So next question is how to build up number of high quality links to your site - here's a few ideas to get you started:

* Swap links with others' sites. Every link swap you set up will eat up a slice of your time - so concentrate on finding sites where it's clear link will be valuable to you. Be polite, add your link to them before you approach them, and don't be too picky if it's you who is doing approaching (just don't ask for a link if you're going to make a bunch of rules).

* Evaluate link requests. If you have a links page (and probably if you don't) and a reasonable amount of traffic - you will undoubtedly get link swap requests from other webmasters. Take a moment to look at their site and their links page before deciding if it's a good deal for you.

* Add a "link to us page". Create a page on your site, which includes information on how (detailed instructions), and why, to link to your site. Make it easy, make it valuable to other webmasters (by for example giving them free content), and over time number of links to you will grow.

* Pay for links. Start your own affiliate program and pay other sites to link to you. You can pay them a percentage of sales they generate for you, or for each visitor they send. The nice thing about this is if you make your program reasonably flexible and commissions in line with your goals, then affiliates will figure out ways to send you kind of traffic you want.

* Create your own free downloadable information product (like E-Books or software for example). Make sure it ties in with main theme of your site - is valuable to users - and then list it at every shareware and freeware directory you can find (there are literally hundreds of these). Most will link directly to downloadable file - but many will also add a free permanent link to your home page (or your page about product). It's worth knowing that some shareware and freeware sites like http://www.zdnet.com/downloads/ and http://download.cnet.com/ have quite incredible amounts of traffic.

Whichever strategies you use to build up links to your site, always be sure that time you put into establishing each link is in balance with value of that link. Keep things in proportion, use your knowledge of "link value" to your advantage, and get linked for mega traffic!

So, we created a whole series of new products - instantly downloadable online guides and sample policies around these topics. They are available in Word, pdf, and html formats - at buyer's choice, and come with a full money back guarantee. The price point - currently $10 for guides, is intended to encourage impulse purchases.

The latest of these products - a "Wrongful Termination Guide" was added in April, and is now achieving a nearly 5% conversion rate in sales. This is far higher than average 1-2% that is typical of most e-commerce sites (and perhaps indicative of current economic climate!) And, with real-time traffic analysis from Hitbox, we are tweaking language and length of our selling pages to see what's most effective with each audience.

Our downloadable products are now generating a steady additional revenue stream, from a source that is very different from traditional markets for this company.

So, lessons learned (and still being learned) from this exercise:

1. Be open to new and different potential audiences for your online business; 2. Study your traffic analysis - there are many valuable clues as to visitor needs that can be translated into new products and services; and 3. Keep monitoring your visitor response and try new spins on your content.

(c) 2001, Philippa Gamse