Are you an online business owner who erroneously believes that you would make more money online if you could just get more traffic to your website? Unfortunately, this mindset could be the very reason you’re not making money online! Increasing traffic to your site doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll make money online, if it is going to do you any good, it has to be ‘targeted’ traffic.

What’s the difference, you ask?

Well for starters, targeted traffic is those site visitors who are actually interested in what you have to say, your info-product or service.  Targeted traffic is also more likely to spend money to get it from you. As for non-targeted traffic, this consists of the rest of the online world. These site visitors are, more than likely, not interested in buying what you have and, therefore, will not part with their cash for it.

Since time and money are your most precious resources, don’t waste either of them promoting your site to people who are not interested. Instead, find out where the type of visitor you want coming to your site currently spends their time, and then promote your site at those locations. For example, let’s say you want to promote a site about making money online. One method to increase targeted traffic to your site would be to post messages in online forums related to making money online,   including a link back to the site in your signature.

There are many online forums related to quilt making that have thousands of members. That’s a large market for potential visitors to your site, but it is not targeted to your website. Sure, some of them may be interested in making money online, but it’s more likely they are on the forum to read about quilt making. A better choice would be to find forums that actually discuss making money online, Internet marketing or some other related topic.

Even if the forum you participate in has only have a few hundred members, but 100% of them are interested in making money online, you increase your chances of getting more targeted traffic to your site.

Here are two more things to consider:

• Be sure to read and abide by the forum rules before posting. Some forums may not allow you to post links.
• Do not simply write one little blurb like “Check out this awesome post back at my blog!” just to get your link posted. That’s considered spam.

Instead, write informative content posts that show your expertise on the subject. Done correctly, and more people are likely to click on your link if you build a reputation on the forum first.

As an online business owner, getting targeted traffic to your website should be your main focus for traffic purposes. One way to increase targeted traffic is to participate in forums that are specific to your market. When participating in online forums, be sure to follow the rules, post relevant content and leave a text link in your signature file back to your website. This is just one step you can take to start making money online.

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Until next time,

Blessings to you and yours!

James