Chapter 10. Driving traffic
In this chapter
- Avoiding being blacklisted
- Improving your search-engine ranking
- Understanding the problem with search engines
- Using pay-per-click advertising
In the movie Field of Dreams, Kevin Costner hears a voice in his corn field tell him, “If you build it, he will come.” Many website owners have this mentality: they believe that if they build a website, users will turn up. They mistakenly see their website as a marketing tool in its own right. Unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that.
The best way to think of a website is as a store front. If you open a new store, a few people will wander in, but they won’t come in substantial numbers. To make your shop a success, you need to promote it.
You must continually promote your site if you want to maintain a high level of new visitors. It isn’t enough to promote your site when it’s first launched. A long-term strategy for site promotion is required.