Improving your Website Hits!

Getting lots of visitors, or "hits" is a common aim of every webmaster. What's the point of having a website up if no one actually visits it?? Here are some tips on what you can use to help make a difference in your monthly statistics (for free!)


  • The Essentials - First off it's better to start off and analyse your website. Make sure it has good content (visitors section maybe, nice appealing graphics ... etc) and that is is frequently updated. No one likes to visit an empty, dead website. Another good idea is to make lots of attractive buttons and banners for users to link your website. A nice colourful and animated banner will imediately attract the user's attention and more likely for you to get hits!


  • Being an active visitor pays! - By leaving a comment on a blog, signing a guestbook, or leaving a nice message on a tag board you can also claim visitors! Most forms nowadays ask for your website's url, so not only you are being a good active visitor (and making someone's day) but you can also direct visitors to your page as well!


  • Meta tags - These tags are not visible to the browser, but they are there to be used as keywords and descriptions for search engines. Good meta tags will help you gain more hits through search engines! Here is a good meta tag generator: *click here* to verify that your meta tags are correct you can use this analyser: *click here*


  • Search Engines - Search Engines use the Meta tags mentioned above to index your page and list it in relevant searches. Search engines provide lots and lots of visitors to your site. Sites like Add Me, Hypermart, SubmitExpress, and Nexcomp will submit your site to loads of search engines at once without having to go on each search engine website and submit manually (though these programs are usually not free)!


  • Plug Boards - Plug sites provide such boards where users can usually post their website link, description and banner on them and take advantage of the plug site's visitors. Usually there is a limit when you can post your button (after so many hours, or only after the button has been pushed off the board). If you would like a list of PlugSites and Sites with Plugboards visit my Plug List here.


  • Directories - Directories allow the users to place an entry of their website consisting generally of the site's Name, Site Type and Description on their pages (in some cases, a banner as well). Usually the Directory site asks the webmaster to place a link back to the directory. Examples of Directories are: dmoz, Acid-Lemon, List-Me, Ap-List... etc


  • Rotations - This is also known as a banner exchange. When you sign up, you are given a code to place on your website which displays other members' banners randomly. It is best to place your code in a main page, like an index or a splash page since the more impressions you give to your visitors, the more your banner will be displayed on other members' websites!


  • Affiliates, Link Exchanges - Affiliates and Link Exchanges are a good way to make hits while making new friends and talking to other webmasters. This is where you ask another web master to display your website link on their website while you do the same with their link. Most websites have a form for this purpose!


  • Topsites - As in rotations, you get a code to display on your page. Each time the visitor clicks on the code & votes for your site, your site will gain points and slowly climb up the chart. The higher your site ranks, the more visitors you'll get. Examples of topsites: anime100.com, Topsites @ simply-precious.net, Atombomb, Sk3ptic topsites ...


  • Webrings - When you register for a particular webring (which usually has to be relevant to your site's genre) you are given a code to display on your page. Visitors can find your site through the ring's home page (the member's list) or it might come up when they click on the ring code. You can find lots of webrings here: webring.com


  • Commenting exchanges -If you have a blog, commenting exchanges like Exentrique, Xposure & Despair.nu can be of great help! In such exchanges you are sent via email website links (usually not more than 3) of other members to review / comment and ou are assigned a timeframe to complete your task (example 48 hours). Once you complete the task, you are given a few days off (example another 2 days) and you are sent another list to do, and so on. Other members also receive your link through the system and must comment on your site within their given timeframe as well.


  • Others - Other forms of programs and features which will surely get visitors coming to your sites are: fanlistings, hatelistings, cliques, blog crews, pixel exchanges (here i would like to plug Quilting Bee and the StarJar!), and adoption forms (where you can adopt a pixel creation to your toybox made by someone else and have your link put up on the creator's site).


  • Advertisements - By advertisements i mean those on personal websites and domains. For as little as $0.50 a month you can advertise your site on them and get hits! Usually sites which provide advertising enjoy huge number of visitors a month so it is very worth it! There are other forms of advertisement which accept linkbacks instead of money.