When it comes to making money online driving targeted traffic is the key. Just depending on the search engines for traffic isn’t the best idea as it can take time and a lot of effort to rank high for a competitive keyword. But there are many sites out there that you can use to drive traffic and here I will mention a useful set of sites that can help you get more traffic.
Note: I have mentioned the number of visitors each site receives per month. These stats were obtained from trafficestimate.com.
1 1) Blogged.com
Its a blog community that allows its users to share their blogs. Blogged also provides the latest major news events, giving the chance for its users to make comments about them and also share these stories on other sites (facebook, twitter etc).
Estimated Monthly Visits - 1,446,400
Google Page Rank - 6
What you can do
i) Follow other users with similar interests (But unlike in Twitter the updates of the users that you are following will not be shown in the homepage).
ii) Submit your blog. So other users can follow your blog, rate your blog and also write reviews about your blog. (Getting more users to follow your blog is a great way to drive traffic, and if they find your content useful they might share your blog by linking to it).
iii) Rate other users blogs and write reviews about them. This is a great way to get noticed.
iv) Follow blogs that you are interested in. (You can follow a blog, then send a message and ask the owner of that blog to follow your blog, it’s a good way to get more followers for your blog).
v) Blogged also has its own Blog directory, you can use this to find blogs related to your niche.
2 2) Outbrain.com
There are 2 ways to use this site you can either become a publisher or a marketer.
There are 2 ways to use this site you can either become a publisher or a marketer.
Estimated Monthly Visits - 28,639,000
Google Page Rank - 6
What You Can Do - Its kind of similar to Amazon.com but instead of recommending products to your viewers Outbrain will recommend content/links to articles that’s related to the content on your blog/website and just like in Amazon.com you can make money from Outbrain.
Here's how it works, lets say you become a publisher then you will have to add the outbrain blog widget to your blog. There are 2 types of widgets to choose from "Text Widget" and the "Thumbnail Widget". This is what the "Text Widget" looks like
This is what the "Thumbnail Widget" looks like
You can either add the "Text Widget" or the "Thumbnail Widget" to your blog. And this widget will automatically display links to articles that’s related to the content on your blog. And when a visitor to your blog/site clicks on one of these article links displayed by the Outbrain widget then you get paid. The amount you get paid per click will depend on several factors. You can get a revenue estimation for your blog/site once you contact them. The links to articles displayed in the widget automatically gets updated often.
Here's how it works, lets say you become a publisher then you will have to add the outbrain blog widget to your blog. There are 2 types of widgets to choose from "Text Widget" and the "Thumbnail Widget". This is what the "Text Widget" looks like
This is what the "Thumbnail Widget" looks like
You can either add the "Text Widget" or the "Thumbnail Widget" to your blog. And this widget will automatically display links to articles that’s related to the content on your blog. And when a visitor to your blog/site clicks on one of these article links displayed by the Outbrain widget then you get paid. The amount you get paid per click will depend on several factors. You can get a revenue estimation for your blog/site once you contact them. The links to articles displayed in the widget automatically gets updated often.
But if you become a marketer in Outbrain then you can pay Outbrain to distribute your content/blogposts across 1000’s of blogs (blogs that use the Outbrain Widget) that’s already in Outbrains network. Currently over 50,000 sites and blogs have the Outbrain widget installed. So if you become a Marketer at Outbrain you can get your articles/blogposts to be displayed in 1000's of blogs related to your niche. It can be a great way to drive targeted traffic but it is not free since you have to pay for each click you get. This system is similar to Google Adwords but instead of driving traffic through the search engines Outbrain allows you to drive traffic through blogs/sites that's related to your niche so you have a high chance of making a sale since the traffic you receive through blogs in Outbrain's network is targeted.
3) 3) Friendfeed.com
Its a service that makes it easy to share things in real time with your friends online. Friendfeed also allows you to pull in items from other sites such as Facebook, Blogger, flickr, Picasa Web Albums, Google Talk, Delicious, Youtube, Digg and 64 other sites. So if you make an update like a status update in facebook/twitter or add a picture in Flickr or bookmark an item in Digg it will immediately get updated in your freindfeed account. But you can choose which sites (facebook, twitter, youtube etc) you want to connect with friendfeed so when ever you make an update in any of those sites it will show up in friendfeed. So Friendfeed is a place for anyone to see all the updates you make in 72 different sites in real time, this allows them to see all of the updates you make in many different sites at one place.
