To take advantage of all the people looking for information online, you need a variety of ways to get traffic to your website or blog. A web site traffic specialist recently gave me a list of more than 100 ways to drive traffic to a site! Some of the tactics are a little complicated. But there are many low tech and low or no cost tactics that are not terribly time consuming. These tactics won't generate tons of traffic overnight, but if you devote a couple of hours a week to a few tactics, over time you will see your traffic increase. Here are 7 simple tactics to start gaining additional web site traffic.

1. Write at least two articles each week and submit them to free article directories. You can submit them manually or use a service such as www.submityourarticle.com to submit them for you. In the "About" box, include a link to your web site as well as information about your services.

2. Start writing a monthly column for your neighborhood newspaper. Penny-saver newspapers are usually looking for content, and you can repurpose your online articles to use offline. Include your web site address at the end of your article as well as information about you and your services.

3. Create an email signature block that promotes your product or services. At the end of each email, after your signature, provide a link to your web site or to a special report that will interest your visitor. As your email is forwarded, it provides another opportunity for a potential client to visit your site.

4. Create an Online News Release strategy. Provide your market and the media with news about your business or industry. There are free and paid news distribution services. At the end of your release, list your contact information including your website address.

5. Advertise in online newsletters. Many newsletter publishers accept advertising and it's not very expensive. Find newsletters that target your market but are not providing the same service that you are. Google "free newsletters" plus the market you are targeting. For example, "free newsletters for stay-at-home moms" brings up a number of free newsletters.

6. Comment in blogs that you visit. As you visit blogs on the web, add comments where appropriate and include the link to your web site. Most blog publishers are fine with this since they encourage interaction.

7. Advertise in an offline publication that targets your market. Usually that is not going to be your local newspaper, so do a little research and you'll find publications your target market reads.

Choose one or two tactics to start. Once you have them going on a routine basis, try another couple of tactics. Not all tactics will work for everyone, and you may be more comfortable with certain tactics. It doesn't matter - just get started and most importantly, be consistent!