It can be really exciting to get a web site for your business and a lot of pride goes
along with knowing that you now have an internet presence! However, many
people don't realize that having a site is not worth very much to you if you're the
only one who knows it's there.
The following are recommendations for promoting your site:
(1) Live, breathe and eat your site - Well, OK, maybe I'm exaggerating this point
but what I mean is that you should always have your site at the forefront of your
mind. By doing this, you'll remember to tell people that you meet about it, you'll
remind your family and friends about it, etc. It's very important to let everyone you
come in contact with know about your site, especially if you provide a service!
Even if someone isn't in need of your service right now, they may be in the near
future! Also, they may be talking to someone a week later who is looking for the
service you're providing!
(2) Take the time to research how search engines work! The vast majority of
popular sites on the internet can attribute their site's traffic to search engines. It's
important that your site is registered with the search engines. Sites like
http://www.sitesell.com and http://www.searchenginewatch.com can help you learn
all about how search engines work. The word you need to keep in mind when
trying to get listed is "Persistence"! If at all possible, take the time to submit your
site manually and keep track of how it's doing. Don't "spam" the search engines by
submitting too often but keep a watch on your positioning and re-submit as
needed, in accordance with each search engine's guidelines.
(3) Promotional items - This goes without saying, almost. The single most important
item that can promote your business is business cards! They're pretty inexpensive
when bought in bulk (about $.03/card if you buy 1000) and they're so readily
accepted. I give my card out to just about everyone I come in contact with. You
will be surprised how many people need your services once they know that you
provide them. When you give someone your card, you're not just giving it to them.
You're giving it to people they come in contact with because, like I mentioned
earlier, someone may ask them a week later if they know anyone providing your
service. Remember that people love FREE stuff! If you can have T-shirts, pens,
caps, etc. printed with your site's name and URL, people will gladly accept these. I
haven't had anyone say "No thank you" yet!
(4) Run a contest - One of the best ways to get visitors to a business site is to run a
contest! Internet users seem to love to win things as one would expect. The better
the prize, the more visits you'll probably get! As a part of the contest, have them
subscribe to your newsletter, that way you have their permission to contact them in
the future. Just be sure that your newsletter is something they'll be interested in so
that you can hang onto them as subscribers! Consider offering internet tips/tricks,
great sites to visit, sites where you can get free items, etc. Our newsletter includes
all of these topics and it's been pretty well received.
(5) Have a newsletter - As mentioned in #4, a newsletter is a great way to not only
keep in contact with site visitors but to also contribute something positive to their
internet experience. Be sure to remind your subscribers that they did subscribe to
the newsletter at the beginning and offer an easy way to unsubscribe at the end.
Write the unsubscribe statement in a way that they're compelled to stay with the
newsletter because if you have a good newsletter, they won't want to miss out on
anything!
(6) Have a press release written about your site - Think about your site objectively
and try to come up with a "niche", something unique about your site that maybe
others aren't doing or that you're doing better. If possible, have a professional write
it so that your release doesn't come off as a sales pitch which tends to happen
when site owners write their own release. Press release writers also have a way
with words and know what works and what doesn't.
Start taking site promotion seriously and "Knock their socks off"!
Glennette Yelverton is the President of Premium Web Design which specializes in
everything from domain registration to site creation/promotion. They can host your
site, design it for you, and even promote it as well. Get a FREE site consultation
today by emailing siteconsult@premiumwebdesign.com and putting "Free site
consult" in the subject. Visit Premium Web Design today at
http://www.premiumwebdesign.com/ or call them at (912) 888-8262.