7 Huge Sites for Traffic That Marketers Don’t Take Advantage Of

Do you want to know why everybody focuses on SEO and social media marketing?

Because everyone wants traffic for their websites, and both of these sources are huge.

Google, YouTube, Facebook, and LinkedIn are all in the top 20 traffic sites in the world.

Whether you’re a plumber, SaaS marketer, or recipe blogger, you can find your target audience through one or both of these sources.

Or if you sell physical products, you likely sell them on the e-commerce giants such as Amazon and eBay—same concept really as you can sell virtually anything on them due to their size.

There’s nothing wrong with focusing on getting traffic from these well known sites.

However, it’s a shame that more marketers don’t realize that social media and SEO are just the surface of web traffic.

They are the obvious ones that every marketer tries to get traffic from, which leads to stiff competition.

But there are opportunities elsewhere if you know where to look.

There are so many other sites from which you can get traffic to your website that the majority of marketers never even take a second look at them unless one of them explodes.

Take Reddit, for example. I’ve written about how to effectively market on Reddit a while back.

Since then, I’ve seen more and more articles about marketing on Reddit as the site becomes more popular and marketers see others succeeding on it.

So, what sites in particular am I talking about here?

I’m going to give you seven specific examples of sites with tons of traffic that you can potentially drive back to your site.

Have you taken advantage of these 7 huge sites for traffic? If not, it’s time to do it now.

Then, I’m going to show you an easy way to find even more sites that are virtually untapped.

Sounds interesting? Read on… 

Site #1: IMDb

IMDb is the movie site.

It has insane levels of traffic, all focused on movies and TV.

The first step in deciding whether a site could be good to market on is to determine whether your audience uses it.

Since we’re not looking at the biggest sites (search engines and social media), only certain audiences will be found on each site.

If your audience isn’t on IMDb, I promise that they are on some other large sites.

Since IMDb has a very specific focus, it’s really only good if you sell products related to movies and TV.

But if you do, it could be an opportunity.

I say could be because you won’t be able to drive traffic from every site that your target audience uses back to yours.

You have to look for a way to drive that traffic back.

In this case, there is one chance, and it comes from the active forum community on IMDb:

You can tell from the frequency of posts that it’s really active, and that’s just one section of the forum.

Then, you’ll need to become a part of the community and find a way to give value—but do so in a way that requires members of the forum to click through to your website.

Here are 3 resources that will help you do just that if you’re not experienced with forum posting:

• How I Generated 1,861 Visitors from a Single Forum Post
• How to Build Traffic Through Forums
• The Day After: 11 Things to Do After You Publish a Post

Site #2: Etsy

Etsy is another up and comer that will eventually be saturated by marketers. But it’s not at that point yet.

If you sell any sort of high quality jewelry, crafts, home decor, or clothing, it’s a fantastic e-commerce marketplace.

Why compete against so many businesses on Amazon for customers looking for the cheapest option, when there is a ton of traffic comprised of people who care a lot about those things and will pay a fair price for them?

There are no tricks to increasing your sales on Etsy.

If you have a product that is actually great, people will see it, and you will make sales.

You can certainly use conversion rate optimization and copywriting tactics to sell more, but marketing isn’t tough when there isn’t much competition.

Site #3: BuzzFeed

No doubt you’ve heard of BuzzFeed, but have you ever considered it as a traffic source?

If you have a younger demographic in a social niche (like entertainment, home decor, food, etc.), it could be a great source.

BuzzFeed not only has a ton of traffic but also allows you to contribute your own content to it.

To start, create an account, click on the icon beside the arrow above, and click “new post.”

That’ll bring you to a standard text editor, and you can post whatever you’d like.

If that post gets some traction early on, BuzzFeed will actually help you by promoting it on the site.

Crafting the right kind of post isn’t easy, but if you do, you’ll get tens of thousands of views on your post.

Then, you can link from your post (when appropriate) back to your site.

Matthew Barby has created a great guide to getting on the front page of BuzzFeed. He was able to do so multiple times himself and drove a lot of traffic to his recipe site:

Site #4: Forbes

Forbes is a magazine site for all topics related to business.

