In the world of search engine optimization and advanced marketing, it seems like nothing good can be gained for free these days. Between tweaks in social media algorithms that now require additional spending to maintain the same level of reach as before and stiff competition in many free mediums, it can be overwhelming to think that the only way your audience can grow is through spending tons of money. Fortunately, there are a variety of free ways in which you can boost traffic and generate more leads, conversions and sales. In the following article, we’ll discuss three of these ways – which are often overlooked – in order to help your website or brand live up to its true potential.

Create a Podcast

If you want to provide valuable content, boost exposure and have access to its distribution through a reputable source, then podcasts are a great and free way to do so. You can sign up for an iTunes podcast account with virtually no hassle and begin having your content featured with them. Once you have signed up, you can then begin pinging to Google and others all of your podcasts by embedding them in your website. In addition to this, you can also include a short code in your website that allows users to subscribe to your podcasts so that they receive them automatically. A properly managed podcast infrastructure can generate anywhere from hundreds to tens of thousands of additional impressions per month.

Use Answer Portals

Places where you can provide answers and expertise are another gold mine of opportunity for those who want to build links in areas where relevant audiences will see them. Sites such as Yahoo Answers and Quora can be a great place to engage with audiences on a variety of questions, and provide more insight into the subject by also providing a link to your site. When answering a question with a professional tone, you are much more likely to generate clicks and page views than by simply including a link in the comments section of a blog. This may not provide much in terms of direct SEO benefits, but it can drastically boost traffic when utilized properly and applied in a niche-like fashion.

Create YouTube Videos

Last but not least, creating YouTube videos is a great way to capitalize upon traffic and even earn a bit of revenue on the side. If you have time to create dozens of videos, then the monthly views from each can really add up. You can use this both as a form of revenue (through ads/YouTube), as well as generate clicks for your website from each video. Since YouTube videos as of late are pinging to Google with massive authority, it can also help boost your site’s rankings in select SERPs. Many web-based brands are built primarily off of the attention and traffic they generate from YouTube, and it’s absolutely free if you already have a video camera or mobile device that is capable of capturing video/audio.