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How to Get Traffic Without Google

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Get Traffic Without Google

If you have ever tried to do any SEO I am sure you will have tried to optimize your site for Google as it is the biggest search engine. But there is a definite problem with this in the sense that you can become too reliant on getting organic traffic and forget about all of the other ways that people can find your site. If you don’t learn to spend the time to develop other sources of traffic then Google can drop your site without warning and then your number of visitors can fall through the floor.

That’s what happened to me after the most recent Google penguin update but luckily I am using several sources to drive traffic. Let me share a few of them with you.

Guest Posting

When you guest post on other blogs you are getting the chance to talk to another blog’s audience who are definitely interested in the same topic that you write about, provided of course that you choose the right blogs to post on.

This is not only a chance to get traffic straight from the link that the guest blog will provide you with, it is also a great way to convince your audience that you know what you’re talking about which can only be a good thing!

Technorati

Technorati, for those of you who don’t know, is a website that lists lots of different blogs on it. It ranks all of the various blogs that have been submitted by authority. To increase your authority you have to do things such as comment on other technorati blogs, build links to your site and keep focused on a very specific topic.

If you work hard and manage to get into the 100 blogs in your particular niche then it can mean large amounts of traffic are coming your way.

Social Networking

There are a few ways to go about getting traffic from social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. You can post a link to your most recent blog post on lots of related pages and this will often create lots of ‘social proof’ to your post in the form of likes and retweets.

From my experience however this just looks good when people visit your blog but doesn’t get you many visitors. The way to get really high value traffic is to simply comment on relevant pages and tweets and allow users to follow you and find your profile. This way people come to the decision on their own and trust you more but it could take a little while for this method to see results.

Stumbleupon

Although stumbleupon has lost a certain amount of popularity over the past couple of years you would still be a fool to ignore it as a traffic source as it gets 1000’s of hits every day. If you are going to target stumbleupon users you are going to have to create something that is very visually appealing because users aren’t likely to stay on your site for very long unless you quickly catch their attention. One way that you might do this is creating an infographic on your topic. People like attractive pictures and interesting facts all blended into one.

Another technique would be to use a video or a controversial title. Either of these should have a good chance of making sure that the reader stays on your page.

If you employ all of these techniques along with high quality content on your site then you will be able to get all the traffic you need from sources other than google and keep your readers coming back.

Keep up with it and your Google rankings should begin to take care of themselves.

Image © iQoncept – Fotolia.com

About

This post was written by John Burnside, an expert in the making money and Internet marketing niche. To read more of his content or find out about ways to Make Money online then please visit his blog.