Its a service that makes it easy to share things in real time with your friends online. Friendfeed also allows you to pull in items from other sites such as Facebook, Blogger, flickr, Picasa Web Albums, Google Talk, Delicious, Youtube, Digg and 64 other sites. So if you make an update like a status update in facebook/twitter or add a picture in Flickr or bookmark an item in Digg it will immediately get updated in your freindfeed account. But you can choose which sites (facebook, twitter, youtube etc) you want to connect with friendfeed so when ever you make an update in any of those sites it will show up in friendfeed. So Friendfeed is a place for anyone to see all the updates you make in 72 different sites in real time, this allows them to see all of the updates you make in many different sites at one place.
Estimated Monthly Visits - 19,477,000
Google Page Rank – 8
What You Can Do - You can connect your accounts in other sites (like twitter, youtube, facebook digg, flickr etc) with Friendfeed, so whenever you make an update in any of these sites it will automatically show up in your friendfeed profile, its one place to show all your updates. You can connect your accounts in 72 different sites (Facebook, Digg, Youtube etc) with your Friendfeed account. And if your contacts/friends on Twitter, Facebook, Yahoo, Hotmail are also using Friendfeed then you can add them as your friends and get them to subscribe to you in Friendfeed. You can create a group for your blog/site and share new updates in the group, you can comment on other users posts/updates and like them, send direct message to your subscribers, join new groups, add friends, post in other groups. Friendfeed is a great site that can be a great source of traffic to your site.
4 4) Sphinn.com
This is a great site dedicated for online marketers to share the latest internet marketing related stories and have discussions related to internet marketing. More than promoting your content I would say it’s one of the best sites to learn great things related to internet marketing.
This is a great site dedicated for online marketers to share the latest internet marketing related stories and have discussions related to internet marketing. More than promoting your content I would say it’s one of the best sites to learn great things related to internet marketing.
Estimated Monthly Visits - 2,171,600
Google Page Rank – 6
What You Can Do – Submit interesting links related to internet marketing (they can be either your blog/site or other sites) and the top contributors get recognized on the leader board, you can also make comments and start new discussions. You can get a lot of clicks to your profile by being an active member in Sphinn and some of them can turn into clicks to your blogs/site or other links that you have added in your Sphinn profile.
5 5) Addthis.com
Now this is by far one of the best sites that can flood traffic to your site/blog. Here’s how it works, first you need to add the Addthis widget to your blog/site. After you have done this if any visitor finds your content interesting and he wants to share one of your blogposts/webpages in another site then he can just click on the Addthis widget and share it in another site he wants like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Tumblr, Blogger etc (currently the Addthis widget allows readers to share any page in 341 different sites). With just a few clicks Addthis makes it possible for your readers to share your content in sites they like and there are 341 sites to choose from. Addthis is a perfect example of "Viral Marketing".
Now this is by far one of the best sites that can flood traffic to your site/blog. Here’s how it works, first you need to add the Addthis widget to your blog/site. After you have done this if any visitor finds your content interesting and he wants to share one of your blogposts/webpages in another site then he can just click on the Addthis widget and share it in another site he wants like Facebook, Twitter, Digg, Tumblr, Blogger etc (currently the Addthis widget allows readers to share any page in 341 different sites). With just a few clicks Addthis makes it possible for your readers to share your content in sites they like and there are 341 sites to choose from. Addthis is a perfect example of "Viral Marketing".
Estimated Monthly Visits - 68,108,000
Google Page Rank – 10
What You Can Do – Sign up at Addthis and add the Addthis Widget on your site/blog. Monitor how many times your site was shared and in which sites it was shared (Addthis provides very useful analytics that shows its users how often and where their content has been shared). Many popular news sites have used the Addthis widget to make it easier for their viewers to share their stories on Facebook, Twitter etc with just a few clicks. The below video shows how Addthis will make it very easy for your visitors to share your content on other sites.
6) 6) Twitter.com
The power of twitter should never be underestimated. Twitter is capable of driving targeted traffic to a blog/site if its used properly. But one question I asked myself was “Does More Twitter Followers Mean More Traffic ?” . And I found a great article about this topic. I would recommend you to click on the below link and just have a look as it shares some useful info.
The power of twitter should never be underestimated. Twitter is capable of driving targeted traffic to a blog/site if its used properly. But one question I asked myself was “Does More Twitter Followers Mean More Traffic ?” . And I found a great article about this topic. I would recommend you to click on the below link and just have a look as it shares some useful info.
Estimated Monthly Visits – 732,947,000
Google Page Rank – 9
What You Can Do – Tweet regularly (if you are looking to get followers then this is the most important) and of course the tweets should be catchy and interesting (if people like what you tweet then they will follow you even if you don’t follow them back, so give your target audience what they like to hear). Use #hashtags properly.
