Most people realize that having a business website is virtually a requirement in maintaining a competitive edge in today's market. With an Internet presence your business will build more credibility with your customers, make your products and services available 24/7, provide your customers with convenience, value and satisfaction and is a perfect venue for market research and expansion.

Many of my new clients however, come to me with the mistaken belief in the old adage; “If you build it, they will come.” When you consider that the number of Public Web Pages with unique URL's on the World Wide Web in 2008 was already greater than 1 trillion* (that's 1,000,000,000,000), nothing could be further from the truth. Driving traffic to your website is necessary for your website's success and should be an integral part of your website planning. So what is the best way to go about doing that?

With my clients I always discuss these Top 3 Ways to drive traffic to their website. They are the easiest, most effective and affordable ways to drive traffic to your website, but often the most overlooked.

1. Add content. On the World Wide Web, content is king. You can write your own articles, or utilize the many resources available and reprint articles on your website that are written by others. If you are considering hiring a writer, remember there is a difference between copywriters and SEO writers. For the best results in driving traffic to your website, I recommend focusing on SEO (Search Engine Optimized) content.

2. Publish an E-zine or Newsletter. Ask any internet marketer and they will tell you that your list is gold. Any time you have a visitor sign up for your e-zine or newsletter, you have collected a live lead. These are individuals who have specifically expressed an interest in you, your products and/or services. Keep their interest alive by staying in touch and providing them with ongoing information about you, your company, sales or events.

3. Publish a blog on your website. Yes, I know, back to the writing again, but a blog is one of the most effective ways to create continuous and fresh content for your website. If you allow comments on your blog, you'll be able to research your market based on comments and feedback, which can help you plan for expansions in your business. Additionally, search engines love blogs because, simply put, user searches are based on words. You'll discover that a continuous flow of fresh content on your blog will improve your search engine rankings. Having a website is one of the most cost effective ways to market your business. Try implementing these three top ways to drive traffic to your website.

* Googleblog