Without traffic, no internet marketing business will ever last. There are a number of traffic strategies you could use, but beware of using paid services that guarantee a certain result. One example is the third party search engine optimization service that guarantees a certain result.

If an SEO service ever promises you a certain number of clicks every day, steer clear. If they promise to rank you no.1, run as fast away as possible. It’s a business like any other, competition is stiff, and they also work by best guesses. So they should not make you any solid promises.

This, of course, does not discount them as a traffic source. They could be a good part of your traffic generation plan; but if you want tons of traffic to your site, you need to include more options than simply outsourcing your SEO requirements.

What other options are there? Here are some great suggestions:

Traffic Generation Tip # 1: Do Your Own Keyword Research And Optimization.

Instead of simply relying on outsourcing your SEO, why not do it yourself? After all, who better can you trust to do a good job but yourself?

Increase your chances of having your website rank highly in the search engines by doing proper keyword research. Use long-tail keywords that are as unique and descriptive as possible of your site. If you can, include your best keyword phrase in your URL.

The measure to know if you’re headed in the right direction is if there is a high search volume for a keyword and low competition. Sometimes, it takes your own judgment and discretion in finding the right balance.

Once you’ve chosen your keywords, insert them appropriately within your content. There are no hard and fast rules regarding the best keyword placement and quantity. But here’s my advice: Place them in your title tag, in the first and last paragraph of your content, and once every 150 words in the body.

Traffic Generation Tip # 2: Investigate Pay Per Click Search Engines.

Most people use organic search engine because it’s free, but it might take some time before you even get ranked. And even if you do, your ranking might not stay in the same place forever due to constant changes in the search engine algorithms.

A guaranteed way to get a spot on the search engines on the exact keywords of your choice would be to use pay-per-click search engines. Some of them are even willing to give you free credits to prove that they actually work.

The most famous one is Google Adwords, but it has become too popular right now it has become saturated with marketers competing (or should I say fighting) for the same keywords.

There are many others that are less known, but could produce the same (or even better) results for your money because of fewer competition. Rather than listing them down, simply type "top pay per click search engines" on Google. Try the ones you think will fit best with your offers, track properly, and continue using the ones that bring the best results.

Traffic Generation Tip # 3: Submit Quality Articles.

There are numerous article directories on the web that could generate significant traffic to your site if you submit quality articles to them. Simply type "top article directories" in Google to get a list of them.

That’s why it pays to write and submit articles that offer interesting and helpful information, and at the same time optimized for keywords of your choice.

Many people use these article directories as a source of information. Website owners and newsletter publishers may also be visiting these sites often to search for the best available articles they can give to their readers.

A lot of writers aim for quantity, not quality. They get sloppy articles done that may not be wholly informative or that are not interesting to read. Getting as many articles done as possible while ignoring the quality of the information is a strategy that some marketers use just for the sake of getting backlinks (in the resource box). But this could backfire, as more article directories are now getting stricter in accepting articles. They want articles that actually give value.

To be reasonably assured of the success of your article marketing campaign, write the best quality articles you could think of. If you’re outsourcing your article writing, make sure you’re getting a reliable freelancer. That way, your articles would get accepted by the directories; people would love reading them and might even forward it to their friends.

And as I said before, webmasters could post your content on their site or publishers could send your articles to their subscribers. Just imagine if the site gets thousands of visitors daily, or if the newsletter has several thousands of subscribers.

Let’s not forget the resource box, the most important part of the article. A good article will keep the reader reading until the very end. Don’t waste this opportunity. Write an attractive resource box that complements the article.

A great way is to offer something for free in exchange for their email. You may not make the immediate sale, but the value of a list rests on being able to promote to them constantly instead of making a one-time sale.

Traffic Generation Tip # 4: Join Common Interest Forums and Online Communities.

Forums can be a huge traffic generator if used correctly. Go out and find as many forums as possible that are related in one way or another to your product. It doesn’t have to be directly related.

For instance, you are an internet marketer trying to sell a package that teaches people the benefits of breathing. You know that breathing is known to cure a lot of aches and pains.

Go to forums of people who talk about their various pain conditions and join in the conversation. Use a more humane approach, talk about your own (or someone else’s) experience, and give helpful advice. Make your posts sound like you’re sharing, not selling.

Never promote anything within your posts. You could put it in your sig file; but make sure that the forum allows you to do it. One way to know is by looking at other forum members. If no one else is putting a sig file, it’s not worth the effort and you could simply find other ones that allow them.

Traffic Generation Tip # 5: Supplement Existing Products.

Look for an existing product that would work hand-in-hand or as a combo with your product. Then contact the vendor and ask them if they could post your product on their site, in exchange for you putting their link on your site as well.

Both of you will benefit – visitors to either sites will be likely to click on the new link to see what the supplementary product is. This one is becoming popular now, with sites recommending other sites and customers finding complimentary products that would be of benefit to them.

Make sure that you choose a supplementary product though – something far fetched would throw people off. If for example, you have a great product that reduces acidity, look for a site that offers a product that heals stomach ulcers. Those 2 go hand in hand and a prospective buyer would probably need both.

As the title of the article suggests, traffic is the backbone of your internet marketing business. No traffic means no sales, so you might as well get a day job. Learn as many ways as possible to increase traffic to your site. More clicks = more sales!