How I'd Get Traffic to a New Website if I Had to Start Over (2026)

Getting traffic today is hard, even for the biggest websites on the planet. AI

is eating clicks, social feeds are stealing attention, and ranking on Google is becoming more about how big your brand is. But that doesn't mean new sites are doomed. There are still a

handful of tactics that can drive traffic and grow your brand, even if you're starting from zero. And it all starts with a simple tactic that helps you rank in Google, get recommended by

AI assistants, and attract real customers. and that's listing yourself

customers. and that's listing yourself in the right directories. Directories

tell both Google and users that your brand exists, that it's legit and active in your niche. Start with the obvious ones like Google Business Profile, Yelp,

and Apple Maps. Then move on to the niche specific directories. For example,

Trip Adviser for travel, House for Home Design, and Avo for lawyers. Now, a lot of industries have hundreds of these.

Some won't move the needle at all, but a few can make a huge difference, and those are the ones worth going after.

So, how do you find the right ones?

Simple. Look at what's already working for your competitors. Just enter your domain in HRF site explorer and then go to the link intersect tool. Add a few of your search competitors and run the report. You'll instantly get a list of

report. You'll instantly get a list of sites that are linking to your competitors, but not to you. Just scan

that list for directories and go submit your site there. do it because it's a fast and loweffort way to make your brand more discoverable with a near 100% success rate. And once you've done that,

success rate. And once you've done that, it's time to give people a reason to actually visit your site. And one of the most effective ways to get people to your site is by creating free tools.

Free tools are inherently useful. They

attract backlinks naturally, and they're still amazing traffic generators despite the rise of AI assistance. You see, AI overviews usually show up when someone wants to learn something. And our

research shows that when an AI overview appears in search results, clicks to the top ranking page drop by around 35%.

But when you search for a tool like a mortgage calculator, a list randomizer, or a backlink checker, there's no AI overview, so the clicks are still going

to the website. To build one yourself, you only need to do two things. First,

find a databacked idea. Just open a keyword research tool like HF's keywords explorer. Enter a few broad keywords

explorer. Enter a few broad keywords related to your niche. Then head over to the matching terms report. Then use the include filter and add modifiers like calculator checker converter and

other words that might surface free tools in Google search. Hit apply and you'll find some great keywords to go after. For example, if you run an auto

after. For example, if you run an auto repair or part shop, you might want to make an engine displacement calculator which has solid search demand. It's

genuinely helpful and it's easy to build. You can hire a developer or just

build. You can hire a developer or just use Chat GBT which can spin up simple tools in minutes. Once it's live, follow the steps in our SEO for beginners course to start building back links to

your tool and ranking it to the top of Google. But here's the thing. If you

Google. But here's the thing. If you

don't give those visitors a reason to come back, that traffic's gone the second they close the tab and they ain't coming back. That's why the next tactic

coming back. That's why the next tactic is all about ownership. Go and build your own email list. Email lists are one of the smartest things you can build today because every platform you rely

on. Search, YouTube, social, they all

on. Search, YouTube, social, they all run on algorithms. And as we've all seen, those algorithms can change overnight and wipe out businesses that

over relied on them. But your email list, that's yours. It's the one traffic source where you can type some keys, click a send button, and drive repeat visits to your site. not just your site,

but to your YouTube videos, your social platforms, and even sponsors if you choose to monetize later. And getting

email subscribers works perfectly with free tools. For example, if you have a

free tools. For example, if you have a mortgage calculator, you can offer lead magnets like a first-time buyer course or checklist. And that helps you qualify

or checklist. And that helps you qualify visitors so you can send them new content, products, or updates that actually help them take the next step in their journey. And the best part is that

their journey. And the best part is that it's free to start. Tools like Mailchimp or ConvertKit have starter plans that take just minutes to set up. Giving

people the option to stay connected means you're getting more out of every visitor because once someone leaves your site, there's a good chance they'll never come back. And the few who do

subscribe and receive value may become your most loyal fans. And that's kind of where marketing is heading today. It's

not just about ranking or ads or viral posts anymore. It's about building a

posts anymore. It's about building a community of people who actually care about what you do. That's why creators are thriving because they're building audiences built on relationships. And

there are already places online that help you do exactly that while driving traffic back to your site, like forums and Reddit. These are some of the most

