Website Design, Templates, and Blogging Information

In 2003, a man by the name of Tim O’Reilly coined a phrase that we all hear about nowadays: “Web 2.0”. Web 2.0 is merely a term to describe the current state of our internet, it doesn’t mean the internet is totally different, it merely demonstrates that our websites, internet experience, and online communities are evolving, and will continue to do so.

What he heck does that mean? Well, Web 2.0 basically means this: the internet is now user based. It’s more user-friendly, user-focused, customized for the reader, and all about the visitor. Web 2.0 is based more on sharing than it is on informing. Sure, you want to inform, but you will do so in a “sharing” form, using more viral tactics, and giving away things rather than selling them. Web 2.0 makes the internet a community. It’s no longer the “Internet” it’s filled with more community focused sites: forums, social book marking, personal blogs, digg.com, and all other manner of places that you can share information with other people.

So you might be asking: well, how does that change the way *I* use the internet? For those of you beginning in internet marketing, blogging for income, or just wanting to build a site, this means a great deal. It offers you more options to market, or become involved with other REAL people doing the same thing. It also gives you the great chance to market in a more casual manner as a regular person sharing valuable information. And often, a person who does this right, scores big - and people are scoring big.

The good part about Web 2.0 is the quick ability to get your website recognized by many other people. In the past, it could take weeks to get in the search engines, then even longer to achieve any form of traffic, and to market your information to the masses. Now, it’s not surprising to make it to the search engine results in a matter of days, or even hours.

A bad part about Web 2.0 is the supposed “work” you have to put into it. Constantly uploading, blogging, bookmarking, and commenting seems to be a hassle. Don’t get discouraged. This is an initial effort that will pay off in the end. The thing about Web 2.0 is that if someone likes your site, they have the tendency to tell other online communities, such as Digg, which sends you even more traffic, leading to the viral effect which is part of what “Web 2.0″ is about.

Technorati Tags: Web 2.0, Social Bookmarking, Blogging, Digg, Viral Tactics

Here are 10 easy ways to get traffic to your blog or website:

1. Write and submit articles to the article directories.

This is an old, and time tested technique that works almost instantly. If you’re not writing articles, you’re not getting traffic.

2. Leave comments on other people’s blogs with a backlink to your site.

Make sure that you’re not spamming, though. This can come across very spam-like. Tip: add to the person’s post, giving good information, don’t just post your link.

3. Answer questions on Yahoo! Answers.

Not only does this help you learn about your market, it also mau help you attain a “guru” status.

4. Network with other people who share your interest.

It’s as easy as making friends.

5. Use Pay Per Click search engine advertising.

This can get pricey, so make sure you start slow, then work your way up.

6. Submit a viral, funny, extreme, or cute video to YouTube.com, Google Videos, or Meta Café.

Videos are a great way to get repeating traffic; especially if the video is funny enough to repost.

7. Conduct and publish surveys to your website.

This is also a great way to build a list (repeating customers). This is something I should probably be doing.

8. Post free classified ads on any of the sites that allow them with a link to your site.

Be careful with this one though, as it can also become very spam-like.

9. Exchange reciprocal links with other related websites.

A great way to build click-through traffic, as well as inbound links with relevant anchor text.

10. Write something controversial.

This is great for social book-marking sites such as digg.com and PlugIM, to name two. This can also create a buzz in your market centered around you. You should make sure you don’t cross the “line”. If you plan to write negative things about a person, company, or website, you need to make sure they are true and you should never resort to name-calling just to attract visitors…it just makes you look bad.

Building a steady stream of traffic can be a hassle, but these 10 tips can really work.

Technorati Tags: build traffic, backlinks, blog traffic, PPC, Submit Articles