Q: I have some sites that I can’t seem to get going. They are shopping sites, so I can’t get them on DMOZ, and they have 0 PR with Google, so people aren’t interested in link exchanges. What can I do to get them going? They have been around for a few years. I make about $50.00 a month off them, so it doesn’t cost me anything to keep them going.
A: One simple way to get the traffic moving is to start advertising your sites by bidding on keywords via Google and Overture. I understand that you might not want to make the investment, since you’re curently making $50 a month off them, but you can make a whole lot more.
I hear from many people that wonder why they don’t get a better ROI (return on investment) from their site(s), and it’s often a case of no I (investment) being made into the site.
Also, look at your more successful competitors – what makes them better? Have they cultivated a community, do they send out content-rich newsletters?
Perhaps your site design could use a facelift? You can get a new, professional-looking template for $30 or so.
There are some cheap or free ways to drive more traffic. For instance, you can get a free, custom toolbar to distribute to your visitors, or you could print up some business cards advertising your site and leave them on the counter at local, non-competitive businesses. Try writing some content and syndicating it for free.
What you’ve really got to do is to think of some creative ways to get the word out, and then invest more time and money for your site(s) to grow.