You’ve heard it over and over again that traffic is the life blood of any internet business and, the truth is not far from that at all. Without traffic, no matter how great your internet business looks, it will only be good for nothing because, you will not make anything out of it. There are many ways to generate traffic to your blog or website both the free and paid methods but, do you really know which one to go for? When it comes to driving traffic to your blog and web pages, both the free and paid methods are all effective, it all depends on your budget especially when you’re just starting. Though, they both have their merits and demerits. This same issue has brought a lot of debate on the internet but, it all depends on what you want and what you can give to have it. So, let’s check out both ways of getting traffic and see which the best is.
Traffic Generation: The Paid Method
This is the easiest and the fastest way of driving huge amount of traffic to a blog or web page. Paid traffic can be very very effective once you know how best to go about it. This is the traffic generation method that some of the big boys in the industry normally go for because, they have what it takes. Paying for your traffic may not sound like a good idea, but the payoffs would tell a different story. When you pay for your traffic, you are guaranteed of a consistent traffic flow to your site.
You will never go with an empty sales day. Usually, you will be charged with the number of hits a link gets when your ads is clicked, this is called pay per click. For some search engines, you will be charged with the number of times your ad shows up when a certain keyword or keyword phrase is searched. It is imperative that you perform some keyword research based on your niche so that you will be able to know what keywords will convert the most.
All the money you spend in paying for your traffic will not be for naught. You will get an impressive boost in traffic which will also result to a great boost in your sales figures. Paying for your traffic would really be a good idea and you will get all the benefits it has to offer.
Recommended Reading: Top 5 Most Essential Things Your Articles Must Contain For A Better Exposure
Paying for your traffic is not only by going the ppc route, you can also pay for sponsored post whereby a publisher/blogger will have to write an interesting review of your products/services on his blog based on the amount you both agreed on. The only issue with the paid method of generating traffic is that the visitors that came to your site via this method will not always become returning visitors.
The traffic does not last at all and if you don’t know how to write an interesting ad copy or a good classified and, if you do not know how to perform keyword research then, your efforts and money might be a waste. And, once you stop paying for the traffic, there are chances that you will also stop getting visitors to your site :). This method can only work for those that have the money which mean that, it’s not for everyone especially when you’re just starting out. But, if you don’t have time but, you have the money then, going for the paid method of generating traffic might be a good choice.
Traffic Generation: The Free Method
This is the most widely used method of generating traffic to a site and, it can also work many wonders if you know how to do it too. If you ask many bloggers their favorite traffic generation method, they will tell you it’s the free way and I won’t argue with that because, that’s also my favorite if you ask me:). There are many mind blowing methods of generating traffic free of charge but, the different it has with the paid method is that, it takes much time and efforts for you to start seeing results.
Driving traffic to your site the free way might be a very tedious work but, if you master all the tips and tricks of doing it then, the result is always enormous and worthwhile. It also has some similarity with the paid method because, if you want to get traffic via SEO then just like paying for traffic the PPC method, you will also need to perform keyword research.
I’m not going to tell you the ways through which you can generate free traffic here because, I assume you already know that but, in any one you choose, make sure it will worth your time and effort and don’t just go chasing the wind in the name of driving traffic.
Finally, the different between the wealthy men and the poor people is only that they rich always buy their time while the poor always like to manage the one they have so, if you have the money to spend on a paid traffic then, I will advice you go for it while using your time to do other things but, if you don’t have the money but have the time then, the free method will be the only way out for you.
Thanks for reading and please, I will like you to tell me what you think about this post on the comment section also, it will be nice if you can tweet and share it with your friends.
Photo Credit: Freedigitalphotos.net
Harleena Singh says
Hi Theodore,
Yes indeed, this is quite an interesting topic of discussion for most bloggers 🙂
However, for me, perhaps like most bloggers, it’s always been free traffic. I honestly have never tried, nor do I know much about paid traffic or how that’s even done! So, I cannot say which one generates results, though I know the free way has worked well for me so far.
I agree, if people have the money and no time, they would go for the paid traffic, which perhaps most probloggers might be going in for, unlike the rest, who also have NO time because they are forever working, yet they find ways to promote their content to get free traffic to their sites, through various ways again.
