Increasing your traffic: Market to people's self-interest.

[Nite]

After spending several months doing internet marketing for myself, I've come to one important understanding. Self-interest is the driving principle behind most, if not all, link building strategies.

To this end, it is important to sit back for a moment and reflect upon one question: how does my website appeal to the self-interest of those who would visit my website? In other words, what does my website offer to my niche in order to attract more people to this particular niche?

At work here are two differing, yet complementing, levels of self-interest. (1.) There is the self-interest of the webmaster, who is usually selling something or hoping for some adsense clicks. (2.) There is the self-interest of the surfer/link submitter who hopes to gain something (pagerank? backlinks? traffic? exposure? information?) when visiting a website.

Both levels of self-interest must coincide with one another in order for a healthy website to emerge. The webmaster must provide a good/service that everyone will want to use and at the same time, the user must want to use what the website offers. Take this forum, for example. People are here, proximally and for the most part, to satisfy their self-interest for SEO knowledge and marketing information in hopes to learn something that the other guy doesn't know.

Perhaps the easiest method for building traffic is to begin a free submission link directory. However, without reflecting upon my initial question (how does my website appeal to the self-interest of those who would visit my website?), directory sites are bound to fail in the long run. Why? (1.) Because no one will link to them except for other directories. (2.) Because no one running a website will want to link to every directory that they have submitted their site to.

See, it was in the self-interest for the surfer/link submitter to use the directory, but once used, the reason for continued usage is gone. Reciprocal linking? There's really no point in keeping a reciprocal link to a low PR/low organic traffic directory. The surfer/link submitter must have a reason, a self-interest reason, to keep a reciprocal link alive... and this is something that each webmaster must discover within the context of their niche.

The discovery of a niche is a rather easy process. Begin with some general concept. Next, think about that general concept in somewhat specific terms.

General concept = The Environment.
Specific concept = Trees.
Specific concept = Trees found in South America.
Specific concept = Breeds of trees found in South America
Specific concept = Rare breeds of trees found in South America.
Specific concept = Rare breeds of trees found in South America approaching extinction.

When understanding a niche concept, consider its spatial dimensions (SPACE), its temporal dimensions (TIME), its social dimensions (SOCIAL), and its personal dimensions (INDIVIDUAL). Also, find adjectives that will further specify a general concept...for example: Look at the car. vs. Look at the green car. vs. Look at the green Ford car.

Now market your (environmental) niche to the self-interest of the websurfer. For example: Ford's new car has an impact on rare breeds of trees found in South America that are approaching extinction.

Am I babbling? Sorry..

[Aussie]

No you're not babbling and the best part about your advice is it comes from you relating from your recent experience... as far as I'm concerned that makes what you're saying gold (or at least very shiny silver! )

Your advice is an expanded version of the adage:

Regularly work on your business, rather than always working in your business; look at it from a customer's point of view...

I like the way you have broken it down into manageable steps - nice work

[MagnaLifeOdin]

You give some great advice. If your visitors don't have anything to gain from your site, then what's the point of them staying long, let alone buying anything?

I always remember this for putting myself in my visitor's shoes:
WIIFM Radio

What's In It For Me