Marketing Your Web Site
Search engines such as Google Yahoo and MSN receive tens of millions of hits every day, because people use these tools to locate specific information on the Web. Free and simple, this is probably the most important way to get people to your site. With services such as "http://www.submit-it.com" It you can register with dozens of search engines in one simple step. Go to the site and fill out a form with information about your site. Then select the sites you want to submit that form to. Be sure to read the FAQ for a better understanding of how the process works.
While submission services makes registering easy, the best results are obtained by registering with each search engine individually. That way you can customize your information to suit each one. To do this, you'll have to actually go to each site and fill out its online form. While you may not want to do this for dozens of sites, do it for the top ten search engines. What are they? Find out at Search Engine Watch. When registering with directories like Yahoo!, it's important to determine how you want your site to be categorized and by which keywords you would like to be identified. Study the search engine carefully and decide where your site would be best indexed. Although Yahoo! lets you register in multiple categories, many others will only accept your URL. To ensure that people can find your site, make sure the text on your home page accurately describes the site's purpose and contents.
Also be aware that once you register your site, it can take weeks before the listing shows up. Check regularly to make sure the listing is there. If it hasn't appeared after a month, contact someone at the service to find out why your listing isn't there. Don't be afraid to be aggressive. It works!
Several sites maintain updated lists of what's new on the Web. Unlike search engines, these places do not automatically list your site just because you send them your information. Usually someone will review and evaluate your site before adding it to the list. That's why being listed in one of these indexes has prestige. One of the most popular is Yahoo! What's New page. Plenty of other sites list newcomers by category or type. You'll have to do some research to find the ones that are appropriate to your particular site.
Give some thought before you post in newsgroups or mailing lists. Don't blindly use these forums as a way to promote your website or you could find yourself spammed or harassed. If the content of your site has something valuable to offer a specific audience, then find the appropriate newsgroups and mailing lists and let those people know about it.
Traditional marketing methods can be highly successful, if you have the money to invest. If you decide to place print ads in various publications, make sure they are targeted to your audience.
Be sure to include your site name and URL in all of your advertisements and marketing materials. Send press releases to Internet-related publications. If your budget supports it, you might consider hiring a Web-savvy Internet marketer to help spread the word and come up with creative ideas for generating traffic to your site.
Advertising online is another possibility . In general, when you buy advertisements, whether in print or on the Web, you are paying for the number of impressions--the number of times your ad is seen. The rate is also determined by how highly targeted the audience is. For instance, if you are selling graphics software, you want to reach design professionals. If you advertise to a general audience, most of those people will have no interest in your product. So while it may cost more to advertise to a targeted audience of graphic artists, the chances are greater that they will have an interest in your product.
A very important consideration is for you to never underestimate the value of links. Find websites related to your area of interest and ask their webmasters to link to your site. Many sites will do that for free, especially if you reciprocate. With new sites coming online all the time, this should be an ongoing process and is becoming more and more important for good search engine rankings. |
