Thread: How do I attract people to my website?

I just started my new website(http://www.shaise.com) and just wondering how I can increase the people's active traffic and respectively the sign ups(besides paying for it).
I'm looking not for blogging, SE submissions and all the regular common sense answers, but your personal web experience and your very-beginning-hard times moments to share and learn from them.
What you have done to have your nowadays success. All type of communications available, incl. IM.
Thank you so much!

Firstly, NEVER pay for traffic.

I would recommend to focus on SEO (by building backlinks) and write a few articles so you can target some keywords for your site.

Don't hide the forums to guests. Not only does it make people just click off straight away, it also means people can't link to your content which could give you traffic.

I already did this error...
I paid for traffic few weeks ago to a moron from Asia..but honestly nothing happen, so I don't sorry for my mistake.
But, anyway...I really appreciate your reply.

shaise added 3 Minutes and 33 Seconds later...

Hello benjaminp,

I'm trying to solve this extremely big for me problem a second day
I even posted in phpbb support forum a question but since they a huge troll I still have this problem.
If somebody help me I will really appreciate!

what problem are you talking about? We cant help you if we dont know what your talking about.

if its about making forums unhidden, thats done through the permissions

Originally Posted by EmmaB

what problem are you talking about? We cant help you if we dont know what your talking about.

if its about making forums unhidden, thats done through the permissions

It is detailed in the link he provided

phpBB • View topic - Group permission problem

Hello dear EmmaB,

I think is more than clear what is the problem and I really don't need my forum to be hidden as I explained in my phpbb post. Please, kindly review that post. I don't wanna transform the current one to "Post Moved" and get WTF infraction.
Thank you for your patience!

Originally Posted by shaise

I don't wanna transform the current one to "Post Moved" and get WTF infraction.

You must be a member of dp? surely?

** sorry for going off topic a little but just letting you know the staff are not as clinical here.

yes, i am. thanx for the note benjaminp

Oh, I thought it was just a link to phpbb. lol my bad

Make it so guests can see forums

Apart from the same old SEO blah blah.

Give the site visitors a REASON to sign up.

I signed up here because there are a boat load of sexy women. Good incentive.

People will not join a forum, any forum for that matter if it has crap content or no reason to join.

Do some more research into your target market.

I kindly ask the WTF Mod's to move my post so I can get more help about my Guest Permission issue. You may change the title as well to "How do I change my website appearance?"
Thank you!

More valuable help?

Sorry but that sounds like a kick in the teeth to all the members that posted in this thread trying to help you.

Fucked if I'm going to waste my time now.

KingPin, I'm sorry. My bad. It was long and very exhausted night...

Originally Posted by shaise

I kindly ask the WTF Mod's to move my post so I can get more help about my Guest Permission issue. You may change the title as well to "How do I change my website appearance?"
Thank you!

Appearance? Different Skin?

Originally Posted by shaise

I kindly ask the WTF Mod's to move my post so I can get more help about my Guest Permission issue. You may change the title as well to "How do I change my website appearance?"
Thank you!

You know, all you have to do is report your own thread and leave us a note, or else it's a waiting period for a mod to actually read and see your posts as we have many threads we go through plus our regular jobs.

That being said, I also do not know WHERE you want this moved, please be clear.

Kalina, I really don't mind the present thread location but as far as I know it's not anymore related to this forum category. I feel comfortable anywhere you place it, so it really doesn't matter. You may keep it here if doesn't bother the Forum thematic.
Thank you.

I have a site that started with nothing, I found that with doing lots of reaserch about the specific site i was running helped out, Get it in the major search engines ASAP, look for fourms on the net that relate to your site and join them, the more you naturaly promote the more success you will have.

All the best

Talk about forums in social websites, in other forums, blogs. Make some contest, prizes, gifts, links to good resources etc.for visitors...
Once they link what they see.. it will start

Good luck

The problem most people suffer even here or other boards, I have seen that most of us all don't understand what the true standards of marketing rules are. In the terms of work done over the internet rules don't change.

You have new site probably a new niche based (perhaps maybe not), you should focus the targeted age and character profile types.

So you have to ask yourself what type of people would be interested about my site. There are some factors to this question.

-Age
-Sex
-Language
-Interest

You could personalize the question more deeper.

The gold question of marketing is asking the questions for every bit of movement.