and Reddit. These are some of the most underrated traffic sources out there because they're where your ideal audience already hangs out and asks for help. And when you consistently show up

help. And when you consistently show up with genuinely helpful answers, people start recognizing your name and you get associated with credibility. And while

one, 10, or even 20 posts might not make a massive difference, remember that visibility compounds. So, pick a niche

visibility compounds. So, pick a niche forum or subreddit where your audience lives and contribute consistently. Try

to answer new posts before they get crowded because early replies often stay pinned near the top for years. Now,

posting on every new thread can be timeconuming and there's no guarantee those posts will ever gain any traction.

So, another thing you can do is to post on threads that are already getting traffic from Google because you know that views will be consistent. To do

that, go to hf site explorer and enter reddit.com or your niche forums domain.

Then head over to the organic keywords report which shows all keywords that they rank for in Google. Then select the keyword filter and add a list of keywords relevant to your niche. apply

the filter and you'll get a list of threads, some that are pulling thousands of visits each month. Ideally, you'll

want to post in threads like this one that don't have a ton of comments because fewer comments means less competition, meaning your comment is more likely to stand out. You may not

see immediate revenue growth, but all that community work does one thing that most marketers underestimate. It builds

trust. And trust gives you access to other creators, to brands, to audiences that already have the attention you're trying to earn, which can be super

helpful with the next tactic, sweat equity partnerships. This is where you

equity partnerships. This is where you trade your time, skills, or expertise in exchange for access to someone else's audience. You're trading value for

audience. You're trading value for value. For example, you might offer to

value. For example, you might offer to design free graphics or contribute content they can use. They get value, you get exposure. Or you might create a co-branded tool. You handle the build

co-branded tool. You handle the build and they get to host it on their site with a link back to yours. The goal

isn't just to get a yes, so you shouldn't treat it like a pitch. It's to

identify a real need from someone influential in your space and show up with something that solves it. Now,

obviously, you can't be like, "Hey, can I trade you my sweat equity for access to your audience?"

You want to show that you've done your homework and that they're not just another person you're offering sweat to.

So, you might say something like, "Hey, name, I'm Sam, a longtime newsletter subscriber. I've noticed that you

subscriber. I've noticed that you recommend Nerd Wallet's mortgage calculator in your emails, and you once mentioned that you wish you had this feature. Thought I'd give it a crack,

feature. Thought I'd give it a crack, and I think it makes the tool way more helpful. Is this what you had in mind?"

helpful. Is this what you had in mind?"

This approach works because you're leading with value, not a pitch. From

there, you can let the relationship evolve naturally and collaborate when it makes sense. I almost hate calling this

makes sense. I almost hate calling this a tactic because it's really just about building a relationship with someone inside your niche. And that's becoming more important than ever because we're

entering an era where so much of marketing is automated, templated, and outsourced to AI. As consumers, we can feel that shift. The content's

efficient, but it's starting to feel less human. Which means as a creator,

less human. Which means as a creator, your biggest advantage is you. That's

why you need to create experienced driven content. As marketers, we default

driven content. As marketers, we default to mechanics. How do I rank? How do I

to mechanics. How do I rank? How do I get more traffic? How do I get more signups? Tell me step by step. And

signups? Tell me step by step. And

everything I've shared so far, building tools, growing your email list, showing up on forums and Reddit, partnering with brands, they all still work, but they're

tactics anyone can copy.

Experience-driven content is the part no one can steal. It's what makes people choose you over everyone else. It's that

human layer that ties all the puzzle pieces together and actually makes the tactics work well. So, how do you create this type of content? Well, step one, do

something worth talking about. And step

two, tell that story. Here's the deal.

If you don't have anything interesting to say, it's probably because you're not doing anything interesting. Traffic is

just traffic. If you want to leave a meaningful impression on people, it's the interesting things you actually do that make people want to subscribe, share your tools, and recommend your

content. And the cooler the thing you're

content. And the cooler the thing you're doing, the more you'll want to talk about it on your site, in your emails, and across communities like niche forums and Reddit. So, if I were starting from

and Reddit. So, if I were starting from scratch, this is the mindset that I'd go in with to fuel my website. Live the

story only you can tell and build the systems that help it spread.