I listed this first because creating a mailing list or newsletter is probably the single most important thing you can do for your website. If you are going to go through all the work to get visitors to your site, why not turn them into repeat visitors. Generating traffic is very important, but creating a mailing list is critical if you want to keep your visitors.

An auto responder is a powerful tool that will allow you to automatically interact with your subscribers. When choosing an auto responder, there are several things to consider. First, do you want to do everything yourself, or is an auto responder service the way to go. Second, how many mailing lists can you create? Don't limit yourself. The ability to create several targeted mailing lists will increase your ability to generate maximum traffic and sales. Finally, how many messages can you have in the auto responder? You may want to automate a months worth of messages for your list.

NOTE: If you have an auto responder on your server, all mail will be sent from your server. If, for some reason, you are reported as a spammer, all mail from your domain may be blocked. I strongly recommend that you use an auto responder service to avoid this problem.

Create A Special Report – And Give It Away

A special report is generally longer than an article and shorter than an ebook. Create a special report on a specific topic that compliments your website. Announce your freebie every place you can. When visitors arrive to collect their freebie, make sure you get their email address.

Write Article And Submit Them For Reprint

For best results, write articles that relate to the topic of your site. Create a compelling byline that encourages readers to visit your site. Submit your article to all the major article directories. One thing that many people forget to do is check popular websites on their topic. Some of these may accept article submissions. Don't completely rely on the large article directories to get your article out there.

These are just a few of the ways to drive traffic to your website. By increasing the traffic to your website and keeping in contact with those visitors, your online business can only improve.