In most cases, the success of any web site depends on the amount of traffic it receives, and the number of sales it generates. Many web sites seek visitors by pouring most of their time and budget into a single method of advertising: Search Engine Optimization (SEO).

While SEO is necessary for your web site, it should only be one part of your overall advertising program. Search engine rankings are pretty unstable and change all the time, but they are not the only source of bringing visitors to your web site.

What’s the best way to bring new traffic to your site? Links. Links are the way that people travel around the Internet. Links can come from all sorts of sites, not just Google or Yahoo or MSN. Consider listing your company in web directories, placing banner ads on other sites, or advertising in industry newsletters and publications. Any site that has a link to yours can bring new visitors and traffic. Yes, these inbound links may also help you with your search engine rankings, but the best links are those that are relevant and get clicked on!

Building steady traffic to your web site takes work, and not just in web site optimization. Be sure to use every advertising option available to you, such as using a pay per click ad campaign, entering your site into relevant competitions, participating in link exchanges, writing articles, case studies, white papers, etc. Don’t just depend on search engines to send web site traffic your way; get out there and take advantage of as many ways as you can think of to promote your site!