories is not considered duplicate content.
I have done guest blogging before and I totally agree with you. It’s a fantastic way to generate traffic!
Thanks for commenting Lesa. It’s great to have discussions like this.
Twitter: growwithstacy
on February 10, 2012 at 5:25 am
Hi Alan,
Those are good steps to follow because you are right, there is not one thing that is “the best” for everyone. Things change over time and what is best now won’t necessarily be best a year from now for the same person.
Thanks for sharing!
Stacy
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 10, 2012 at 6:35 pm
Hi Stacy,
Exactly. For example, I’m not a big fan of using Twitter or posting on forums.
If you asked me to generate traffic using those methods, I won’t be able to do a good job of it because I hate doing the task.
Twitter: plrnetmarketing
on February 10, 2012 at 3:39 am
Hey Alan, I love reading traffic generation posts (heck I’ve even written a book on the topic) and this one definitely stands out. It’s too easy to spend (waste) time on methods that simply aren’t providing you with a solid ROI, and it’s important to locate these early on and replace them with tactics that actually work with your particular marketing style.
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 10, 2012 at 6:31 pm
Hey Warren,
Thanks for dropping by. Glad you liked the post 🙂
Twitter: jaynekopp
on February 10, 2012 at 1:18 am
HI Alan, totally agree that we don’t all find the same traffic generation methods to be the best. I think generating traffic is an individual as we are.
I have an acquaintance who does CRAZY well. He doesn’t do much in the way of blogging, etc. What he does is make squeeze pages and uses classified ads!!! Like… Hello??? Who’d have thought??
Seriously, he makes over a million bucks per year and he just places ads… and does not much else.
I guess the reason is, he has mastered the craft of copywriting and obvioulsly can seal the sale with follow up.
Quite amazing. He’s probably placed his ads this morning… he is likely golfing right now! 🙂
The bottom line is we have to try a few different things as you suggested and see which ones work for us.
Best
Jayne
Twitter: alan_cheng
on February 10, 2012 at 6:29 pm
Hi Jayne,
You got it. Generating traffic is different for each individual.
I’m so glad you posted about your acquaintance. Making a million bucks with classified ads and squeeze pages is amazing. And as you said “Who’d have thought??”
It would be great to ask him to explain in more depth what he does. You can try it yourself and see if you like the method.
Thanks for sharing Jayne.
Twitter: easthersudharta
on February 9, 2012 at 9:32 pm
Hey Alan
It is crucial for the success of your blog or website that you generate leads. To generate leads, you will need to do some hard work and follow some guidelines