How do I get visitors to my Web site? It's the question everyone is asking, so I'll attempt to answer it with some simple solutions.

1. Your site needs to be optimized for search engines. When you paste text from a MS Word document directly into your blog or Web site, it creates pages of crappy code that has nothing to do with your content. Some sites actually drive traffic away because of the hidden code that only the engines read is so messed up, the robots avoid it. Always post under the html tab rather than the compose or design feature of your blog or Web site. Then re-activate the links using the link feature of your program. If you don't know how to do this, have a technical person teach you so you can do your own updates and posting. It's frustrating to have to pay someone to make simple changes or wait until they can get around to helping you.

2. Provide good content and keywords on your site that people use to look for your topic. There are plenty of sites on the Internet (many are free) where you can search to see what keywords are most popular.

3. Offer something or ask for a response. You want to have something on the site to offer visitors so they will return. Ask them to sign up for your RSS feed, subscribe to your newsletter, or post a comment. Give them a free report, eBook, or an electronic product available as a digital download. Make sure the product is something you have legal rights to.

4. Read blogs and leave comments on sites where readers of your genre hang out. An author can get the kind of people who are interested in purchasing and reading his books to visit his site by determining a target market. Romance books have a different audience than books about motorcycles. But, that's not to say that you can't sell in cross markets, it just makes better sense to market to someone who needs or wants what you have to offer. Locate blogs relevant to the topic of your book and start interacting with people there. When you strike up a conversation, be sure to mention your book.

Wherever there is a living, breathing human being, there is a potential reader. Keep your marketing hat on at all times.