Beginner's Tips To Driving Traffic To Your New Website

So, you're a Toilet Paper Entrepreneur who has a new website. You know you want to drive lots of traffic there, but how to do so without spending gobs of cash you don't have? Oh, and let's assume you're not particularly web savvy too.

Here are some suggestions to get you started...

1. Setup Google Analytics on your site so you can measure how much traffic is coming your way.
2. Make sure your site is in Google, do so by visiting Google.com and running the search:

      site:yoursite.com
   

   (Note: you type "site:" without any spaces, don't enter the "www" and leave off "http://"). If you do this properly, up should come the pages that Google knows about your site. This can take a while to happen, so if at first, they don't show up, don't panic if the site is really new.
3. Update your e-mail signature to include your web address and a tagline saying why folks should visit it
4. Update your instant messenger away message to include your web address. This works particularly well in Google Talk.
5. Print your web address on mostly free business cards. Hand out to your friends and mom.
6. Put your web URL and a clever saying on a T-shirt or other item.
7. Use Google Blog Search to find people writing about topics relating your website. When you have something to say, comment on what's written there and be sure to include your website information when filling out the comment form.
8. Consider using AdWords to buy some traffic to your site. Google gives you pretty good control over how much money you spend, so give it a try and see how you like it.
9. Find forums contain discussions relating to your website. When you have something helpful or intelligent to say, post a reply. Make sure your web URL is in the signature of your post.
10. Setup Google Alerts on keywords that related to your website. When a new page is found, follow up with the site owner by posting a comment or sending them an intelligent e-mail.
11. Never, ever, ever SPAM. If you think what you're doing is technically OK, but doesn't feel right - don't do it.
12. Write up a lens on a topic relating to your website. You can even write up a lens about your website.
13. Write up a how to using information that you're an expert on. Link back to your website in your biography, or if appropriate, in the how to.
14. Make the content on your website unique, fun, interesting and readable.
15. Offer a contest on your website
16. Offer to write articles or guest blog posts for other bloggers. Offer them the same privilege on your website.
17. Add links to the websites that are related to yours on your site - the karma points will be worth it.
18. Shoot a video, mention your URL in it, upload it to YouTube, Vimeo and other websites
19. Sign up for BizBrag and start bragging about your business
20. Sign up for MySpace, Facebook and other social networking sites. Fill out your profile and be sure to link to your website.
21. Give Twitter a try, and use it as a way to share news that relates to your website
22. Upload photos and create a profile that relates to your website on Flickr and other photo community sites
23. Follow the Help A Reporter Out (HARO) service. Use your expertise to connect with repoters and other media.
24. Setup an e-mail subscription service using Feedburner that allows people interested in your site to follow along via e-mail updates
25. If you have a service based website, try posting on craigslist. If you have a product based business, try selling on eBay. With either case, make sure your URL to your website is mentioned (where appropriate).
26. The general rule: keep an eye out for any site you can intelligently contribute to. And when you do, make sure you website URL is mentioned in your profile or writing.
27. If your website doesn't have a blog associated with it, consider creating one. This will give you a chance to produce fresh content on a regular basis.
28. Use, and contribute your website content to services like: digg, stumbleupon and reddit.
29. Is your domain name hard to spell or remember? Use BustAName to find and register alternate domain names. You don't need to create another website, these new names can be redirected to your existing site.
30. Create a Wiki using PBWiki and hosting a community knowledge site. Make sure there's an About page that includes your website's information.

Note 1: This list is definitely incomplete - please use the comments section to make suggestions of what I could add to it.

Note 2: If you'd like clarification on any of the above items, let me know and I'll do so.