7 7) RateItAll.com
This is a consumer review website. The users can write positive/negative reviews on just about anything (Movies, Food, Websites, Blogs, Electronic Products etc). It can be a great place for you to get your blog/site noticed by readers interested in your content and positive reviews by other RateItAll members can be great.
This is a consumer review website. The users can write positive/negative reviews on just about anything (Movies, Food, Websites, Blogs, Electronic Products etc). It can be a great place for you to get your blog/site noticed by readers interested in your content and positive reviews by other RateItAll members can be great.
Estimated Monthly Visits - 906,300
Google Page Rank – 5
What You Can Do – Submit your blog/site, review other products and services, create lists (A list is where you rate similar products/services/websites according to your own rating), add friends, follow profiles of users. Just like in all other sites it’s important to be an active member if you want to get noticed by other users. If your blog/site is not complete I wouldn’t recommend you to submit it since even a single negative review will not be very good for your site/blog. And there is a feature called “Promote Plus” on RateItAll, it can be a very useful feature to promote your site. Watch the below video to learn about “Promote Plus” on RateItAll.
What You Can Do – Submit your blog/site, review other products and services, create lists (A list is where you rate similar products/services/websites according to your own rating), add friends, follow profiles of users. Just like in all other sites it’s important to be an active member if you want to get noticed by other users. If your blog/site is not complete I wouldn’t recommend you to submit it since even a single negative review will not be very good for your site/blog. And there is a feature called “Promote Plus” on RateItAll, it can be a very useful feature to promote your site. Watch the below video to learn about “Promote Plus” on RateItAll.
8 8) ViralNetworks.com
Viral Networks is a social network dedicated to internet marketers. Its a great place to meet other internet marketers, share your knowledge, promote blogs/sites, advertise and of course learn from other internet marketers
Viral Networks is a social network dedicated to internet marketers. Its a great place to meet other internet marketers, share your knowledge, promote blogs/sites, advertise and of course learn from other internet marketers
Estimated Monthly Visits - 736,600
Google Page Rank – 3
What You Can Do - Add friends, join the discussions in the Viral Networks forum, upload videos/pictures, comment on other user profiles, contribute to the Viral Networks Wiki, write articles, blogs, send messages, send broadcast mail. Each task you do like replying to forums, uploading videos, contributing to the wiki etc will get you credits and you can also get paid for the credits you have earned. Not only will you get paid but the users with the most credits get noticed on the leader board that shows 25 users with the most number of credits so it can also be a great way to drive traffic which is the main objective. You can also build a downline by referring other people to Viral Networks and earn 10% of all their credits. But certainly spamming is not recommended as profiles can get deleted for misuse.
9 9) Linkedin.com
Linkedin is the worlds largest Professional Network with over 100 million members. Linkedin can play an important role in your social media marketing campaign.
Linkedin is the worlds largest Professional Network with over 100 million members. Linkedin can play an important role in your social media marketing campaign.
Estimated Monthly Visits - 447,096,000
Google Page Rank – 9
What You Can Do – Linkedin can be used in many ways to promote your online business. You can add new contacts, join groups (you can also create a group for your blog/site like in Facebook), status updates, message people in your network, provide recommendations for users in your network, answer questions by other users (this is a great way to get noticed by other members), follow major companies (to receive their latest updates).
One of the best features of Linkedin is the ability to search status updates of other members. For example if you type “Internet Marketing” it will display all status updates that contain that term, even the status updates of the members that are not in your network. Using this feature you can find Linkedin users that are also discussing similar topics as you and add them to your network. Just watch the below video to learn about this useful feature.
10) Listwire.com
Listwire is a 100% free autoresponder service. It’s a service that allows you to capture your visitors email so you can start building an email list/subscribers to your blog or website, it’s a great way to build a relationship with people who want to read your content. Email marketing allows you to provide your readers with valuable content and offer new products/promotions to your subscribers as well. But there are several factors such as bounce rate, open rate, opt-outs, clicks that show how successful your email marketing campaign is. Click on the below link to read more about Listwire as well as how you can be successful in email marketing.
Free Email Capture Software List Wire – Click Here
What You Can Do – Sign up for free at Listwire, add the squeeze page to your blog/site, write your follow up messages, broadcast messages and the verification message. Listwire also provides a free user manual that shows how you can get started with your email marketing campaign using Listwire. Click on the below link to get your free Listwire user manual.
A point that should be kept in mind is that the success of an email marketing campaign is in your hands. It all depends on the way you title your emails, what kind of content/products you offer, how often you contact your subscribers etc. I would certainly recommend you to read the below post where I have discussed some important points on list building.
