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Marketing Home
27 Ways to Promote Your WebSite
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___ 1. Write a Page
Title. Write a descriptive title for each page of 5 to 8 words. Remove as
many "filler" words from the title, such as "the," "and,"
etc. This page title appears on the Web search engines when your page is
found. Entice surfers to click on the title by making it a bit provocative.
Place this at the top of the Web page between the <HEADER></HEADER>
tags, in this format: <TITLE>Web Marketing Checklist -- 26 Ways to
Promote Your Site</TITLE>. Hint: use some descriptive keywords along
with your business name on your home page. Instead of "Acme Cutlery,
Inc." use "Acme Cutlery -- Pocketknives, Butchering Sets, and
Kitchen Knives". The more people see in the blue highlighted portion
of the search engine that interests them, the more likely they are to click
on the link.
___ 2. List Keywords. To get your juices flowing, sit down with some
associates and brainstorm a list of 50 to 100 keywords or keyphrases --
the kind of words or phrases someone might search on to find a business
or site like yours. Then refine the list to the most important 20 or so.
Place those words at the top of the Web page, between the <HEADER></HEADER>
tags, in a META tag in this format:
<META NAME="KEYWORDS" CONTENT="promoting, promotion, Web
marketing, online sales ...">
Note, however, that some research on search engine algorithms indicates
that a fewer number of keywords may help you better target the most important
search if you're working to increase your page's ranking on the search engines.
Consider using both lowercase and capitalized forms of your very most important
words, since some search engines are capitalization-specific. Make sure
that you don't repeat any word more than three times so you're not penalized
for "keyword spamming.".
___ 3. Write a Page Description. Select the most important 20 keywords,
and write a careful 200 to 250 character (including spaces) sentence or
two. You don't need to repeat any words used in the page title. Keep this
readable but tight. Eliminate as many "filler" or "throwaway"
words as you can (such as: and, the, a, an, company, etc.) to make room
for the important words, the keywords which do the actual work for you.
Place those words at the top of the Web page, between the <HEADER></HEADER>
tags, in a META tag in this format:
<META NAME="DESCRIPTION" CONTENT="Increase visitor hits,
attract traffic through submitting URLs, META tags, news releases, banner
ads, and reciprocal links">
___4. Submit Page to Search Engines. Next, submit your page to the
important Web search engines and directories. To do this, consider using
a submission service such as Submit-It
or All4one Submission Machine
The most important search engines that robotically "spider" or
index your site are: AltaVista, Excite, HotBot, Lycos, Infoseek, WebCrawler,
and Northern Light.
___5. Submit Page to Yahoo. Yahoo is the most important listing of
all -- though it's technically a directory, rather than a search engine.
It uses real humans to read (and too often, pare down) your 200 character
sentence, so be very careful, and follow their instructions. http://www.yahoo.com/docs/info/include.html
Hint:
I've learned to use less than the maximum number of characters allowable.
If the Yahoo editor starts chopping your wordy copy, he or she may not leave
as much as you'd like.
___6. Submit Page to Other Directories. You've probably seen offers
to submit your pages to 300 different search engines. These don't help much,
except to increase the perceived "popularity" of your site by
some of the major search engines. The most important 25 directories are
probably enough, unless you find some specific to your industry. Most of
the rest aren't really search engines at all, just an excuse to solicit
you for "upgraded listings." These marginal directories come and
go very quickly, making it hard to keep up.
___7. Request Links on Industry Sites. You probably belong to various
trade associations that feature member sites. Ask for a link. Even if you
have to pay something for a link, it may bring you the kind of targeted
traffic you crave.
___8. Include URL on Stationery, Cards, and Literature. Make sure
that all reprints of cards, stationery, brochures, and literature contain
your company's URL. And see that your printer gets the URL syntax correct.
In print, I recommend leaving off the http:// part and including only the
www.domain.com portion.
___9. Promote using traditional media. Don't discontinue print advertising
you've found effective. But be sure to include your URL in any display or
classified ads you purchase in trade journals, newspapers, etc. View your
website as an information adjunct to the ad. Catch readers' attention with
the ad, and then refer them to a Web page where they can obtain more information
or perhaps place an order. Sometimes these ads are more targeted, more effective,
and less expensive than online advertising. Consider other traditional media
to drive people to your site, such as direct mail, classifieds, post cards,
etc. Since SuperBowl 1999 we've seen TV used extensively to promote sites,
since the Web is now considered a mass medium, though it is probably too
broad for all but the most general portal sites.
___10. Develop a Free Service. It's one thing to say, "Come
to our site and learn about our business." It's quite another to say
"Use the free kitchen remodeling calculator available exclusively on
our site."
Make no mistake, it's expensive in time and energy to develop free resources
but it is very rewarding in increased traffic to your site. Make sure
that your free service is closely related to what you are selling so the
visitors you attract will be good prospects for your business. Give visitors
multiple opportunities and links to cross over to the sales part of your
site.
___11. Request Reciprocal Links. Find complementary websites and
request a reciprocal link to your site (especially to your free service,
if you offer one). Develop an out-of-the way page where you put links
to other sites -- so you don't send people out the back door as fast as
you bring them in the front door.
___12. Issue News Releases. Find newsworthy events (such as launching
your free service), and send news releases to print and Web periodicals
in your industry. Note: opening or redesigning a website is seldom newsworthy
these days. You may want to use a Web news release service, such as one
offered by Eric Ward's URLwire (http://www.urlwire.com)
or Audette Media's Internet News Bureau (http://www.newsbureau.com/welcome.cgi?1017)
___13. Request Links from Business Link Sites. Especially if you
offer a free service, you can request links from many of the small business
linking pages on the Web. When you have something free to offer, many
doors open to you. Surf the Net looking for places that might link to
your site. Then e-mail the site owner or webmaster with your site name,
URL, and a brief 200-word description of what you offer there.
