The Online Media Challenges of Traffic Acquisition

It used to be easy to get traffic. Well, easy-ish, anyway. Back when all we had were static web pages and a generic email address (webmaster@somewhere, usually) traffic acquisition was just a case of making sure that the page was indexed by the search engines, was relatively unique in terms of keywords, and was useful to the visitor.


This was back when we all edited our sites in a text editor, mobile (cell) phones were still almost a novelty, and certainly very, very few people had heard of social media.


These days, anyone can have a web site, and throw up any old traffic-catcher garbage, and it tends to clutter the search engine indexes. Of course, the boffins over at Google are making incredible headway in weeding out the rubbish, but it has still forced the rest of us to spend slightly more time (and hence money) making certain that we get seen.


Were it not for social media, it'd still be a case of throwing money at the issue.


Solving Online Media Challenges


See, these days, the challenge is not getting indexed. It's getting people to be aware of the site/brand at a number of different levels. Sure, people still use Google as a search engine, and they still type in words that they hope will return information, but they're a lot more savvy about choosing the results.


For all those people who continue to say "you gotta be on the first page of Google SERPs, otherwise it's a waste of time", I say : you're at least half wrong. I say this because people are using Google search engine results in a more canny way. They can spot if the top 5 places are going to be selling them things while offering them nothing.


On top of which, Google is going to be using (and has started using) social media techiques such as +1, and G+ Circles, to inform search users as to the perceived value of the page behind the result. 

 I have no proof of this, beyond what you can see on every search page, if you're logged in to Google, but it's a logical extension.


It also means that we have to be similarly more canny about the way we approach traffic acquisition. We need to leverage social media and rise to the online media challenges in making sure that if we are the best, then the online world knows we are the best, and, more importantly, Google recognises that we are the best.


How do we do that? Twitter. Blogs. Forums. In a buzzphrase, Social Media. We've come full circle, and we're back to word of mouth advertising, the best kind. Only, these days, they're digital mouths and ears.

Using PLR to Generate Traffic

PLR - Private Label Rights - is a term used to describe material that has been created for the express use of being re-used to create web site content. The seller hands over a number of rights to the buyer, amongst them, the right to use the text in any way that they wish, and assume the ownership (or at least the right to be recognized as the author).

So, in theory at least, you could take the content, stick it in a blog, and then drop the URL on Google, Twitter, Facebook, or whatever, and watch the traffic come rolling in. Right?

Well... if everyone does that, then everyone's pages end up looking the same and you'll irritate the PLR owner into the bargain. On top of which, they'll be optimized to rank well in search engines for a variety of keywords, but there are a limited number of spots - 10, if we're trying to hit the first page of results.

Those top ten spots will quickly go, if all you do is copy and paste the PLR content in it's entirety. Using PLR is clearly as much about re-branding it, as it is about re-using it. Unless it's an eBook, or something to be used for newsletter content, which keeps it relatively private, it is vital to re-work the PLR content to make it your own.

In the final analysis, PLR is about research, getting snippets for insertion in your own products, and pulling out likely keyword phrases.

JustOutsourcing.com have a list of 101 things to do with PLR, and it's well worth a look, as there are some great ideas for turning PLR content into traffic acquisition content. Be warned, however, what might seem like a quick short cut to traffic actually does require some work to make it worthwhile.

A great place to get PLR content is from ghostwriter extraordinaire, Tiffany Dow, from her PLR Mini-Mart. They're bang up to date, seasonal where appropriate, and her blog is full of useful tips and tricks. Learning from the trenches of PLR and ghostwriting is a great way to get ahead in the internet marketing game, so I heartily recommend Tiffany's blog.

That's PLR, in a nutshell. It's a great investment when used correctly, and should be at the top of your traffic acquisition checklist.

What Do I Do With All This Traffic?!?

It's a question that often comes up - traffic acquisition is one thing, but once it's flowing, the story doesn't just end!

After all, there is a whole process that begins when the user (potential client) lands on the page, one which takes them through the marketing funnel, step by step. First they are a visitor, then, they become a prospect, then, hopefully, a customer, and eventually, a repeat customer.

Along the way, there are ample opportunities for upselling, special offers, one time bargains, and so on, all geared towards maximizing the revenue generated now, and into the future. The question is : how can we possibly know what is working, and what isn't?

The answer is given on the blog I've linked to above. It's all about testing traffic, tracking results, and helping to read customers minds, all with one goal : raise revenue and the value of each and every visitor.

Link Farms and Link Exchanges Can Hurt Page Ranking

Link exchange programs might be great at boosting traffic, but the association with a potentially low PR / Authority site can permanently damage your own Page Rank and position in the Search Engine Results Pages (SERPs).

The key is to only selectively participate in high quality exchanges with sites whose PR is at least comparable to yours. Informal arrangements with people you know is probably the best option, but remember that a well-timed press release may well get a link in from a high Authority site like the New York Times.

Other must-do's include using 'nofollow' links and making sure that outgoing links are associated with keywords in the anchor text that follow the LSI of the content that they are linking to.

Read the full article here : Linking and Search Engine Ranking.

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