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{ 26 Responses }

  1. Lisa Angelettie says:
    While I love getting free traffic from the search engines, I have learned the hard way that you absolutely shouldn't rely on it and multiple streams of traffic is the key to long term success. I wrote about a few of my traffic techniques over on @ProBlogger: http://www.problogger.net/archives/2013/01/24/four-simple-traffic-strategies-for-a-post-panda-and-penguin-world/
  2. Bhavesh Sondagar says:
    Hi John Burnside, I am agree with your points. Stumbleupon is the best way to generate traffic without Google, however we can not forget guest posting & social networking in this article. If we are creating blog for readers like mashable, there is no need for search engine because we will always getting direct traffic from our readers. Great post, thanks for sharing!!
  3. Shazida Khatun says:
    Having trouble getting on the first page of Google, any one may want to know how to get traffic without using Google. Search engine optimization is definitely the best way to get a lot of long-term traffic but this post make it very easy to understand.
  4. Ryan says:
    You've forgotten to add building relationship with other bloggers and webmasters. Probably this is one of the fastest ways to build a huge following and network. Then build a brand. It's the only reliable source of traffic today.
  5. Danijela says:
    Twitter and Facebook are my favorite. I also like stumbleupon, but I don't get a lot of traffic from there really.Thanks for the tips, hope this will work.
  6. Dawn Kay says:
    I always try to think of alternative sources of traffic and I think you are right that some are overlooked. I've found I do well from the social networking sites, and also from having guest bloggers on my own site as they bring traffic with them often as they tell their readers about their guest post on my blog. Dawn
  7. mitz says:
    I love guest blogging for a traffic source because it not only gives you referral traffic, it also gets you ranked in the search engines if you get to add links into your article. Guest posting is like killing 4 birds with one stone..
  8. Terry says:
    I think its very It’s important to have a diverse online marketing plan. Blog hopping is another way to promote traffic to your blog. I normally use Facebook and twitter to post my blog updates and they usually drive some traffic to my blog. Your tips are wonderful, thanks for sharing.
  9. Nick Stamoulis says:
    You make a great point that you can't rely only on SEO to drive traffic to your site. It's important to have a diverse online marketing plan. Google is constantly changing their algorithm. If all of your eggs are in one basket you are at a greater risk of losing traffic.
  10. Toshiba Burton says:
    Very informative article I get a lot of traffic from facebook after posting links to my blog into the groups just as you said commenting on others content. Haven't tried Technorati yet but you have just explained all the benefits of it which is a big plus for me:) The best strategy is Guest Posting, you can grow a whole empire with Guest Blogging because it allows you to build relationships & create valuable content that can be advantage to those in your niche. Thanks for sharing this awesome post:)
  11. PrIyAnGsHu says:
    Google is not a reliable source of traffic anymore, we should always keep some alternative traffic sources ready. Well, frankly speaking - Google is no longer my primary source of traffic, Twitter & Facebook is right now working great for me.
  12. Anil Agarwal says:
    Apart from this, we can use Yahoo Answers type of question answer websites, Youtube video's, blog commenting, Wikipedia, discussion forums and article marketing to drive additional traffic to our business website.
  13. Nishadha says:
    I think it is always a good idea to diversify your traffic sources instead of relying on one source. I use most of the traffic sources mentioned here but Technorati was kind of new to me. I have heard about it but never considered using it as a traffic source, will definitely explore it
  14. Joe Boyle says:
    I'm actually really glad there's a shift from "Let's obsess over Google" to "Let's do things without Google". If Google Penguin wasn't proof enough that your entire business can be torn in half overnight, you really need to open your eyes. Google is a great source of traffic, but it just won't cut it in the near future - people are becoming more and more dependent on ignorance, and Google is cracking down on any little infraction you bring to your website - even if it was good.
  15. Arielle S. says:
    Hi John. This is a very informative article. You're absolutely right about not completely relying on Google for traffic generation. Having traffic that comes from a mix of sources directed to your site is very appealing to Google, and in the end that site gets high relevance points. :) StumbleUpon is one of the methods I use to draw in traffic, Digg is another one. I never tried guest posting. I've heard of the many benefits that came with it especially traffic-wise.I should really give it a try. Thanks for the share~
  16. Michael Stetina says:
    Hi John - This is a good variety of traffic sources. I would question Technorati. Although it is a good source of backlinks, the time to get a site indexed in their system is pushing 3 months - totally unacceptable.
  17. Mariella Lombardi says:
    Hi John, Those are pretty good ways of doing SEO and getting some traffic. It is a good point that we shouldn't rely only on Google, but I don't think Google can really just drop you unless you have done something that wasn't allowed.
  18. Greg says:
    As a new blogger, coming up with content for our site seems to be the easy part. Generating traffic is another story. Thank you for the tips, both in the article and the comments. We will certainly be using some of these in the future!
  19. Trung Nguyen says:
    I'm sure 4 ways above aren't awesome ways to get traffic but also are great way to do SEO for any blog, and finally it helps our blog get traffic from search engines :)
  20. Dewane Mutunga says:
    John, You have some solid ideas here. Personally, I think an email list is the most reliable and responsive traffic source there is. Email is a tried and true asset that won't ever go anywhere.
  21. Lee says:
    Nowadays, social media seems to be driving more relevant traffic to blogs and websites, I used to use Facebook and twitter to post my blog updates and they usually drive some traffic to my blog. The one that I think has the most impact will be guest posting, it's the best way to drive traffic and building a brand, besides it gets you one way backlinks as well. Anyway, search engine traffic from Google is still important for certain micro niche blog. Nice tips John!
  22. Jakes says:
    One should not solely rely on Google and similar search engines for getting site traffic. If so, I would say that would be a foolish thing to do. You have an awesome list there. But you missed out some tools like comment Luv and some blogging networks like blogengage, MLM and all. But you kept it short and I like it :-)
  23. Terry Conti says:
    Hi John, I'd like to add, blog hopping is another way to promote traffic to your blog. Not only do you get some backlinks and traffic back to your blog by reading the posts and commenting, its also a great learning experience. Many posts I've read are enlightening. You also get to build relationships and get to meet a whole bunch of like minded people. Terry Conti
  24. Ryan Biddulph says:
    Hi John, Mix up your traffic sources to immunize yourself from Google's changes. Solid advice. Remember, people digest your content through multiple channels. Readers have different preferences. As for social media the formula is simple: give away what you want. Want traffic? Help friends receive traffic. Promote people aggressively. Some return the favor, helping you reach new audiences, expand your presence and generate increasing amounts of traffic in the long run. Create value. Make connections by personalizing interactions. Aggressively promote other people. A proven system to create massive success on social media sites like Twitter and Facebook. Thanks John! Ryan
  25. Dean Saliba says:
    I used to regularly use Stumble, Digg and Technorati when I first started blogging, I don't know why I stopped and since Google has decimated my traffic from their search engine I might have to considered going back to them again.
  26. Amrik says:
    Guest posting is effective because you get a link back to your site in the content of the post, and this is what matters the most.A link in the sidebar does not carry that much weight anymore. People who are just starting out with guest posting face one problem, where to get the post published? You should really focus on getting your post published on a blog with at least PR4 that already gets a lot of traffic.This way you will get a powerful link and more readers to your own blog.You will get even more readers if you come back and reply to comments. The best way (in my opinion) is to work your way up and get a guest posting gig on a few smaller blogs first before pitching bigger sites.This way you have writing samples to show and have a much better change of getting your post published.