___14. Capture Visitor E-mail Addresses and Request Permission
to Send Updates. On your website's response form, include a checkbox where
the visitor can give you permission to e-mail updates about products or
services. Now your e-mails to visitors are not "spam." You're
responding to their request for more information. I recommend capturing
first and last name in separate fields so you can market personally to
them. But only ask for the information you need or they won't fill it
out.
___15. Publish an E-Mail Newsletter. While it's a big commitment
in time, publishing a weekly, monthly, or quarterly newsletter is one
of the very best ways to keep in touch with your prospects, generate trust,
develop brand awareness, and build future business. You can distribute
your newsletter using your e-mail program, or have people subscribe on
your website directly to a listserver program (such as Majordomo) offered
by your Internet Service Provider.
___16. Install a "Signature" in your E-Mail Program.
Most e-mail programs such as Eudora, Netscape, or Outlook allow you to
designate a "signature" to appear at the end of each message
you send. Limit it to 6 to 8 lines: Company name, address, phone number,
URL, e-mail address, and a one-phrase description of your unique business
offerings. Look for examples on e-mail messages sent to you.
___17. Promote Your Site in Mailing Lists and News Groups. The
Internet offers thousands of very targeted mailing lists and news groups
made up of people with very specialized interests. Use DejaNews http://www.dejanews.com
to find appropriate sources. Don't bother with news groups constituted
of pure "spam." Instead, find groups where a dialog is taking
place. Don't use aggressive marketing and overtly plug your product or
service, even if you see some jerks doing so. Rather, add to the discussion
in a helpful way and let the "signature" at the end of your
e-mail message do your marketing for you. People will gradually get to
know and trust you, visit your site, and do business with you.
___18. Join a Mall. You may gain a little traffic this way, but
not a lot. The biggest and free-est mall, if you will, is Yahoo. Get a
good listing there, and you won't need other malls very much. Paying to
be in a mall is seldom a good investment.
___19. Announce a Contest. People like getting something free.
If you publicize a contest or drawing available on your site, you'll generate
more traffic than normal.
___20. Join a Banner Exchange Program. Of the many banner exchange
programs, LinkExchange is the
biggest. Essentially, you agree to show a rotating banner on your site
for other LinkExchange members, and they do the same for you, and there's
a possibility you'll earn something through paid banner ads, too. Full
list of banner exchange programs at http://bannertips.com/exchangenetworks.shtml
___21. Purchase Banner Ads on Appropriate Sites. You may need to
spend money to boost traffic by purchasing banner advertising. Choose
sites that seem to attract the kinds of people who would be good prospects
for your business or product. Expect to pay $10 to $40 per thousand people
who see your ad, and achieve a click-through rate of 0.5% to 1%. You can
find media brokers who can help you find appropriate and cost-effective
places to advertise, especially if you have a significant advertising
budget for branding purposes.
___22. Buy a Text Ad in an E-Mail Newsletter. Businesses are finding
that some of the best advertising buys are for small 4 to 12 line ads
in established e-mail newsletters. Ads can both inform and motivate readers
to click on the URL, and tend to bring much more targeted visitors.
___23. Rent targeted e-mail lists. We abhor "spam," bulk
untargeted, unsolicited e-mail, and you'll pay a very stiff price in reputation
and cancelled services if you yield to temptation here. But the direct
marketing industry has developed targeted e-mail lists you can rent consisting
of people who have agreed to receive commercial e-mail messages. Do a
smaller test first to determine the quality of the list.
___24. Employ search engine positioning. Registering your site
with the search engines is the first step. But with tens of millions of
webpages, your site may hardly be visible. These days you may need to
construct a series of gateway pages, each tuned for a particular search
phrase and search engine. Then fine-tune these gateway pages to rank high
using a program such as Web Position
Gold. Many small businesses outsource search engine positioning because
of the considerable time investment it requires.
___25. Begin an Affiliate Program. Essentially, a retailer's affiliate
program pays a commission to other sites whose links to the retailer result
in an actual sale. The goal is to build a network of affiliates who have
a financial stake in promoting your site. If you're a merchant you need
to (1) determine the commission you are willing to pay (consider it your
advertising cost), (2) select a company to set up the technical details
of your program, and (3) promote your program to get the right kind of
affiliates who will link to your site. Two affiliate programs to consider:
(1) Commission Junction (http://www.cj.com/go.asp?69320) sets up the entire
program for the merchant, handles administrative details, and pays the
affiliates. (2) AffiliateZone (http://www.affiliatezone.com/al/affiliates.cgi?225)
installs excellent software on your site to allow you to track purchases
through affiliate links, and enable you to administer the program yourself.
___26. Ask Visitors to Bookmark Your Site. It seems so simple,
but make sure you ask visitors to bookmark your site.
___27. Devise Viral Marketing Promotion Techniques. So-called viral
marketing uses the communication networks (and preferably the resources)
of your site visitors or customers to spread the word about your site
exponentially. Word-of-mouth, PR, and network marketing are offline models.
The classic example is the free e-mail service hotmail.com that includes
a tagline about their service at the end of every message sent out, so
friends tell friends, who tell friends.
We certainly haven't exhausted ways to promote your site, but these will
get you started. To effectively market your site you need to spend some
time adapting these strategies to your own market and capacity. Right
now, why don't you make an appointment to go over this checklist with
someone else in your organization, and make it the basis for your new
Web marketing strategy.
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