Marketing is a dirty word. At least, it is for many newcomers to the business world. Marketing can be expensive. Worse yet, you may pay for marketing and find that it didn’t convert into a sale. It is a lot like gambling, and that can be scary for those just starting out.

Unfortunately… I have good news. There are some free online marketing methods you can use right now that will bring you immediate traffic. How immediate, you ask? I implemented some of these methods when I started blogging daily and saw traffic within five minutes of blogging. The real question should be, are you ready to convert that traffic? However, it is better to leave that topic for another article.

Let’s take a look at the 5 instant traffic methods for beginners:

#1) Blogging Jump

The term blog hopping means locating and commenting on various related blog articles. You can locate blogs related to what you’re marketing with a few simple Google searches. However, you don’t want to waste your time. The only way this method generates traffic is if the people who read it and its owners can find it. That’s why you’ll want to stick to blogs that have the option to leave your URL in a field below your comment.

You can do the following Google search to find such blogs:

“your keywords” + “leave a comment”

Change “your keywords” to your desired keywords or keyword phrases, and be sure to include the plus sign and the following phrase exactly as it is. Make sure there is no space between the plus sign and the quotes so that Google knows that it is trying to match the keywords that follow.

This search will return comments, many of which use WordPress as their blogging platform. When you find a suitable article to comment on, you’ll want to make sure you don’t show it as spam. Your comment should be well thought out and contribute to the discussion in some way. It is always best to read the article you are commenting on first. This way you will know what to say and the blog owner will know right away that you are not a spam bot.

Also, it is important to note that you should not advertise in your comment. Let the URL field do what it does best. That is the only place for your link. Placing your link inside your comment seems selfish and you may end up getting downvoted and possibly blocked from future comments.

The blog hopping method is one that can really drive traffic. This day. If you find that the blog article was recently written and has already received other comments, you can be sure that there is active traffic on the page. If your comment was well thought out, readers are more likely to follow your link in the URL field and find out more about you.

#2) Guest blogs

The thing about guest blogging is that it can take time to post once your article is accepted. This term depends on many factors, such as:

• How many items are scheduled before yours?
• Frequency of publication of the blog/website.
• Popularity of the blog/website.

… and others.

However, it is worth guest posting on other blogs or websites. A few years ago, I published several guest articles on ProBlogger, as well as a list of other established blogs. ProBlogger would accept my long articles, but sometimes it would take a month before I saw them published.

When guest blogging is a traffic method, it’s wise to diversify your portfolio like an investor would. You’ll certainly want to take advantage of popular blogs like ProBlogger, but you should also look for other blogs that are easier to access.

The criteria you are looking for is:

• Relevance to your niche.
• Do you periodically publish new content?
• Do you have active commenters?
• Do you have a clear guest article submission policy?

You want traffic, so you’ll need to make sure there are people actively commenting on articles. You’ll also want to make sure the site is up to date. If it is currently from 2016 and the most recent article is dated 2013, then it is not an active blog. Some blogs leave comments open, so there may be new comments. However, it doesn’t look good for your chances of being published as a guest author.

Many blogs that accept guest articles will have a page dedicated to listing their guest author requirements. They are usually a description of what types of articles they accept, as well as what format is required to publish on the website. For example, some blogs may require you to omit HTML, while others allow basic HTML formatting.

As mentioned above, here’s a way to locate guest-friendly blogs by doing a simple Google search:

“your keywords” + “become a guest author”

#3) Press Release Distribution

Press releases are often associated with big companies and big announcements. An example of a major press release would be an announcement of an E3 event for gamers by Microsoft or Sony. The good news is that you don’t have to be the CEO of a Fortune 500 company to use press release distribution to reap its traffic benefits.

There are several online press release websites, which can be found by googling “free press release.” These websites get a lot of traffic and are used by news networks for syndication. When used correctly, your PR can be picked up by a major publication.

You can target specific categories and subcategories on these distribution websites. Unlike article marketing, a press release website is all about self-promotion. However, they do have specific requirements, and not just any “fluff” will make it through the approvals department.

In addition to the free options, there are many paid distribution services available. Also, on free sites, there are often paid upgrade options that allow your content to have a broader reach than the free options.

To use such services, you’ll want to make any notable news a priority for a press release. Is there a public event coming up? Schedule a press release in advance. Are important changes coming in the company? Advertise it!

#4) Article merchandising

Getting your brand out there requires a lot of legwork. Sometimes this means that a lot of time has to be spent creating quality text content that can be published on major websites. However, this is different from guest blogging. EzineArticles is an example of an article publishing website, specifically designed to publish quality text content.

There are many article websites on the internet, but you want to find the ones that rank high on Google and other search engines. You also want to locate sites that have an established reputation with other article marketers.

A good article should be written in a way that keeps the reader interested. An example of this is splitting a topic into a list. You will often come across articles that share a common title format. An example would be this article titled “5 Methods of Immediate Website Traffic for Beginners”. You can do the same with your article no matter what the niche is.

To keep the flow of reading interesting, use numbered or bulleted lists. You can also include a relevant wrapped image if the website allows it. Various visual elements like images, bold text, italic text, underlined text, and headings can help your article flow.

There are many writers who publish smaller articles that are in the 500 word range. However, I prefer to write articles of 1000 words minimum. Such articles not only cover a topic in depth, but are also a genuine method of building link bait. This means that there are more opportunities for syndication, which leads to additional traffic.

When writing articles for specialized article marketing websites, make sure you read and understand their guidelines before writing a single word. Self-promotion in an article may be frowned upon, and the site may have an author box or other way to allow you to promote yourself.

#5) Participation in the forum

Forums are pretty old school. These are websites that allow you to sign up and chat in “threads.” You can create and reply to topics, and get notified when others post. There are forums for just about anything.

To find forums in your niche, simply search for your keyword phrase followed by the word “forum” on Google. Often times, the forums with the most traffic will end up at the top of the search results. The forum will show the date and time of the last comment, so you can see how active it is.

The trick with forums is to use the member profile section and the signature section for your promotion. You’ll certainly want to avoid self-promotion in the body of your post when it comes to forums.

As with blog hopping, you should avoid appearing spammy. If you are commenting, make sure you are thoughtful and contribute to the discussion. If you are posting a new thread, you must ensure that you follow the forum guidelines to the letter.

You can usually post a signature to your profile that appears every time you post something on the forum. Sometimes this signature will appear once for your first post in that thread, while many others will show the signature for each comment you make. Either way, it translates into traffic.

conclusion

By using these 5 methods of immediate website traffic, you will quickly establish a regular number of visits to your website. The next item on your to-do list is to make sure you have your website set up for proper conversion. Hopefully, you already have, because these traffic methods are foolproof.