Here’s a situation you might recognise (or might face very soon)… You have an idea for an online business. You’ve found a hot niche. You’ve put up your website.

Okay, so now it’s sitting there, ready to go.

But what next?

How can you get your first 10… 100… 1,000 visitors to see your products or sign up for your email newsletter?

Today I want to share with you 17 proven traffic methods that don’t require any SEO tactics.

These are actions you can take now, whatever stage your business is at:

1. Post an update at least twice a week

This one is obvious if you’ve been following these emails for any length of time, but it bears repeating.

A static website that rarely changes will never attract traffic.

To get noticed by Google, picked up on social media, and get visitors to keep coming back, you need to blog.

Make it short, snappy, topical, useful and interesting.

2. Add a ‘share this blog post’ option to all your website pages and posts

Ideally, Retweet buttons, Facebook ‘like’ buttons and options for all the other platforms, like Pinterest, LinkedIn etc.

This means more people can quickly and easily share your updates, driving more traffic to your site.

3. Create a report and give it away for FREE

Take some valuable information (tips, recipes, reviews, resources lists) and put them in simple report for people to download for free and share for free.

Make sure it’s filled with links to your website.

Also make sure the download page also has links to posts, email newsletters sign up options, product adverts or other content to keep them hanging around.

With any luck your “no strings attached” free eBook will go viral.

The more people who share it, the more advertising you get.

4. Publish a book on Kindle

Take some valuable information and turn it into a short eBook.

Make it low priced, perhaps 99p-£1.99 depending on the length.

Make it useful, specific to the subject matter of, and packed with information.

It only needs to be around 10,000 words long.

Make sure the introduction, ‘about the author’ and afterword contain strong plugs for your website and a link.

When it’s published, email it to as many influential bloggers and reviewers for free.

5. Run a competition

Offer a prize, possibly a free product, subscription, membership or download.

People have to check back to see if they’ve won, plus it makes great shareable content to announce on social networks.

6. Make a funny promotional video

Make a quirky, good humoured video to brand your business and get someone on www.fiverr.com to make it for you for $5.

Put it on YouTube with a link back to your website.

7. Create a video post

Speak directly to the camera, or use a programme like Camtesia to record your screen (it could be you carrying out tasks on the computer or a powerpoint presentation).

Post it on YouTube, then embed the video on your website.

This will draw in lots of new traffic.

Do this regularly and build up your own series on YouTube.

8. Start a campaign

Come up with a popular idea that will get your prospective customers behind you.

Perhaps challenge a misconception, rally behind a cause, create an event, issue a challenge, fight a common enemy or try and get a goal achieved by a certain date.

Urge people to retweet it, share it, and get their friends behind it. Insist they give you their email address to keep on top of latest developments.

Now offer regular blog updates on the campaign.

9. Host a guest post on your website

Ask someone with a lot of influence, expertise or social media followers if they’d like to contribute a guest post on your website in return for a link back to their site.

When it’s posted they will also share it with their followers, driving a load of new qualified traffic to your website.

10. Contribute guest posts

Write to interesting, influential blogs related to your business’s subject matter and offer a free guest post.

Make sure your post begins and ends with a link to your website, and also a short biography of who you are.

This way you can get traffic directly from another site.

11. Comment on posts

Go and find all the blogs that are discussing topics related to your business.

Make helpful, constructive comments.

This puts you in touch with potential prospects and encourages them to click onto your website.

12. Review a product

Find a book, service or any product that’s been released by influential businesses or individuals in your field of interest.

Ideally pick something that’s not being reviewed widely in the mainstream.

It could be an eBook by a self-published author or a series of craft products by someone on Etsy.

Give it a great review – then tell them about it – and watch as the business or person reviewed trumpets your post to all their customers and followers.

13. Start a discussion group on LinkedIn or Facebook

Find a topic or theme.

Now set up a group inviting people to post comments and updates.

This will become a forum that people can join and invite others to join.

A great chance to drive highly engaged, qualified followers back to your website every day.

14. Make a list

People love lists, as they’re quick to read, easy to share and generate a buzz.

Come up with a list of, say 20 tips, ideas, products or resources and then encourage people to share it and comment on it.

15. Ask for feedback

As often as possible, ask for comments, suggests, ideas and feedback.

You can do this by phoning emailing or writing to customers.

Make sure you send them to your website to get information and leave comments beneath posts.

When people comment they will come back to see what other people say.

What’s more, they are more likely to share that post.

16. Ask for help

Ask readers to send in their insights, advice, tips, recipes and ideas.

Ideally do this along a specific theme and do it over a series of posts.

For instance, “send in your best gluten free cake recipes”.

When published they are likely to share the post around, and more likely to keep checking back for what other people have added.

17. Recommend other bloggers and websites

In one of your updates, give a shout out to other similar businesses, or influential bloggers in your field of interest.

If you’re on Twitter, Facebook and your other social media platforms, be bold and recommend a bunch of the top influencers you admire.

Remember, these people will likely click on your biog and go to your website.

A few of them will recommend you back, creating a powerful word-of-mouth advertising.

There are a lot more where these came from.

Particularly if you can get on social media, where you can use a growing follower list to create a continual flow of website visitors even if you’re not recognised yet on Google.

I’ll come back with some more of these soon.

But in the meantime, what about you?

Have you tried a free traffic method that works for you?

If so, let me know and I’ll add it to a Digital Upstart swipe file.