Search overcame social in 2017 as the top traffic driver on the web. But that doesn’t mean SEO is for you. Sometimes a strategy just isn’t the right fit.

That’s ok. There are other ways to drive traffic outside SEM and SEO. Today we’re going to cover those methods.

Not All Traffic is Equal

If your goal is to merely drive traffic for your website, then fine. You’re probably not going to make much, but you’ll at least see some numbers.

What do I mean? Let’s say you’re a freelance writer looking to bag clients. You don’t laser target your marketing strategy and only aim to gain more traffic to your site. Your numbers go up! But then you don’t get any clients.

Most likely, if you could see who was visiting your site, you’d see people who aren’t interested in hiring you. You want to find clients in your niche. So, you need to laser target those people so you get quality traffic and increase the likelihood you bag clients.

Social Advertising is Still Great

Just because search surpassed social, it doesn’t mean social is useless now. If it were, big brands like Taco Bell wouldn’t be still using it.

Social is best, however, when it’s generated through word of mouth. It doesn’t have to be viral, but it has to be passed around just enough times to be “out there.”

And remember, once you have something on a social platform, especially one like Facebook, it can get found over and over again not unlike a blog post. Instagram is similar. Twitter is a bit transient because a Tweet has a short half-life.

But you need an audience to amplify your content through social. On Facebook, this could mean cultivating a group of like-minded individuals who fit your niche. You can now create Facebook groups as a Page/business. Merely create a Facebook group related to your niche and start posting there as your Page.

Once you grow an audience through Facebook Groups, you then analyse the kind of content being shared through the group and create content the group will spread. This will increase your reach exponentially.

Guest Blogging Ain’t Bad

The Ahrefs CEO was able to boost his traffic by 20% through guest blogging. That’s a pretty good ROI if you ask me.

But again, it’s all about targeting. Just putting content and links on popular sites isn’t going to work. You need to find sites dedicated to your niche and find where your clients hang out.

Those are the places you’ll want to guest post on.

If you’re still confused, here are a few ways to search:

• Add your niche name to “write for us.”
• Add your niche name to “submit guest post.”
• Add your Niche name to “sites that accept guest posts.”

Lastly, find specific companies or bloggers in your niche and reach out to them directly. They may not advertise guest posting or may not have even considered it before.