I think Web designers and people with creative ideas really wish there was a way to build traffic and start earning a lot of money from their Web site. I really find it sad that there is no resource for these people to do that, and that most of the resources they turn to wind up being irrelevant. A lot of people I talk to have some great ideas and I really wish they could get the resources to increase their traffic with some self-promotion as well as monetize their Web site and really start earning some cash.

If you think about any company right now, you have to realize that the only way they became so big was by abusing the privileges they gave to you. I know that sounds odd, but it is sort of true. Think about Google’s Adsense for a moment. You know for a fact that they are earning much more money on Adsense than you ever will with your Web site. In fact, most of the services companies make available to you are probably earning them 90% more money than you will ever earn using the same service. Being a young man, it is tough for me to imagine a world where every business is abusing these dreams. But the sooner you realize it, the sooner you can change it.

HellYeahDude earns a fair amount of traffic for having launched just a few months ago. I want to discuss some of the ways that I have been able to increase my traffic, some of the social networks that you can submit to and some services you should monetize to.

Services, Networks and Self-Promotion Tools:
1. Newstoday.com

It is really important to find Web sites that focus on the public broadcasting of news. If you are able to sign up and broadcast a link to the viewers of that Web site, then you’re essentially getting free traffic. While it is self-promotion, it’s okay to do this because you’re making others aware of your cause. Remember to have interesting headlines with your broadcasts to attract the most viewers.

2. Stylegala.com

This is another public broadcast self-promotion tool. Stylegala and Newstoday actually account for 60% of the traffic received at HellYeahDude. These tools must be used wisely, so please don’t abuse them.

3. Digg.com

Who cares if your story doesn’t go to the front page? You’ll receive a good amount of traffic from the diggers that count. You will receive incoming tracks from the “your category / incoming” side of your submission. So keep posting to Digg. You will get readers.

4. Share This

Use the “Share This” plugin for wordpress. Use that plugin yourself; marketing to each social network every time you make a new post. Submit to the sites that count. For example, submit to Reddit. Submit to all the services you use—especially StumbleUpon and Del.icio.us. The more you post and the more you promote, the more traffic you will get. While I have not received much traffic from Reddit, I have received sudden waves of traffic from StumbleUpon. But it is wise to keep up with your social marketing. You want to keep those links to your Web site up, increasing your Google Page Rank at any chance possible.

5. Commenting

It seems to be an old art form now, but continue to comment on other blogs and make your “name” the name of your Web site. Post interesting and useful comments that are relevant to the post. Get involved to increase the credit of your Web site. You want readers who are going to agree with your cause. Fake Steve Jobs is a very good example. He turned a humorous job into a very marketable adventure. Everyone who enjoyed his Web site really backed his cause. Get behind your readers, not against them.

Using these strategies, you will gain traffic. Obviously, other Web sites are going to try and trick you into using paid services to gain money and traffic. But don’t fall into it. If you really have emotion about your cause, then you will have the time to promote it. Remember to find forums and Web sites similar to yours and become friends with them. Post topics in the forums and post on Design Float. Keep using those social networks to your own advantage. If you have a positive cause, others will see it to! I am sure that you will have plenty of ideas for marketing once you use these services. Obviously you can hold contests and force your readers to promote your own Web site.

Monetizing your cause to earn a little bit of cash.

First, remember that any service that you use to sell advertisement space on your Web site will probably take a good portion of your possible income. I strongly disagree with services that take a portion of your earnings. While they are useful, I disagree with them because you could be doing so many other things to make money! Start writing emails to other Web sites or blogs, asking them if they would like to advertise. Give them a discount or offer them something in return. That form of strategic marketing is your best resource for maximizing your total revenue.

You are going to earn the most money from selling advertisements on your own terms. But it is going to be difficult until you have a well-established Web site. So concentrate on promotion, and remember to give yourself some credit. Tell your advertisers about your Google Page Rank. Give them statistics of your Web site traffic, as well as how many outgoing links are going to their own Web site. Keep track of everything!

The only other service that I agree with is Text Link Ads. You are only posting small on your Web site. They are easily avoided by your visitors, but seen by the people who they will count on. While the service does take a large chunk out of your revenue, it is good to use this service since they promote your Web site inside of their own network. All you have to do is install them and wait.

I am sure there are plenty more ways to increase traffic and monetize. I think there needs to be a place for others to share REAL strategies, instead of just tricking each other into unreliable services. While I realize there are plenty of forums that focus on this, I think it is an unreliable resource.

Idea Per Post:
I wish there was a way to create a wordpress plugin named, “Blogliography”. This plugin would create a bibliography for every post that you make. Meaning that users who use the plugin would have to list their resources! Imagine a world where every blog post was a small book. We could make books disappear.