Is Free Traffic Really Free? No and it's not just about time constraints

6 replies
This makes me laugh when people are always looking for free ways to get traffic because the free traffic isn't free.

Look at how many different products, tools and softwares there are that hinge themselves on getting free traffic or harnessing the power of free traffic, etc...

So, people spend money, they spend a huge amount of time and they spend more money trying to get a grip on free traffic.

From SEO courses to RSS feed burner software there always seems to be the next big thing around the corner that talks about how much free traffic you'll get.

In retrospect, if you just built a good sales funnel, tested it and continued to improve it as you pay for traffic in the first place then you would not only save a huge amount of money because you wouldn't need to buy those "Free Traffic" courses and softwares but you'd also be making money in the process.

Not to mention the time you'd save that you could use to improve and build your business in other areas.

So my fellow Warriors Free Traffic is a slow and expensive way to go in my opinion...

If people say "But I don't have any money to invest in traffic" aren't thinking about the positives and need to revisit the idea of paying for traffic. If you don't have any money ... get some ... I'm sure you have more than 1 TV you could sell. I think there are things in your house that you could list on eBay right this minute and sell that stuff by tomorrow night.

If you need money you can find it... trouble is no one wants to do without, no one is willing to sacrifice. I did it... I sold a bunch of stuff way back in 2004 when I first got started and had $800 in my pocket to fund my online business venture.

So, here's a challenge... Scrape together $500, build yourself a sales funnel and start learning about paid traffic sources you can control and that don't cost too much like Solo Ads.

Build a list and let your sales funnel do the job. You just keep testing and tracking everything you do, make the necessary changes and watch your $500 grow.
#constraints #free #time #traffic
  • Profile picture of the author David Keith
    I totally agree. I have always told newbies to not spend money buying "how to get free traffic guides", but instead spend that same money on buying traffic.

    I guess every now and again there is a free traffic lottery winner with a viral youtube video, but those are the exception and not the norm.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5814378].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author satrap
    I agree that you have to spend time, but you do not need to spend a dime to get traffic and I mean money making traffic. I say this from my personal experience. I have done it personally and I am still enjoying the benefits of that free traffic.

    However, it took me a long time and lots of hard work. So, now that I am making money, I am actually spending a bit of that money to get traffic (content writers, link builders, softwares and etc).

    So yes, money does help you get there faster and easier (in some cases at least), but it is not necessary, though time and hard work are!
    Signature
    60 Awesome Ways to Make Money Without a Job
    .................................
    Check out my blog Survey Satrap featuring honest reviews of paid survey sites.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5814443].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Mike Hill
      Originally Posted by satrap View Post

      I agree that you have to spend time, but you do not need to spend a dime to get traffic and I mean money making traffic. I say this from my personal experience. I have done it personally and I am still enjoying the benefits of that free traffic.

      However, it took me a long time and lots of hard work. So, now that I am making money, I am actually spending a bit of that money to get traffic (content writers, link builders, softwares and etc).

      So yes, money does help you get there faster and easier (in some cases at least), but it is not necessary, though time and hard work are!

      But that's exactly what I'm talking about...

      Let's say you spend the next 20 hours working to get traffic (2 days 10 hours each day) And that's all you accomplish... Still no traffic, remember free traffic is slow and you're not even sure if what you are doing will result in any traffic.

      Now spend those same 20 hours (2 days 10 hours each day) and you could:

      Hour 1: Write a solo ad, spend $75 and buy traffic
      Hour 2: Create some training videos for your subscribers
      Hour 3 - 17: Work on creating your own product
      Hour 18: Take a look at your advertising stats and analyze
      Hour 19: Make the necessary changes to your ad
      Hour 20: Buy another ad.


      You are getting a lot more done in the same amount of time and if you take advantage of creating your own product you will have another way to monetize your business.

      If you simply just worked on getting more traffic then you are no further ahead at the end of 20 hours. You have nothing to show for your time if all you do is work on getting traffic.

      Now that traffic might pan out eventually, but wouldn't you rather find out in a few hours if what you are doing is right or wrong as opposed to waiting weeks (or longer) to find out?

      Speaking about money... If you have none then who's fault is that? You are the one making the decisions about your money. If you have none and need some to start a business then sell some of your stuff. Sell your TV... Don't go out for dinner, sell your car and get a cheaper one, move to a smaller apartment, anything...

      If people are desperate enough they can find the money.

      Trouble is no one wants to give things up temporarily in order to get themselves out of their situation they put themselves into in the first place. Heck, if a person just made a commitment and moved forward and no matter what applied themselves then in a year they wouldn't have money worries.

      Even if you have to get a second job delivering pizzas or something just to get the money necessary to start your business... Do it! Don't pile on the excuses... just get it done and in a year you can have all the time off you want!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5814614].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author jamesrich1
    Your absolutely dead on with your advice.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5814681].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Mike Hill
    Even if you set a goal of buying ONE solo ad per week, watching your stats, make the necessary changes and keep going don't you think in a year you would be so much further ahead?

    Heck, all you need is a few hundred bucks to get going... Setup a small sales funnel, start with just a Free Offer and direct those who get the free offer to a simple low-cost Upsell Offer.

    You will (or should) make at least half your advertising dollars back. Run an A/B split test, simple, nothing fancy, and test one element on your landing page until you improve your conversion.

    Constantly improving your conversion will ultimately make you more money. So after a while your conversion is going to be good enough to pay for your ONE solo ad per week.

    It's really that easy folks... It's all about testing and improving your conversion.

    Truth is everyone is scared to try...

    Even if you try and fail you still learned something. Suck back and reload, then try again! Eventually you are going to knock one out of the park... You'll be stunned when you do, I assure you.

    Don't be scared, life is too short to be scared.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5814689].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Nulli Secundus
      Originally Posted by Mike Hill View Post

      Even if you set a goal of buying ONE solo ad per week, watching your stats, make the necessary changes and keep going don't you think in a year you would be so much further ahead?

      Heck, all you need is a few hundred bucks to get going... Setup a small sales funnel, start with just a Free Offer and direct those who get the free offer to a simple low-cost Upsell Offer.

      You will (or should) make at least half your advertising dollars back. Run an A/B split test, simple, nothing fancy, and test one element on your landing page until you improve your conversion.

      Constantly improving your conversion will ultimately make you more money. So after a while your conversion is going to be good enough to pay for your ONE solo ad per week.

      It's really that easy folks... It's all about testing and improving your conversion.

      Truth is everyone is scared to try...

      Even if you try and fail you still learned something. Suck back and reload, then try again! Eventually you are going to knock one out of the park... You'll be stunned when you do, I assure you.

      Don't be scared, life is too short to be scared.
      This is exactly what I've needed to hear, I've been working on trying to generate free traffic for about 75% of all my IM time lately and I haven't seen any results. It can really kill my motivation too. I'm going to take your advice and try out some solo ads with A/B split testing for my squeeze page.
      Signature
      Get your hands on the Make Money Online Guide for FREE($47 value)
      It teaches you how to build a profitable website Step-By-Step!
      Check it out!
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[5814786].message }}

Trending Topics