Traffic Buying ? NO
Link Buying ? NO

Its totally based up to you ask the correct questions do some promotions (Targeted to your website). Like if your website is targeted to U.S resident Teenagers then give a gift according to them.

Originally Posted by hlln

The problem most people suffer even here or other boards, I have seen that most of us all don't understand what the true standards of marketing rules are.

That is because 99% of them have really crap websites that do not provide any uses to people.

They should first make a site worth visiting and worry about marketing later.

I would Highly recommend an SEO mod. All your titles are the same and you're using dynamic URLs. PHPBB is also very bad about duplicate content. The premod at phpbb-seo.com takes care of everything and it's easy to install. It even makes titles unique on pagination pages.

seome, i've noticed that the phpbb seo mod cause some sql/php problems thats why i try not to use it. otherwise i won't mind...

Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but I use it on three forums without any problems.

For location specific traffic generation - geo-targeted PPC woould work best. Now for age specific targets, I would suggest opting to build or buy links on forums, blogs, and other venues where your target audience most likely visits.

Originally Posted by GameOver

Firstly, NEVER pay for traffic.

I would recommend to focus on SEO (by building backlinks) and write a few articles so you can target some keywords for your site.

I agree..I'd recommend the same thing.....work hard on SEO....

I really appreciate to all and I will be glad if I have to keep learn more from you guys..

I also wouldn't reccomend paying for traffic. I notice that you have Adsense on your page. I've known many webmasters to get banned from the program, because they did pay for their hits. Be careful.

Looks like you are well on your way - for me, press releases were key. I used to run a website that featured different products. I would always write a press release for each and use some marketing spin to attract visitors.

Good luck!

thanx musicsmysoul, i'll appreciate if we can communicate more often about it...

Originally Posted by GameOver

first make a site worth visiting and worry about marketing later.

This is the essence. There isn't a single marketing guru that can make you're site popular unless it is worth visiting.

Rule #1: Content is the King.

Then you can focus on both paid and free advertising models. Start spreading a word of mouth on forums, blogs, social networks (guerrilla marketing), or pay someone for decent viral marketing campaign.

You can pay for PPC campaigns and/or do a decent SEO for good placements in organic results.

You can motivate your current community to spread the word around and fetch new members. Offer reputation, value-added services or something else of importance to them.

But most importantly, think of a reason why would you register on such a website. Any particular reason? That is also what everyone else thinks - if you answer that question, you did 80% of the job.

Originally Posted by GameOver

Firstly, NEVER pay for traffic.

I would recommend to focus on SEO (by building backlinks) and write a few articles so you can target some keywords for your site.

yes, NEVER pay for traffic,
and try to submit your site to social networks,
some quality paid and free directories, and so on,
maybe buy some signatures...

if you wanted your site to be notice I suggest to focus on link building and site promotion or you can do a blog to promote your site.

Originally Posted by boccio

This is the essence. There isn't a single marketing guru that can make you're site popular unless it is worth visiting.

Rule #1: Content is the King.

Then you can focus on both paid and free advertising models. Start spreading a word of mouth on forums, blogs, social networks (guerrilla marketing), or pay someone for decent viral marketing campaign.

You can pay for PPC campaigns and/or do a decent SEO for good placements in organic results.

You can motivate your current community to spread the word around and fetch new members. Offer reputation, value-added services or something else of importance to them.

But most importantly, think of a reason why would you register on such a website. Any particular reason? That is also what everyone else thinks - if you answer that question, you did 80% of the job.

Thanks, that is a good expansion of my post

I also like guerrilla marketing, especially from posting in related forums (but not just posting, making a good contribution and becoming a member that people trust, with anything you do, think quality over quantity).

you really wanted to get more traffic then focus more on link building,social bookmarkings,blog comments, article submission and link baiting,or you can update your contents and make it more interesting and unique.

Good content can attract visitors, update your blog ones a week, make your content unique..

You can attract people by providing attractive content .

Build backlinks, submit your site to major directories and social networking sites like reditt, facebook, twitter, stumbleupon etc

Study the niche you are in and see if there are any gaps in it that you could fill. If not just find something that someone else is doing that you believe you can do better.

If you want to get traffic that will stand a test of time, you have to concentrate in optimizing your site by building backlinks on keywords that are of high demand and quite low competition. This will help you rank high in search engines.