Getting other websites to link to you is one of the most effective ways to get traffic. You may want to surf the web for other sites that would be of interest to your audience. Create an area on your website for useful links of interest to your audience. Then send a note to the webmasters of these other sites and ask them if they will add a link back to your site. Links in other respected sites are the online equivalent of referrals.
People trust a recommended site and are more likely to visit.
A growing method of getting referrals is by letting others affiliate your site. This is more practical with larger sites that appeal to a broad audience. A second way to get site traffic is through directory listings. Directories and search engines are the source of most traffic to sites. Much has been written about getting search engine and directory traffic, but it comes down to two steps.