Generating qualified traffic to a website, or any advertising campaign can be tough; especially with the amount of competition in today's crowded market place.

However, there are several trusted methods (both free and paid) of promoting sites and campaigns to help companies generate immediate, qualified traffic that converts into sales leads:

Verified Business Listing Sources

Make sure the company is listed with at least these three trusted business listing sources:
Keep these listings up-to-date with accurate NAP (name, address, phone) information.
Use the exact same NAP across ALL business listing sources for improved consumer & search engine confidence.
The current benefits of using these sources include:
- Help to be found in local results for "near me" or "around me" searches.
- Currently, all three sources offer business listings free of charge.

Social Media Platforms (Free)

Social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Alignable are excellent platforms for generating interest and new traffic.
Social media sharing is effectively today's form of Word-of-Mouth advertising.
Posting on social media networks (related to the business industry) one can invoke immediate interest and discussions about the company, active campaigns, as well as products & services with friends and colleagues.
Allows for instant sharing of posts that can "go viral" generating thousands of views within minutes or hours.

Press Releases

Sending out press releases let the news media know about a new business, site, event, or campaign.
Always note what is different about the topic, and what is unique, versus other topics.
Use emotional appeal and correlate to current events to gain interest and traction.
When written correctly, it can be surprising how fast the media will pick up on the story, and broadcast worldwide.

Search Engines (Free Organic / Natural)

Make sure the site or campaign is optimized for search engines to attract free, qualified traffic.
SEO is one of the most overlooked and under utilized methods of generating free, targeted traffic.
Search optimized sites and campaigns rank higher in free organic search results.
Higher ranking results in better quality visitors and traffic that convert into leads and sales.

Search Engines & Social Media Platforms (Paid)

For immediate, "I need it now" traffic, look at utilizing SEM (Search Engine Marketing - paid advertising).
Paid promotions, (such as Google Ads) often appear at the very top of Google or Bing's search results, on the side bar, and sometimes at the bottom of search pages.
Paid search ads help new sites and campaigns gain targeted traffic faster than waiting for a website to be indexed by search engines for natural ranking in search results.
When paired with organic SEO, paid search ads can help establish dominance and authority in search results.
Most all social media platforms offer paid advertising options similar to SEM, and are relatively easy to use and manage.

Display Network (Paid)

Another portion of Google Ads, separate from their Search Network, that can generate immediate paid traffic.
The Display Network is a group of millions of websites, videos, and phone apps that show paid ads across the internet and millions of user devices.
Unlike like plain text ads used in search engine results, ads on the Display Network show video and image ads.
Sites that are apart of the Display Network reach over 90% of internet users worldwide.

Remarketing vs. Retargeting (Paid)

While both terms can sometimes be used interchangeably, the difference between the two is often in strategy:
- Remarketing is usually used to describe re-engaging prospects or customers with email.
- Retargeting is often used to describe online ads shown based on a user's activity on a website (tracked with cookies).
Both options have the same goal: to help reach out to users who've shown and interest and visited the site.
Google has confused the two terms with their Remarketing service using the Display Network (that works like retargeting by showing ads relevant to sites the user have previously visited and shown an interest in).

Online Authoritative Directories

Not to be confused with search engines, online authoritative directories index and catalog sites based on:
- location,
- content,
- and industry.
Getting listed with the right directory for an industry can greatly improve the flow of qualified traffic to a website or campaign.
As well, getting a website listed in the proper directory can help the SEO and ranking in search results.
Always AVOID irrelevant directories and link farms; such poor reputation directory sites are full of spam links with no SEO value; some can potentially hurt a website's promotional efforts and global search ranking.

Link Trades

Getting to know complimentary companies in related industries can be great for generating new qualified traffic.
Try contacting the webmaster and requesting a link trade in their site's resources or value-added section.
Related link trades can improve SEO and is a good way to generate additional targeted traffic to both participating sites.
Avoid linking to irrelevant websites or link farms; these are often considered spam links, and can hurt website optimization and ranking.

Awards/Organizations/Certifications

Applying for awards and certifications are an excellent means of:
- gaining recognition,
- building a positve reputation,
- and generating additional qualified traffic for marketing.
Only apply for awards or certifications after the website or ad campaign is ready for public viewing; make sure there are no longer any under construction pages.
As well, professional organizations similar to the BBB (Better Business Bureau) or Angi's can help generate business.

Opt-In Email Marketing

It's important to note that ALL email marketing MUST be "double opt-in" to be in compliance with CAN-SPAM laws.
While email marketing itself can often be done for free to existing authorized subscription email lists, often a paid email service is used for ease of managing subscription lists and spam laws.
Email marketing can be a great way of connecting with existing users to remind them of products and services offered.
Utilizing email with marketing automation software triggers can have big boons for generating new sales leads based on the pages a user views on a website.

Advertise, Advertise, Advertise

One of the biggest mistakes businesses make is to fail to advertise the website address on ALL company marketing collateral & property (including company vehicles, etc).
Include the site address on ALL possible marketing materials:
- letterhead,
- business cards,
- vehicles,
- all advertising mediums including social media profiles, etc.
When a business has a special, update on the site's main page, and ad boards.
Specials and ads should always be promoted on social media posts, and profile cover photos (such as updating Facebook's Cover Photo with the latest sale, product release, etc.)

By utilizing the above promotional methods, it becomes easier to generate qualified, targeted visitors. Pending the site or campaign is properly setup to engage and convert users, these new visitors can turn into paying clients!