There are a variety of ways to promote your website and your business. These are just a few examples of what you can do to draw traffic to your website.
Five items that require just a little time and no expense. Quick and free, everyone should be doing these.
A
short list of things that cost money but don’t take much time.
Some
promotional activities that take time, but don’t cost money.
Five
items that require just a little time and no expense:
Directory listings – Yahoo and The Open Directory Project are the two biggies
in this category. We offer
submission to these directories as part of our web design services.
Search Engine submission – We offer this as part of our web design services. If you are listed with Yahoo and The Open Directory Project, you will eventually be seen in most major search engines. Just in case, you should submit to some of the other engines including Alta Vista, Google, Excite, Lycos and HotBot. Make sure your title tags are descriptive and your META tags include all of your primary keywords.
Reciprocal links – Find a site that has content that is complimentary to your site, e-mail the Webmaster and ask for permission to link to their site. When you have the link in place on your site, send another e-mail and request a reciprocal link. If you have a list of these sites, your web designer can include them as your site is being constructed.
E-mail signature file – most email programs allow an e-mail signature of several lines. This should include your name, company, phone, e-mail and your website address. You can set this feature up once, and it will attach this information to every e-mail you send.
Autoresponder – most e-mail programs have the capability of sending an
automatic response to every e-mail that you receive. Your Webmaster can probably set up auto responders to return
the same type of response as soon as the incoming message is received by your
internet provider.
A
short list of things that cost money but don’t take much time.
Yahoo directory express submission- $200 will get you an answer in less than a week, there’s no guarantee your site will be accepted, but you will know quicker. Your site needs to be fully ready when it is submitted to Yahoo, “under construction” signs are a definite disqualifier. You may submit a site to one of the Yahoo! regional directories at no charge. Yahoo rankings depend very much on the keywords in your title and description, and the keywords in the category name you are listed under. The title used in your Yahoo listing is usually your business name, Yahoo is quite strict on this. The description you submit to Yahoo should focus on your most important keyword. To submit to Yahoo, simply go to the category where you wish to have your site listed and click on the "Suggest a Site" link at the bottom of that page.
Add your web address to everything that leaves your office, you are paying for these items anyway. Put your e-mail and web address on all stationary, business cards, brochures and any advertising items that you have. Put a business card with your new web address in every envelope you mail. Use your print advertising and other media to promote your website.
You can buy advertising space to display your banner ad on another website, just like an ad in the newspaper or a magazine.
Some
promotional activities that take time, but don’t cost money.
Post free classified ads on the internet. There are thousands of sites that accept free classified ads, many with a category for listing your service. Try to place a few ads every day.
Research sites that might be interesting to your clients. Contact the webmaster and request a reciprocal link, many people feel this is the most productive type of link.
Find the sites that serve or promote your type of business. The OPIA website serves as an excellent example. This is one of the first listings when you search for the words “Oklahoma private investigator.” Visitors to the site can be confident that they are being referred to a website owned by a member of a professional organization.
You can participate in newsgroups and online discussions related to the needs of your clients. These newsgroups were developed to share useful information with other people that share a common interest. Responding to someone’s request for information in one of these forums gives you the opportunity to show that you are knowledgeable in their area of interest. Be sure to use a signature that includes your name, company, phone, e-mail and your website address.
Write newsletter articles or consider publishing your own newsletter. Many newsletters include a link to author’s website. These articles can also be archived or included on your website.
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