And while it’s possible to be invited to contribute, you can also drive traffic back to your site with a much simpler method: comments.

Blog commenting back in the day used to be extremely popular. Eventually, people realized that it didn’t always produce results.

The main reason for that is because they commented on blogs that had barely any traffic to begin with.

Any post on the main page of Forbes will get tens of thousands of views. Even if a small portion of those people read your comment, that’s at least a few hundred eyeballs.

From there, a great comment can drive anywhere from 25-50% of that traffic back to your site.

That’s a decent use of your time, especially if you’re struggling with traffic.

Every Forbes post has the “comment on this story” option at the bottom of the last page:

According to their rules, you can have up to two links to other sites in the comments:

Really, you only need one.

The hard part is leaving a comment that will impress people enough to drive traffic back to your site. Here are some great resources that will show you how to do that:

• How I Generated $25,000 with 249 Comments
• How To Drive Targeted Traffic With Blog Commenting
• How To Write Great Blog Comments For Traffic and SEO Ranking

Site #5: Business Insider

Business Insider is another site similar to Forbes, with slightly different topics:

Even though it has a slightly higher Alexa rank, it still has an insane amount of traffic.

As an added bonus, you can add your website’s URL to your username as you leave comments:

Again, this is just blog commenting at its core, so use the same strategy as I showed you above with Forbes.

Site #6: Allrecipes

If you have a food blog, there are many opportunities to get creative and draw traffic back to your own site.

Although Allrecipes is a tough one, it’s still possible to make it work.

A standard recipe page looks like this at the top:

Then you see instructions, and then reviews.

If your review is really helpful, it will be seen by almost everyone who views the page.

Then, you could place a link at the end of the comment. It’d be easy to make a natural transition.

For example:

I’ve tried 10 other gumbo recipes, but none have turned out as good as this one.

It was so good that I adapted the recipe just for my gluten-free friends. They LOVED it!

Here’s how I changed the recipe to make it gluten-free: (link)

I’m sure you could make the comment more valuable—I’m just not a cooking expert.

The point is, look for ways to add value with your comment while naturally incorporating a link into it. It won’t even look like you’re trying to drive traffic to your site. It’ll look like you are just trying to help people.

That’s your goal with any link: make it useful.

Site #7: Quora

Quora is the 141st most popular website in the United States.

It’s a question and answer site that even I use. It has the same concept as Yahoo Answers, but the quality is much higher.

The site is continually getting more popular, and many (but not all) marketers have realized its potential.

The simple strategy is to leave really great answers to questions posted in the community.

Great answers will be upvoted to the top and seen by most people.

Then, include links in your answers as appropriate, and that will drive traffic wherever you’d like:

To get started, start typing a topic in the search bar. It will suggest a bunch of related topics, and when you see what you’re looking for, click it:

You can then follow that topic and answer questions that you feel you can do justice to.

There’s no trickery here: you have to provide value.

Yes, it’s a lot of work per answer, but the rewards can be big as well.

You can get millions of views on your answers over time if you stick with it:

While not all those reading your answer will end up visiting your site, even a small chunk is a significant number.

In addition, you will likely end up attracting additional business from people impressed with your answers. Even without the traffic, it’s worth it.

How to find as many of these low competition sites as you need

Maybe more than one of these sites are perfect for your marketing.

Maybe none are.

That’s the point of going to sites that are smaller than the Googles and Facebooks of the world—but large enough to be potential sources of traffic.

They don’t have every audience you might want, so I can’t give everybody specific sites to market on.

However, you can find plenty more that are right for you with a simple process that I’m about to show you.

This will work for everyone.

First, head over to Alexa, and browse sites by category.

By sorting by category rather than rank (which is what I did for the seven sites in this post), you ensure that you find sites relevant to your business.

From there, you have the option to choose a subcategory, or you can start with the broad sites.

Either method works, but be careful not to narrow down the sites too far and be left with those that don’t have much traffic.

While a site’s Alexa Rank isn’t perfect by any means, it does generally correspond to traffic levels.

Try to stick to sites with an Alexa Rank no higher than 20,000.

That still leaves you with a ton of options.

