Marketing research has shown that prospects need to be exposed to a product or concept an average of seven times before buying. That means that the majority of visitors to your site are not ready to become paying customers the first time they visit your site. So you need to keep your site active by constantly adding new content.

A great way to keep your site fresh is to add a forum or message board to create a sense of community among your visitors. Forums give your visitors three big reasons to return to your site: to see what new topics have been posted that they are interested in discussing with other likeminded people, to read responses to their posts or to just read what other people are posting.

Search engines love forums as well because of the constant fresh content.

You can help keep your forum active by making your own posts. You can answer common questions your prospects have or start new topics to find out what your prospects think or feel about that subject. You should also comment on other people's posts to keep the conversations they started going.

When you host an active forum, your site gains a reputation as being a good place to visit to get information. That means a constant flow of both new and repeat traffic.

In addition to answering questions on your forum, you should set up a separate FAQ page. List the questions most frequently asked about your products as well as answers to those questions. Be sure to include a way to get in touch with you or your support desk if the customer experiences any issues beyond the ones listed on the page.

This will encourage customers who have bought your products to revisit your website, and it shows prospects that you care about helping people have the best experience with your product as possible. If they see that you care, they want to do business with you.

Following are some creative and less-used methods of attracting repeat traffic:

1. Develop a "_______ of the Month" feature. For instance, if you specialize in health information, you could have a "Recipe of the Month." This gives people looking for healthier recipes a reason to come back to your site at least once a month.

2. Start a competition. The opportunity to compete and win something for free appeals to everyone. You can offer cash prizes or give away free products to the winners. A way to tie this in with the previous example is by having your visitors submit their favorite recipes. The winner is the featured "Recipe of the Month."

3. Poll your visitors on a variety of topics. People will want to return to your site to see what question you are asking and to contribute their opinions. This is also a good way to get to know your prospects.

4. Highlight upcoming events. Create anticipation for a new book or product you are developing or for a seminar you will be hosting or attending. People will return to stay current on your progress or to read about how your trip went.

5. Have a "What's New" section on your site. This immediately clues readers into the fact that you update regularly and lets them know exactly where to look for fresh information every time they come back to your site.

6. Provide links to related sites within your niche. Write a short description for each and refresh this section monthly. Not only will it show your readers you care about saving them the hassle of finding related sites, it will help you stay current on what your competition is doing.

7. Include a tip of the day, quote of the day or joke of the day. Trivia questions, horoscopes or weather forecasts are also great ways to keep visitors coming to your site daily.

Basically, a "must-bookmark" site is one that offers fresh content and is interactive. By making your site fresh and interactive, you get repeat traffic. And repeat traffic benefits you in three great ways.

First, you develop relationships with your customers and prospects. Remember, people only buy from those they know, like and trust.

Your fresh content gives them a way to get to know you. Your free content gives them a reason to like you. And your interaction with them gives them a reason to trust you.

Which leads to benefit number two: increased sales. The more exposure your prospects have to you and your products, the more sales you will make. Marketing and sales is all a numbers game, and creating a site that people want to visit on a regular basis helps you win that game.

Finally, the interactive nature of your site allows you to gain valuable feedback from your customers. When you know what your customers are scared of, struggling with or hoping for, you can provide products that meet those needs and thus sell like hotcakes.