The Hidden Strategy To Increase Web Site Traffic Immediately

There are two basic ways to increase web site traffic. The first one is immediate - and potentially expensive. The second one is longer-term, but much more cost effective. Both are useful and both have advantages, and in this first of a two-part series, we'll look at the immediate traffic model.

The immediate traffic model increases web site traffic by using the pay-per-click search engines. That is, you pay for every visitor that clicks on your link to visit your website.

The most popular pay-per-click option is Google Adwords. In theory, using Adwords is very easy. You simply specify what keywords you want to bid on, and then you specify the maximum amount you're willing to pay per click. Finally, you tell Adwords what web page you want to direct visitors to, and then you're done. Simple, right?

Yes, but...

It's this "simple" model that Google wants you to adopt. Why? Because they make a lot of money from you. But for you it is ghastly expensive. It is disastrously expensive. It is nearly impossible not to lose a huge amount of money doing this. In short, it is an economic train-wreck waiting to happen.

And yet, there are people who swear by the effectiveness and profitability of Adwords. This suggests that there must be some trick to using Adwords that most people don't know, that somehow transforms it into a viable avenue to increase web site traffic.

Sure enough, there is.

Under no circumstances must you "give in" to the temptation to simply dump a list of keywords into Adwords and direct the traffic to a single web page. True, it is the easy and fast way to set up a campaign. But it is a financial nightmare, and I'll explain why in a moment.

Instead, you must adopt the following strategy:

Take your list of keywords and create many sub-lists of keywords that are very closely related in topic. Each sub-list might have anywhere from 1 to 9 or 10 keywords in it, but they must be virtually identical in meaning.

Then for each of these sub-lists, create a separate Adwords ad that is tailored specifically to those keywords, and create a separate web page on your website that is also tailored specifically to those keywords. Then direct the visitors from that targeted ad to that targeted web page.

It is only in very closely matching the keyword with the ad with the web page that you preserve the interest-theme of the "searcher" and make the Adwords campaign pay for itself.

It's not terribly surprising that this method works so well, when you think about it. If you're looking for a specific topic, and you see an ad that matches exactly what you're looking for, you'll click on it, right?

And then if the page you land on matches exactly what you're looking for, you'll continue reading it, right?

Of course - all of that is consistent.

But if you're searching for a keyword and you see an ad that is "general" and not very closely related to what you're looking for, how likely are you to click the ad? Much less likely. That's the first stumbling block.

But even if you do click the ad and land on a web page, if that web page isn't exactly what you were looking for, how likely are you to continue reading it and buy whatever product is being promoted on it? Even less likely. That's the second stumbling block.

So here's the double-whammy:

At stumbling block #1, if not very many people click your ad, Google as a way of raising the cost of each click that you do get much higher than if lots of people click on your ad. It's like Google gives you a quantity discount if you buy a lot of clicks, and withholds that discount if you don't. So if your ad doesn't get a lot of clicks, your cost per click goes way up.

At stumbling block #2, if people do visit your website but then fail to buy your product or opt-in to your free offer, you have spent a substantial amount of money per-click for nothing. You don't get a lead, and you don't get a customer. You simply get a bill from Google for the cost of that visitor.

That's the double-whammy.

But, if you closely match your ad to your keyword, then the likelihood of the ad being clicked goes way up, and your cost per click goes way down. That's good.

Then if you match your web page to your ad and keyword, the likelihood of the visitor doing what you want him to do - i.e. opt in to your free offer or buy your product - goes way up, and along with it the profitability of each visitor goes way up. That's very good.

The bottom line is that with Adwords, you have a choice. You can pay a HUGE amount of money and get almost nothing to show for it, or you can pay a relatively small amount of money and make a substantial amount of profit.

The first option is fast and easy to set up - but economically disastrous.

The second option takes more time and effort to set up - but can be enormously profitable.

Which would you prefer?

Thought so. So right now you must get rid of the temptation to use Adwords the "easy way". Google would love for you to do that because it puts far more money in their pockets. However to make Adwords a worthwhile method to increase web site traffic, you absolutely must do it the "long way" and increase your website profits.