At this point, you’re staring at a list of domains.

You need to go to each of those sites individually and answer the same two questions I’ve been mentioning all along:

1. Does your audience visit this site?
2. Is there a way to get that traffic back to your site?

The second step is the hardest at first, but you’ll get more proficient at it as you go. In general, you want to look for things like:

• a forum
• comment section (that allows links)
• guest posts/editorials that you can submit
• a way to post your products directly (if the site is a store)

After you go through 100-200 sites, you’ll have a list of at least 5-10 sites you could effectively use as traffic sources.

The final thing to mention here is that when you’re marketing on a brand new site, you need to take the time to figure out an effective strategy.

For social media sites and search engines, the work has been done for you by marketing bloggers. For most of these new sites, you’ll have to do the work yourself.

Try to understand the tactics used on social media and search engines, and then apply those tactics to these new sites.

Even if you don’t get them perfectly at first, you should still have some success because of the low competition.

Conclusion

Search engines and social media giants are fantastic sources of traffic for almost all businesses.

But…they are hard to capitalize on.

The best marketers win big, while a large portion of marketers struggle.

Unless you’re already getting a great ROI on them, you’re probably better off finding new traffic sources that marketers in your industry haven’t saturated yet.

I’ve given you seven specific examples of these sources, but more importantly, I’ve given you a simple framework you can use to find more of them. They might just turn out to be perfect for your business.

If you have patience and persevere through the tough parts in the beginning while you figure out the best marketing strategy on these new sites, you’ll find that you can get much more traffic with less effort (and cost).

One last thing: If you try this out, I want to hear from you! Leave me a comment letting me know if you were able to identify any sites that could work for your marketing plan.

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9 Habits of Bloggers Who Have Huge Audiences

If you’re just starting out as a blogger, you’re probably wondering how to grow your audience.

The good news is that there’s a lot you can learn from bloggers who have already built an enormous following – no matter what they blog about, great bloggers share a number of habits that make them successful. If you’re diligent about developing these habits yourself, you too can build an army of loyal supporters.

Let’s look at why highly successful bloggers truly connect with their audience:

1. They are Passionate About Their Subject

When you’re truly excited, it comes across in your writing – it arouses your audience and makes them feel that you have something worth saying. Don’t pick a blog niche just because there are lots of potential readers, write about something you truly care about, and readers will come flocking. In any case, if you’re not deeply passionate about your subject, chances are you’ll get bored and abandon your blog very quickly.

2. They Take the Time to Make Themselves Experts

People read blogs because they want unique insights and interesting points of view. If you just repeat what other bloggers are saying, then you’re not adding any value.

You need to take the time to become a true expert. If you’re passionate about your subject, this should be a labor of love – not a burden. Read widely and keep up with the latest news so that you have your finger on the pulse of your subject.

Engage in social media – not just your own blog – to build your knowledge and have meaningful discussions. By making learning a lifelong process, you’ll give your readers something that they just can’t get anywhere else.

3. They Create Incredibly Useful Content

Not only are top bloggers experts, they also give their readers genuinely helpful information.

Don’t just focus on expressing your own views – think about what your audience wants to know, and then give them this information.

For example, if you blog about cooking, ask kitchen equipment manufacturers for product samples. Then try these samples out, and tell your readers what you think. On the other hand, if you’re a fashion blogger, make the effort to go to real fashion shows and give your followers a first-hand account of what went on.

4. They’re Prolific

To grow a huge audience for your blog, you need to keep your readers coming back. Sure, it’s important to add new readers all the time, but if your existing audience is drifting away, then you’re fighting an uphill battle.

The way to build a loyal following is to produce lots of fresh content – every day if possible. This doesn’t mean you should write for the sake of writing – fuzz and fluff are useless. You have to deliver concise, insightful material on a regular basis – it’s tough to do this, but the more you try, the easier it gets.

5. They’re Motivated Self-Starters

The great thing about blogging is that you don’t have a boss telling you what to do – it’s also one of the biggest challenges.

