Build Traffic Through Your Visitor's Browser

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by Dan Grossman

While there are many ways to build repeat traffic to your Web site, two of the most powerful (and one of the simplest) are commonly overlooked. Use your visitor's browser to your advantage by becoming their homepage or getting bookmarked.

99% of Internet users surf the Web with either Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator as their browsers. Because of this, Microsoft and Netscape sites are some of the most highly trafficked on the Web since most Internet users don't bother to change their homepage.

Becoming a person's homepage requires some work on your behalf, but can result in hundreds or thousands or repeat visits each day if done right. You'll need to give your visitors a reason to change their default homepage to your site. Here are a few things you can do with your site to encourage a visitor to set it as their homepage:

Quality, Original, Constantly Updated Content

The content of your site needs to be different than any other site. It needs to be fresh and relevant, which means updating it every week or so.

Something New Each Day

A great way to keep visitors returning to your site over and over is to give them something new each day. Headlines, links to other sites, or other daily content could be used.

Search the Web

If you want to become a visitor's homepage it's probably useful to allow them to search the Web right from your site. Not only can you offer this service to your visitors, but many search engines will pay you a few cents a search to do so.

Personalization Options

Letting your visitors personalize the page in some way can instantly make it more appealing as a homepage. This is why many search engines end up as users' homepages, as many offer customizable versions with editable or removable sections such as horoscopes, news, shopping, etc.

Most Importantly: Make It Easy

Provide detailed instructions for setting your site as the visitor's homepage right on your site. Give step-by-step instructions for each major browser and link these instructions prominently on your site.

Getting bookmarked is a little easier than convincing a visitor to set your site as their homepage. All of the elements above contribute to becoming bookmarked also, including making it easy. You may wish to provide instructions in both browsers, or let your visitors know that in most browser Control+D will add this site to their bookmarks.

By becoming one's homepage or becoming one of their bookmarks, you can build new repeat traffic to your Web site Many Web site owners simply overlook these two options -- if you're one of them, you can go out and add instructions now!