| Targeted traffic: the demographicAssuming your | | | | selling, or what service you offer. T-shirts may sell |
| business is motorcycles, my first guess at your | | | | well on lots of different content based sites, while |
| target demographic would be 16-25 year old males | | | | the gardening weasel isn't likely to do well on places |
| and 50+ year old wealthy retired couples. Breaking it | | | | not related to gardening.An update schedule of |
| down further, if you sell Suzuki crotch rockets, you | | | | content based websites you're considering advertising |
| can safely discard the wealthy retired group. Narrow | | | | on is rather important, depending on how you |
| the demographic as best you can to target potential | | | | advertise. A website that updates every other day |
| customers. Paying for traffic that isn't dense with | | | | or weekly will have many visitors who come for the |
| people interested in what you're selling is a waste of | | | | updates and leave. A website that updates |
| your advertising dollar.Once the demographic is well | | | | sporadically will have more people who come just |
| defined, you can begin identifying and sorting out | | | | looking for something new. When there is nothing |
| perspective advertisers. Determining whether a | | | | new they're more likely to look for other related |
| particular advertiser or marketing group is going to | | | | links, which is where good advertising kicks into high |
| work for you can be rather difficult, unless you've | | | | gear. Of the three major advertising types, I tend to |
| personally used them before. This is where | | | | believe in doing my homework and paying flat rates |
| experience and networking with other webmasters | | | | for given periods of time. This seems to work best, |
| comes in very handy. Talk to other webmasters | | | | because it depends more on you to build an intriguing |
| who've advertised with the company, find out what | | | | advertisement, and rewards you for doing so.Buying |
| they were advertising, and ask them how the | | | | ad space on a per click basis can be a better bet if |
| campaign went and if they plan to advertise on that | | | | you're trying to build a brand name, because your ad |
| website again. I don't generally use an advertiser | | | | might get 50,000 impressions before the 1,000 |
| unless I've heard very good things from other | | | | click-through you paid for happen.Conversion rates |
| webmasters or they have a trial ad setup, where | | | | are keyFor most of us on the web though, our main |
| you can commit a small amount of money to testing | | | | goal is to sell the product or service. This is why I |
| out the traffic before you make a real investment | | | | contest doing your research, finding the best |
| and buy several weeks or months of advertising with | | | | websites, and purchasing ad space on a weekly or |
| them.An important consideration when buying ad | | | | monthly basis is the best method of promotion in the |
| space on a specific website is the focus of that | | | | long run. If you're smart, you'll monitor your traffic |
| website. If you're considering advertising on a service | | | | from different sources and determine the cost per |
| oriented website, make sure your product or service | | | | sale to see which sources are providing the best |
| compliments that website's service. For instance, if | | | | conversion rates. In the case of buying click through |
| you sell shoes, advertising on is going to be very | | | | traffic, the monitoring program should give you the |
| inefficient and expensive. You'll be paying to advertise | | | | traffic conversion rate.More targeted traffic |
| to a bunch of people, the mass majority of which | | | | suggestionsAdditional information can be found in the |
| aren't looking to buy shoes. However, if you're selling | | | | subscribers area of specifically information on what to |
| a spyware removal tool, email services could be a | | | | look for when considering traffic trades with other |
| great place to advertise. Most internet users have | | | | websites, where to get started with traffic building, |
| spyware on their computers, and most are aware of | | | | good approaches when requesting a link trade, how |
| and concerned about spyware.Advertising on content | | | | to jump start your traffic building efforts with very |
| based sitesWhen I need to advertise, my favorite | | | | minimal cost, and methods to making your website |
| place to go is still a content oriented site with a close | | | | so attractive webmasters will be knocking down your |
| relationship to my product or service. If I'm selling | | | | door with link trade requests.Copyright 2004 Harley |
| Gregory backpacks, I'll look for advertising | | | | Barnett |
| opportunities on websites related to backpacking and | | | | Some Rights Reserved |
| hiking, such as outdoors guides and wilderness | | | | This article is licensed under the Creative Commons |
| survival websites.Web traffic at some content based | | | | License, which allows for non-commercial use under |
| sites is not particularly targeted, while others have a | | | | conditions of attribution and share-alike. For more |
| specific topic, like a gardening tips website. Finding a | | | | articles like this check out the author's website: |
| website with a very specific interest may or may not | | | | Webmaster Archives. |
| be as important, depending on what product you're | | | | |