No one is going to force you to sit down and write that next blog post, or tell you to go out and interview industry experts. What you do has to come from within yourself. Unless you can get up each morning and tear into life with a fresh appetite, you’re going to struggle. That’s why it’s so important to be passionate about your subject – if you believe in what you’re doing, then staying motivated is much easier.

6. They Know How to Manage Their Time

As a blogger, it’s so easy to waste time. There are countless ways to pretend to yourself that you’re getting useful work done. For instance, you may find it fun to play around with the latest plug-ins for your blog – but you need to ask yourself whether this is the best use of your time.

Successful bloggers look at their time as a precious resource – they plan ahead, schedule activities, and then do what they say they’re going to do. Everything in their plan is there for a reason. If something isn’t in the plan, it isn’t a priority.

7. They Persist

Even the most successful bloggers have setbacks. Not all of your blog posts will hit the mark, and you’re going to get turned down again and again by people you want to interview.

It’s easy to get discouraged, but to succeed you need to carry on. Talent isn’t enough – there are lots of skilled bloggers who don’t succeed because they can’t keep going when the going gets tough. The best bloggers are determined and won’t take no for an answer – if something doesn’t work, they just move on to their next great idea.

8. They Engage in Meaningful Dialogs With Their Readers

A blog isn’t a lecture. The best bloggers listen to their readers and create a dynamic community.

By responding positively to what their readers say, answering their questions, and engaging in meaningful conversations, they make their readers feel like they belong. This in turn creates a deep bond and a sense of trust – turning readers into impassioned supporters.

9. They Build Strong Relationships With Other Bloggers

Blogging isn’t a competition.

Great bloggers take the time to build relationships with other bloggers. They leave thoughtful comments, share other bloggers’ posts and even get in contact with them directly. If you do this, you’ll get amazing insights that you can share with your own blog readers. Equally important, connecting with other bloggers gives you exposure and helps you to build your audience. When you build a relationship with other successful bloggers, they’ll be the first to talk about what you do. Just make sure that you’re completely genuine. You have to truly care about what other bloggers are saying – otherwise you’ll just come across as engaging in cynical promotion, and they’ll spot you a mile away.

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How to Grow Your Blog Traffic by 20,000 Visitors a Month

Around eight months ago, I started a new blog in the marketing realm. When I first started out, my traffic was flat.

But around four months ago, I figured out a process that has allowed me to grow my traffic consistently—a process I could replicate. I am now at a point where I am adding about 20,000 new visitors each month.

Best of all, I’ve been doing it without spending a dollar on marketing.

The tactics I’ve been using will work for anyone. They work so well that the results I’m experiencing with my nutrition blog are even better, which is crazy since I don’t have a brand in that space and I don’t have many assets I can leverage to help it grow. (I’ll be updating you in a week on my journey to $100,000 monthly income).

So, how did I achieve those results, and how can you gain similar ones? 

Collect emails

I’ve mentioned this in the past, but chances are you still aren’t collecting emails from your blog. Other than search traffic, it’s the most consistent form of traffic you can get.

Just look at NeilPatel.com. Here is the email traffic I’ve received over the last 30 days:

That’s not too bad, considering my list size is currently at 3,612.

So, how do you collect emails? The simplest ways are through page takeovers, interstitials, sliders, and bars. The beautiful news is you don’t have to be technical to use any of those features…you can just use Hello Bar, which is free.

In addition to using Hello Bar, you should consider using Thrive Leads, which allows you to offer bonus content.

For example, if I wrote a blog post on 11 marketing tips that will double your traffic, the bonus content could be two extra tips that weren’t mentioned in my post. In order for you to receive that bonus content, you would have to give me your email address.

Sure, this type of email collection takes a bit of time, but it will account for 50% of the emails you collect.

Once you have a list, every time you write, email to your list subscribers letting them know about your latest post. Here is the email template I use:

Subject: Title of your blog post

Hey,

I just wanted to share with you the latest [Insert your blog name – and make this a link to your post] blog post. Let me know what you think.

[Insert the title of your blog post – and make this a link to your blog post]

[Insert the first paragraph from your blog post]

[Insert the second paragraph from your blog post] Click to continue [make the “click to continue a link]

Thanks.
[Insert your name].

