So you have built your web site and it is online. How do people find it? To win visitors and customers, web site owners must promote and that takes both time and money.
Following are some of the inexpensive techniques. Some will work yet others may not. The key is to find those that best suit your needs.
Put your URL everywhere!
Include your URL (web site address) on everything. If you put your name or phone number somewhere, your URL should also appear. This will certainly include business cards, stationery, signs, literature, forms, packaging, ads, promotional items and include it in every email you send. Preface it with http:// (so it reads http://www.yoursite.com) and will be "clickable" when viewed online or in email. If you participate in any online bulletin boards, include your URL with your posts.
Press Releases
This is a great way to promote your web site off and online. Choose a web site or e-zine that caters to the same people your web site is targeting. Additionally, the online medium may be used to augment your offline PR efforts.
Newsletters
ERROR MSG If you run sales, offer special activities at certain times or have interesting content to share, consider writing a newsletter on a regular basis. Offer a way for people to sign up via your web site (they can simply email you and request to be added to your list). If you have a storefront, offer a sign-up book or register so customers can request your newsletter. Send it via email. Avoid sending newsletters to people who haven't requested to be emailed (spam).
Online Auctions
ERROR MSG Do you offer a product? Consider selling it online at an auction site. Include a link to your web site. Auction sites get a lot of traffic and people will click on links to your site to learn more about your product.
Affiliate Programs
An affiliate program allows other web site owners to sell your products and services on their web sites. In return, you pay them a percentage of your sales earnings. This is a definite win-win scenario because both parties benefit from the relationship.
Banner Ads
The key to a successful banner is getting people who see it interested enough to click on it. Design a banner that is both appealing and catchy. Sometimes, simpler is better. Targeting is also key, so place your banner on sites that appeal to the right audience.
Referrals
One of the simplest ways to spread the word about your site is to let your visitors and other online businesses do it for you. Request link exchanges (or reciprocal links) from other businesses that might interest a similar target audience as yours. You might also acquire a cgi program or sign up with a company that enables your visitors to send out referral messages.
Search Engines Checked by NetMechanic
This is by far the most important promotion tool available to the webmaster—novice or advanced. It is important because search engines are the primary tools used by anyone to look for something or someone on the internet. Check out online services such as NetMechanic Hotel a cordoba that provides tools to submit your site to a number of search engines easily.
If you use the web building tool at ASBDCNow.com, use the tools provided there. After you sign in to work on your site, click on the "Promote" tab and follow the instructions provided.
