There are three corner stones make you rich via Internet marketing. Whether you're an affiliate, selling your own products/services, or a web master who seeks extra income through your web site, these three cornerstones must be obtained. What are they?

good content

targeted traffic

high conversion rate

So getting rich in Internet marketing formula is simple. That is, publish a web site filled with good contents, increase traffic (especially increase targeted traffic) to your site and convert them to buy your products/services or click the affiliate link.

Your ultimate goal is getting high conversion rate, I guess :-) . But you must realize that it is achieved by a good content and succeeding to increase targeted web site traffic. A good content helps to increase targeted traffic and together with targeted traffic the high conversion rate will be guaranteed.

I'll focus on how to increase targeted web site traffic.

The sources of traffic

First, let me point out the difference between traffic and targeted traffic.

Suppose you have a web site about golf tips and one of your keywords is 'golf'. Hopefully many people will come to your site using the search term 'golf'. But some of them will leave your web site forever and never come back because they were looking for information about Volkswagen golf.

I know this is exaggeration, but the point is that the traffic from the search engine is the mixture of targeted traffic and bystanders.

Does that mean you can ignore search engine optimization?

No, not really! It just means that not all of them are your targeted traffic.

Directory listing is similar to this case. Although people drill down and find relevant category, traffic from directory still includes bystanders.

In terms of targeted traffic, what I would like to say is:

Suppose you have 100 hours to invest for increasing targeted web site traffic, spend about 30 hours for search engine optimization and directory listing. The other effort of 70 hours must go to increase targeted traffic.

The more effort should go to:

Getting relevant inbound link, and

Publishing your own free article on the web.

Somebody might be ready to be against me about this. But think about your ultimate goal, high conversion rate! Actually the volume of traffic doesn't matter as long as conversion rate is concerned. What brings you the high conversion rate,thus more sales, is the targeted traffic. And they are coming from external relevant links and your free articles published in other web master's web page.

Certainly, the volume of traffic driven by inbound link and article is less than that driven by search engine or directory. But it is quality traffic (targeted traffic) that is more friendly to be converted. This why it's better to pay more attention to getting inbound link and writing articles.

Why getting inbound link is important to increase targeted traffic?

First, let's withdraw a myth: the more links, the better. Not true! Only relevant to your site theme will work for you.

The importance of getting inbound link is two fold.

The visitors coming from a relevant link are more likely be happy with your site because they're the people you're targeting. When targeted visitors came to your site, it's more likely to accept your product. This is the beauty of targeted traffic.

Getting relevant link helps you to be indexed in search engine and listed in directory. What's more is it really helps you to be ranked or positioned high in search engine result page.

Why writing an article is important to increase targeted traffic?

It's the fact that there are thousands of content starving web masters and e-zine publishers. Once you make your article that is related to your site theme freely available for them, they'll publish your article on their web sites or e-zines.

The tool that brings you the targeted traffic is 'Resource Box'. At the end of your article, provide resource box and promote your web site link. It is convention that your resource box is intact so that the reader will visit your web site. By this, you can make even other site work for you. What's more important is that those visitors are highly targeted traffic.

As a result this strategy becomes a win-win strategy: the web masters who use your article get what they want and you get the targeted traffic.

Writing article should be encouraged, if you want to increase targeted traffic. However, it seems people tend to hold back if they have to write. To publish 400-500 words article isn't difficult if you know how to.

Tips to increase targeted traffic

Getting inbound link is also known as link exchange. The procedure of link exchange is four steps.

First, find relevant web site. Second, you make a link in your web site. Third, send an e-mail to the web master of that web site. And finally wait just wait. You never know he/she will link back.

It's very time consuming job and the result is generally depressing.

Here are two tips......

Try Ken Evoy's free value-exchage program at http://value-exchange.sitesell.com/onlinemaster.html.

He use the word "value", and it actually means "quality and relevance". Once you register, which is free, you'll soon be getting request from other web masters with relevant sites to exchange links with you.

Put your effort publishing free articles. It not only increase guaranteed targeted web site traffic but also gets you lots of external links all coming to your web site.

To sum up, although search engine and directory are major sources of traffic, its status is a mixture of targeted traffic and by standers. Thus, to make conversion rate high, getting inbund links and writing free articles need to get more attention because they are main sources of targeted traffic.

Next Article:
A Successful Link Exchange
The practice of effective link exchanges has nearly been extinguished by the extensive amount of spam email. I plan to help webmasters who are interested in real effective and professional linkexchanges reach there.......