P.S. [Add a promotional message here]

Just in case the template is confusing, here is an example of a recent email I sent out, based on this template:

Hey,

I just wanted to share with you the latest Quick Sprout blog post. Let me know what you think.

Why You Need a Social Media Calendar and How to Create One

You’ve heard of social media calendars before, but do you know what they are and how to use one?

Chances are you don’t. And that’s okay… I didn’t either when I entered the realm of social media marketing. But once I learned about it and how to use it, it change how I marketed my businesses on the social web. [click to continue]

Thanks,
Neil.

P.S. If you want to see how I can help you grow your traffic and revenue, go here.

Write extremely detailed content

The average blog post on my NeilPatel.com blog ranges from 4,000 words on the low end to 8,000 words on the high end.

I know what you are thinking: that’s a lot of text. And it is.

On top of that, each post contains tons of screenshots and images. If you don’t have time to add images, you can always pay someone to do it—like I do.

But just look at my search traffic for the last eight months:

• September – 2,017 visitors
• October – 3,952 visitors
• November – 4,087 visitors
• December – 5,572 visitors
• January – 9,029 visitors
• February – 13,783 visitors (only 28 days in this month)
• March – 20,543 visitors
• April – 24,540 visitors (projected)

How have I been able to increase my search traffic on a consistent basis? Is it link building?

Nope!

It’s purely by writing extremely detailed content. This allows me to get ranked for thousands of long tail keywords that aren’t competitive.

If you are going to write content, consider writing extremely detailed content. Write something so detailed that people wouldn’t dare to copy you—that’s when you’ll know you have done a good job.

Building a fan base

Fan base? I know what you are thinking: why would anyone want to be your fan, right?

Well, you need to stop thinking that way. Everyone has fans.

How do you build a loyal following? You can start by trying to help everyone out. I know I’ve mentioned this in the past, but are you actually responding to each and every comment you receive on your blog?

Probably not…

And when your readers email you, are you taking the time to email them back? You should care about your readers and do whatever is in your power to help them out. And they will keep coming back.

Just look at Randy, who comments on every single NeilPatel.com blog post:

He continually comes back because I truly care to help him. And sometimes he helps me out by pointing out things I wasn’t familiar with.

Strike partnerships

Business development may not sound sexy, but it works well. There are already people in your space with whom you can potentially work because they are not your direct competitors.

For example, I just struck a deal with Cyberchimps, who provide WordPress themes. Some of their themes are paid, while others are free.

Together, we will be offering more marketing-friendly themes—not just from a code perspective but also from a design perspective. It will take six months for this deal to fully go live, but once it does, it will help me generate more traffic.

This partnership will allow them to attach “marketed by Neil Patel” links to the bottom of each of their themes. To ensure that I don’t get penalized by Google, the links will be “no-followed,” but they still should drive good referral traffic.

How did I get this deal? And, more importantly, how can you get a similar deal? Well, I emailed around 30 people in the space telling them that I have an idea that will help them grow their businesses faster.

Some people responded, while others didn’t. I got on the phone with those who responded and pitched my idea to them. I broke down how it would separate them from other theme providers, and I even explained the benefit to me.

Once I had all the conversations and a few people said yes, I decided with whom I wanted to work.

Write more often

I used to publish blog posts on NeilPatel.com once a week. Over time, I ramped it up to twice a week.

Here is my monthly traffic when I was posting once a week:

And here is the traffic after I started posting twice a week:

As you can see, the more frequently you post, the more search traffic you will receive, assuming your content is high in quality. My goal is to ramp up my personal blog to three posts a week as that will help me hit the 100,000 monthly visitor mark really fast. The only issue is finding the time…

Conclusion

Growing your blog traffic doesn’t have to be rocket science. Follow the steps above, and you too will be able to get more traffic.

Sure, your growth rate may not be as rapid as mine (as I am able to leverage my name to get certain deals done), but still—you should see more traffic.

If you had to pick just one thing to follow, consider writing long, detail content. What I learned by blogging on NeilPatel.com is that content that’s between 4,000 and 8,000 words does extremely well in search engines.

How else can you grow your blog traffic?

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