Running a Contests for your Site is the new SEO

In this day and age, it is very hard to rank at Search Engines. However, there is one new phenomenon albeit already used by most internet marketers, they are still to be taken advantage of by newbies in online marketing.

What I am talking about are CONTESTS on your website. Contests can be in many form as listed below:

1. Facebook Like Contest - Convince people to like your page or any of your posts and they are automatically entered into a contest. That would surge the number of people visiting your website or blog.
2. Twitter Tweet Contest - Just like Facebook, Twitter can have a viral effect on your blog if you allow people to join your contest by tweeting your post.
3. Guest Blogging Contest - Allow internet marketers to guest blog on your site, this could help create more content for your site and drive to their sites too. Since guest blogging is more difficult than just tweeting and liking with FB, you can allot higher points or number of entries for your contest for those who choose Guest Blogging as a way of joining your contest.

You can run your contest through the use of a plugin. If you are using content management like Joomla, Drupal or WordPress, it is possible that you will be able to find a plugin that shall help you run a contest for your blog. It is also possible to do it yourself manually. Assign an email address where you can received messages from those interested in joining the contest. After they have made the FB Like and Twitter Tweets, you will manually check if they really have done so. As to guest blogging, you can create an account for the guest blogger that shall only allow them to create drafts that shall be subject to your approval.

Create an Excel file of the allotted points or entries made and run a random command to choose the winner after the contest has been closed for new entries.

Be sure to make it a point to be transparent about the contest. Dedicate a post or page for the rules and mechanics. Always update everyone as the contest is ongoing and publish the results of the contest. If you pay money through PayPal for the winners, inform them immediately at the start that only those who have PayPal may join the contest.

It is better though, if you have other options of paying the winners so as not to limit the participants only to those that has PayPal.

Comments are social proof to your blog. The more comments that you have means that your blog or website is popular and people are interacting through their comments. You can encourage more comments by including commenting in your contest. Provide points or contest entries for those that provide relevant comments on your blog that proves that they have your read your blog post or article.

Make your website go viral now! Go run a contest!