The biggest challenge to any new website is how to generate enough traffic more often referred to as visitors. Getting visitors to your website or affiliate links involves copious amounts of hard work which should include writing quality articles and then submitting them to the top article directories.

If there is one key factor which can all but eliminate a lot of this work it is list building. Having a list is probably the single most important aspect to generate traffic to your site: Not only traffic but targeted traffic.

Building a list it is not easy because you still have to generate sufficient traffic to a website your websites to allow you to capture their details using what is know as an opt-in form. Using an opt-in form you exchange a free report or free offer, sometimes a subscription to a free newsletter for their name and email address. Today it is possible to cut corners and purchase a ready-made list but you need to give careful consideration about whom you buy your list from. Unscrupulous companies may not take spam seriously and you could end up breaking the law. Quality, highly targeted lists from reputable companies are going to cost you big money. You should consider using double opt-in lists.

How do you build your own list? Experienced Internet marketers use what is called a squeeze page. You can purchase a ready made squeeze page which could be useful especially if you are not technically capable of creating your own graphics and/or building web pages. A squeeze page is nothing more than a single web page which invites a visitor to give you their name and email address in exchange for a free report/eBook or the opportunity to receive your regular newsletter. The latter only works if you are willing to write a regular newsletter with informative and useful information which the subscriber should find worthwhile. Similarly any free report or eBook should add value to the visitors experience. It is imperative that you build trust from the outset because you will need them to trust you when you come to promote your offers to them latter. You might want to consider streaming embedded video within your squeeze page to help sell your free offer. The visitor is paying with their name and email address.

If you have pots of money at your disposal you may want to consider setting up many squeeze pages on different domains. The costs are purchasing the domain names and subsequently hosting those domains. You should also consider using Pay per click advertising to send traffic to your squeeze pages.

You can use article marketing to send traffic to your squeeze pages. Chris Cobb has some really useful eBooks focusing on squeeze pages and how to use them as part of his Clickbank Cash System.

Chris Cobbs Clickbank Cash System has some pertinent information on setting up and using auto-responders – used to capture visitors to your list and promoting to your list.

Regardless of your budget building a list is going to take time. If you want to make money online then you would be well advised to invest your time on creating good quality squeeze pages.

The money is all in the list . . .