The question how to get traffic has some standard answers like: link building, targeting relevant keywords, being active in forums and so on. These answers are standard because they work! I respect them and recommend these methods.

What I want to discuss here is the extra mile. Things we know we should do, but don't actually do, things that carry more work and you can't always measure the results.

How to get traffic #1 - With images
One of the most common methods of SEO is adding a picture to almost every content page. Adding a picture attracts the eye, it breaks the text, it's interesting and a smart choice of a picture also captures the essence of the text. But there are other reasons to use images and pictures in our content.

Search engines are one of the most popular sources of traffic. What some webmasters forget is that search engines are so smart now days that they read and understand pictures as well and (if we do our job right) this is something we can definitely use to get traffic.

How to get traffic from images?
Image search – The big search engines have an addition of image search which enables its users to search for images and pictures. In some cases that is extremely popular. There are certain things that we prefer to look at not read about. A good example for this is furniture, electrical appliance, hotel rooms and so on. If you deal with one of these categories you would want to properly tag your images and try to rank high and be as relevant as possible to get traffic from the image search. Clicking the image will direct visitors to your website. That is one of the reasons it is so important to use the alt and title Meta tags for images.

Viral images – if you have a funny picture that involves your product, share it on social media networks. This might interest people to visit your page on Facebook/LinkedIn/Pinterest etc. You can also add your URL to the image, that will give your URL exposure and you might get some traffic from these sources.

How to get traffic #2 - With Videos
YouTube is the second most popular search engine in the world. It once used to be a big project to make a short movie, and now anyone with a computer can do it. YouTube has basic online video editing software so you don’t even need one. In addition it has Meta tags and Google loves YouTube videos which means that with correct SEO videos can rank higher then text searches and reach the first SERP faster, furthermore there’s a lot of traffic you can get directly from Youtube itself.

What kind of videos will help with the effort of getting traffic to our website?
Customer Testimonial video – this is something you can do yourself before the customer leaves your store, or the customer can do it alone as part of a competition/lottery etc. The customers can upload the videos to YouTube themselves or send it to you and you will upload them. Either way this is a way to get your name out there. Videos such as this give the sense of a personal touch and closeness. Hearing and seeing a satisfied customer, has much more influence than reading a thank you letter.

Professional videos - a lot of what people are looking for today is information. A professional video about a specific issue in your niche can do wonders. If you add a link to your website in the description and add the URL to the video etc, viewers will know that you are the expert to talk to. You can always mention that you expend on the subject on your website and invite viewers to learn more.

Interactive videos – once you have some followers it can be nice to do something to break the ice. Answering questions from the comments will be professional and add a personal touch.

Viral videos – just search google for “Backgammon Farting Trick” and you will know what I mean.

These are just examples. Be creative, understand your audience, and let them tell you (according to their reaction) what they want to see. Don't forget to use all the tools YouTube gives you, to optimize your video. Write a description, add links, and use keywords in the title and so on.

YouTube is a community, if you treat it nicely, with respect and be interactive, your videos will be shared and you will get results.

This is a process that takes time. Don't expect millions of views, don't expect thousands of views. Just try to give an important and unique service to your targeted audience.

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