I guess it all depends on what you can afford to choose, though I think even if I had the money, I wouldn’t really have gone for the paid method, unless it’s really good enough. I prefer building relationships with my return visitors and those are exactly what my readers help me with – or perhaps we connect well with each other 🙂
Thanks for sharing. Have a nice week ahead 🙂
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks Harleena,
Just like Maneesha said above, paid traffic is good if you’re aiming for a fast result. Free traffic is always the best if you have the time. I would really love to try the paid method if i had the money but, free is always good for me as well.
Thanks for coming mate and, do have enjoy the remaining of the week:)
Tim Bonner says
Hi Theodore
I’ve not tried to generate traffic the paid way. I got stung by Google a long time ago with my Adwords account to it would have to be Facebook I would use.
I’ve heard that some people have a lot of success promoting their stuff on Facebook but as it’s the network I use the least, I’m a little tentative to add any money to their coffers!
I get quite a lot of free traffic by using Triberr and I spend most of my time on Twitter. Referral traffic tends to keep the bounce rate down but it’s always nice to get free Organic traffic too.
Theodore Nwangene says
Nice to see you on my blog again Tim,
Its been a long time. I also heard that Facebook advertising brings tremendous results though, I’ve not used it before but, people are talking about it. I might also try it out.
I’ve not really tried Triberr much but, i will go and check it out now. Thanks for coming and my regards to your family.
Maneesha Malhotra says
Thanks Theodore for sharing such a great article about Traffic! You have well explain about Paid and Free Traffic! Well both are good on their own positions! Some of people get in touch with Paid Traffic for fast result & some of them just go with Free Traffic for better result.
Theodore Nwangene says
I agree with you Maneesha,
Another big difference is the fast and better result. It all depends on what you want as others have said above. Thanks for coming.
Alvin Chadwick says
Thanks for this article, Theodore, personally I think that the best kind of traffic is free even if paid traffic can show better results. Saving money is always the route that I would go!
Theodore Nwangene says
You’re right Alvin,
I also like the free method but, i would also try the paid way if i had the money :). Thanks for coming.
Chadrack says
Hi Theo,
A really interesting post. Personally, I’ve never tried using paid traffic sources for driving traffic. This is not because they don’t work but because I actually think free is better in most cases. Paid sources are good if you are trying to drive a surge of traffic for some quick results. But free sources will continue to bring in the traffic years after you have implemented them.
So, depending on what you want to achieve, I think free is best way to go!
Theodore Nwangene says
Well said Chadrack,
Free traffic is also the best for me because, i don’t know much about PPC and i don’t have the budget now. Yea, free traffic ensures more repeating visitors than the paid type as you said. And, it also depends on what you want.
Thanks for coming man 🙂
Adrienne says
Hey Theodore,
Ah, another debatable subject. I love these actually because like a post I recently wrote it all depends on what you’re trying to accomplish with your blog.
I’ve done paid advertising in the past with absolutely no luck at all. Yep, I took the courses to teach me how to do it correctly so that I’d have great results yet I had none at all. Don’t get me wrong, I got leads but none of them converted so it was an expensive lesson for me.
I prefer the free methods even though they do take much longer. As you know though I prefer the referral traffic because to me they’re more trusting of what I have to offer and are much more eager to purchase from me.
Depending on your goals will depend on which direction each person wants to take. It doesn’t hurt to try both so at least you’ll get an idea. If you do paid traffic right you can make a good bit of money but if you end up like me, not so much.
Thanks for sharing this Theodore and great to see you again.
~Adrienne
Theodore Nwangene says
Welcome back to my blog Adrienne,
You’re very right here, if you do paid traffic well then, it can make you a lot of money. The main problem is that we don’t know much about the formula in it. And, I’m glad you learnt something from the experience you had with it. I also agree with you that the traffic generation method you’ll choose depends on what you want to achieve with your blog.
Thanks for coming back Adrienne and, enjoying your day.
Susan Velez says
Hi Theodore,
Great subject, right now, I am using free traffic. It takes longer but you don’t have to worry about losing your money.
