While there are many ways to jump start a websites traffic intake, some webmasters simply don't have the necessary resources to take action like some of the big guys. But luckily, there are a few ways to get increased web site traffic for free! You won't have to spend any of your hard earned money, yet you will be able to generate as much website traffic as you want. Sounds like a dream come true, right? Well it is! However, to make that dream a reality, you will have to motivate yourself to work harder and get more done.

Some people will tell you that paying for advertising is a lot more effective than using free methods. Well, that is often an opinion and NOT a fact. The truth is that free traffic techniques can be just as effective, if not more effective than paid methods. It really boils down to how you utilize your knowledge, as well as how well you know your target audience.

If you're trying to get a person to your website, yet you don't have a single clue about their wants or needs, you will fail. No ifs, ands, or buts about it, you will fail. Therefore, whether you take the paid or the free route, you won't get any traffic if you don't know what you're doing.

Free Method Number 1

Find some online forums and online communities and then sign-up for a free membership. Forums and online communities are an excellent source of traffic because each one will usually fit a certain demographic; thereby allowing you to narrow down your target forums. For instance, if you have a website or product that is related to anti-virus software, you wouldn't join a gardening forum, would you? Of course not. You would find software and/or PC security related forums and start posting there. As you can see, it all about finding a niche forum for your chosen niche.

Don't get ahead of yourself and just start posting willy-nilly; you'll get nowhere fast. Instead, take your time, familiarize yourself with the forum, and then target an area of the forum you want to start in; usually a sub-forum. Discuss the topic at hand, give your opinion, offer advice, and just be interested in the topic; which shouldn't be too hard.

After awhile, people will start recognizing you and they will be eager to hear what you have to say; as long as you speak intelligently of course. Spend enough time in a forum and your reputation as an expert is bound to increase. Also, always have a signature attached to your posts. You never know who might be looking. Remember, every little bit helps.

Free Method Number 2

Another great, yet marginal, method is link exchanging and directory submission. Some people think directory submission is not worth the hassle, while other internet marketers believe this to be a great technique. It really depends on the directories you submit to and how many of them you actually submit to. Some of them have higher PR (page rank) than others, so each person's results will vary. However, no one can deny the fact that having their link on a PR8+ website is a wonderful thing.

On the flip side, link exchanging involves you contacting webmasters with a niche website similar to yours and then requesting a link exchange from them. They put your link on their website, and you put theirs on your site. You both get a one way link and you may even get a little bit of traffic out of the deal. It's really not a bad method, but it should still be used in moderation.

Although directory submission is very much alive, many people consider webmaster-to-webmaster link exchanges to be dead. Whether that is actually true or not remains to be unseen. But the odds are good that a few webmasters are still doing it somewhere.

Free Method Number 3

Perhaps the greatest free traffic method ever is article marketing. Article marketing is free, simple, and undeniably powerful. Getting increased web site traffic is truly a breeze with a keyword rich, well distributed article.

Articles are usually quick & to the point, which is exactly the type of information the average websurfer craves. Most people don't want to read a 20 page report about a topic, let alone a 3000 word article. Instead, they would rather read a short, yet informative article that tells them everything they need to know. This is exactly where you come in, as you will write the small informative article, provide the reader with the necessary information, and then offer even more information or a great deal in return for reading your article. If they like the article, they will be thrilled with your offer and they'll click on the link in your resource box, which will then lead them to your web site.

The vital pieces of a good article are: keywords, unique content, great title, wide distribution, and an outstanding resource box. If you can put all those pieces together to create one article, you will get more web site traffic than you can imagine.

Free Method Number 4

Having great, unique web site content is the biggest rival to article marketing, as it too can be an EXTREMELY effective method of generating traffic. This method is a lot like article marketing too; you must use highly searched (low competition) keywords, you need to have unique content, and you have to provide the visitor with information and keep them interested at the same time. The only difference here is that the content will be only your web site and not on an article directory.

Search engines scour the internet for websites with updated, unique content and then they add those sites to their listings. When a person does a search for a specific keyword, the most relevant websites are displayed. Therefore, your goal is to turn your site into one of those "most relevant" websites. If you can do that, generating free traffic hits won't be a problem.

Start using the 4 free methods above and you will have increased web site traffic within just a few weeks, guaranteed!