Marc’s Blog

If you’re not getting traffic to your site, then you’re not going to make money online. The internet is about traffic, so getting traffic should be high on your list of priorities. There are many ways to get traffic. One of the fastest ways to drive traffic to a site is pay per click advertising like Overture. Using pay per clicks however costs some amount of money. Today I want to share with you 5 free and easy ways to generate immediate traffic to your web site.

1 - Write and submit articles

One of the most effective ways to get traffic is to write articles and post them in as many article submission sites as possible. You could write a simple 500 word “How To” article with detailed step by step instructions, and links to useful resources. Include a resource box with your links. A well written article on a popular topic can easily get hundreds of links back to your site in a short period of time.

Here’s some popular article submission sites:

• http://www.ezinearticles.com
• http://www.goarticles.com
• http://www.articlecity.com

Also, you could compile a list of ezine publishers that accept articles and send them your new articles.

2 - Blogging

Blogging is yet another easy way to get traffic. A blog is simply an on-line diary or weblog. Since blogs are usually updated frequently, the search engines love them and visit them often. For every post, include a link to a site or webpage that you want spidered by the search engines. Each time the seach engines visit they will follow the links. One of the easiest ways to start blogging is at http://www.blogger.com.

Here’s a few ideas for writing blogs:

• Tips related to your product or topic
• A short “How -To” explaining the use of a product or service
• Product reviews
• News excerpts
• Opinions on news

3 - Write an ebook and give it away

A great way to get free traffic is to put together an ebook report on a popular topic and distribute it freely. Allow other people to give away the e-book to increase exposure to your web site. Put your links on the title page or on the table of contents and in the resources section.This will give the most exposure for your web site. You could submit your free ebook to ebook directories.

4 - Exchange links

Trade links with other web sites. They should be related to the subject of your web site. Having relevent keyword links to your site will increase your site ranking. Linking is an important strategy for search engine optimization. A useful software that can help with your linking strategy is at http://linkmachine.net

5 - Online forums

Participate on online forums. Post answers to other people’s questions, ask questions and post appropriate information. Include your signature file at the end of all your postings. Forums are also a great way to network and create business alliances. Get yourself a copy of the top 93 Marketing Forums List available for FREE download here at http://www.homebusinessedge.com/products/forums.exe.

All the best,

Ahmad Supaat
http://www.homebusinessedge.com

There are many mortgage lead companies out there to choose from. Each with their own individual way of obtaining leads to sell to loan officers. But remember, you get what you pay for.

Lead companies sell their leads in a variety of ways. Some allow you to cherry pick, some allow you to set up a filter, and some only sell in bulk.

The pricing on leads from company to company varies also, as you ll see, it depends on what you are buying.

Some lead companies buy their leads from other companies and sell them in bulk, or recycle them at a profit.

Some lead companies sell their leads fresh or real time, meaning the lead is brand new. Approximately ten minutes old by the time it reaches you.

When you are buying leads that have been recycled, you will most likely get a lot of them. Lets suppose you have one hundred dollars to spend on recycled leads. This will get you about fifty leads at two dollars a piece. This is a lot of leads to work with. However, the quality of the leads will leave a lot to be desired. You will also find that you wasted not only your money but your time as well. Calling fifty people takes a while.

Now, if you decide to buy real time leads, that same one hundred dollars will get you any where from five to eight leads, but remember, these leads are fresh, they are hot off the press, so your chances of closing a few loans are much better than if you bought recycled leads.

Remember. You get what you pay for.

Also, when you are buying leads, it is important for you to know where the leads are coming from.

Have you ever had the painful experience of calling someone, and having them say to you; You are the twentieth person to call me this week. Or, I applied for that months ago, I closed the loan last week.

I was a loan officer for a number of years and I know the feeling.

When you hear responses like the ones you heard in the above paragraph, it should be an indication to you that the leads you bought have been recycled.

Most likely they have been passed around from lead company to lead company.

When you are doing your research for a good lead company, make sure you talk to a representative from that company, and find out where the leads are coming from. If the representative can t give you a clear answer than move on.

The best lead companies to deal with are the ones that own and operate their own sites where prospects can come on and fill out on-line applications. This way you know exactly where the lead is coming from, and you don t have to worry about being the tenth person to buy the same lead.

If you decide to buy leads from a lead company, make sure you do your research. Research is the key. You have worked hard for your money, so make sure the leads you buy give you a good return on your investment.

This article may be reproduced by anyone at any time, as long as the authors name and reference links are kept in tact and active.

About the Author: Jay Conners has more than fifteen years of experience in the banking and Mortgage Industry, He is the owner of http://www.jconners.com, a mortgage resource site, he is also the owner of http://www.callprospect.com, a mortgage lead company.