When I got started online, I thought PPC was extremely easy, so I took a dive into it. Let’s just say that it was not a pretty experience, I lost a lot of money and didn’t make a lot of money.
I really don’t know much about using paid traffic methods. I wouldn’t mind using paid traffic methods, if I knew what I was doing. For now, I will stick with free methods; they seem to work well for me.
Thanks for sharing this info and have a great evening.
Theodore Nwangene says
Great to have you here again Susan,
Yea, i will also go for the free strategies of generating traffic because, i don’t equally know much about PPC but, that’s the issue. PPC can really be the best method if you know the in’s an out’s of it so, lets keep using the free method until we know more about PPC.
Thanks a lot for coming Susan and, God bless you.
Josh Cohen says
Thank you for sharing this great topic.
I am a fan of both paid and free traffic, it really depends on the situation… if you are looking for direct response in the way of sales then paid traffic cannot be beaten for the scaleability.
How ever if growing your audience then I prefer free traffic.
In fact I just wrote a post on 8 methods to drive visitors to your website for free: http://workwithjoshcohen.com/8-ways-to-get-free-traffic/
Thanks again
Josh
Theodore Nwangene says
Thanks Josh,
Free traffic is really great but just as you said, the one you’ll choose will certainly depend on your end goal. Thanks for coming and, i will certainly check out the post :).
Asaolu olubayode says
Theo,
This is quite an interesting topic to discuss on. To me paid traffic generates effective traffic at the particular time you need it, but free traffic is the best. The reason why i chose my answer like that is because i’ve once been in this particular stuff and i regretted. Let me tell you this; the joy of paid traffic will never last long, but for the free which is search engine traffic is eternal… paid are only meant for the particular time at which your money runs and after that, the penalty is very severe.
Theodore Nwangene says
I can’t agree more Asaolu,
The reason you gave here is quite outstanding and, i agree with you. There is an enormous joy that comes to you whenever you get tons of free traffic from your efforts and for this, there is no doubt that free traffic is better. Thanks for such an awesome addition man :).
Babanature says
Hello Theodore,
Nice article every bloggers must input one word or another 🙂
I have never done paid advert before but i am looking at that end after the finishing of my product. Free traffic do take a lot of time and energy but to me, free traffic will stick for a longer time compared to paid 🙂
Thanks and have a nice week ahead 🙂
Theodore Nwangene says
You’re right Baba,
Free traffic lasts much more longer than the paid ones and, I’m happy you’re working on a products man :), good luck and, thanks for coming.
Adesanmi Adedotun says
Hi Theodore,
No traffic no income but the source can be matter alot, larger percentage of internet marketers prefer paid traffic because of what they have in stock for sales, quick traffic may likely be the only way to achieve their internet marketing aim on certain product they have in stock but when it comes to bloggers, free traffic most especially from search engine is most preferable as it comes continuously, if our target keywords is ranked very high on search engine. Also, many bloggers can’t afford the price of paid traffic for a start but as time goes on, they may likely want to grow wings by selling their products as another source of income online which may likely require huge traffic and paid traffic may be the only source.
Emmanuel says
Hmmm, I simply don’t know what to say with respect to this argument! Because I’ve always used the free method in sending traffic to my blog and still using it.
I haven’t ever tried any paid version before or maybe let me put this way, not yet!
Pst Bless says
Paid traffic i think thrives in affiliate programs, but for bloggers, i believe free traffic is the best.
Anupam Chamoli says
Wow, your blog is such a informative one. Focus on creating great content. I really enjoyed this post while reading. it is a nice one because it deals with an interesting ideas and information. I like it so much as from the first time i read it, the information that are used here attracted me a lot. They take my attention from the first look, thank you so much for sharing with us this great topic in this great website. You are doing a great work here. I must say you’ve done a wonderful job by sharing your article with us. Thanks for this most informative post.
And yes, please give your comment on my blog too.
Thanks
Sam Adeyinka says
Hey Theo,
Truth is both method are great, but I prefer the free method, reason being I’m nothing near the big boys you made mention of. I know folks who would prefer to use the paid method. Well, it all boils down to financial buoyancy.
Thanks so much for sharing and for leaving a comment on my guest post at Gilbert’s blog. 🙂
Sam