Traffic-generation is a hot topic for marketers. In particular, "free traffic" seems to be the desire of most. But many sources of "free" traffic are not really free-they take your time, which can often be more valuable than spending a few dollars on your marketing.

The best idea is to combine the better sources of free traffic with some paid advertising. I propose three methods that will boost your traffic. If you remain dedicated to these three methods of advertising, you will get all the traffic you need. These sources are: 1) Writing and distributing articles; 2) Contributing to forums; and 3) Writing and buying ezine ads.

1. Writing and distributing articles

This is my favourite way of driving traffic to my sites. Articles have the ability to become viral, and that can be a huge plus for you, and a great reason to write articles. Focus on creating a 300 word article related to the theme of your site or business. Include a resource box at the end of your article that features a link back to your site. Then, distribute your article to article distribution sites (like EzineArticles.com) and email groups (like http://groups.yahoo.com/group/business_articles). You will see traffic from this method.

2. Contributing to forums

The key word here is "contributing." Recently, too many good forums have been besieged by "marketers" posting ads. This is considered to be forum spam, and is not in good taste. Instead, visit forums, read posts, and when you have a good, well-thought-out question or reply, post it to the forum. This type of question or reply allows you to build credibility in that forum, and will earn interest in your business from other readers. Most forums allow you to post a link at the end of your post, or in a signature file, and you can promote your business there. As you build credibility, you will build traffic.

3. Buying ezine ads

This is a paid method of advertising, but it works, because it is the most targeted of these approaches. Write a concise ad for your business, and link to either a lead-capture page or directly to your autoresponder. Then, begin contacting ezines to place your ad. (Do a search for "ezine directories," and you will find enough lists to keep you busy.) When you contact an ezine, look for rates for both classified ads and solo ads. The advantage to a solo ad is that your ad goes out by itself in a separate email, but they can be more expensive. Because these ads are targeted (you should NOT advertise in an unrelated ezine), you will definitely see traffic, but you will need to track your results to see which ezines bring you the most and best traffic.

These three sources of traffic will keep you busy and will bring you all the traffic you need.

Jeremy M. Hoover is a proofreader, copywriter, and online content writer. Email him to see how he can help your business, or visit his website -- http://hoovermarketing.info -- for affiliate marketing information.