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Promotion That Won't Clean You Out
Below are some great FREE tips for your online
business without going broke. To see a more in-depth study of these tips we
highly recommend the book 101 Ways to Promote Your Web Site. After some of our
tips we have several links to additional information.
1) List your site in the
big search engines and directories
We have a list of those
here.
The
Major Search Engines
2) Make sure your Web site is optimized
for the search engines
There are certain design practices that will increase your listing if done
correctly. Your page can also be thrown out of search engines for bad design,
bad practices and spamming. Search engines require research on a daily basis as
the methods used are constantly changing.
Search Engine
Showdown
Search Engine Watch
Hire us to optimize
your site for the search engines!
3) Send out E-Mail
Newsletters
This is a great way to share your knowledge with your existing customers and
prospect. Newsletters can be used to promote your business as well. Always send
out a test newsletter to yourself and friends before mailing it out for real.
Use the BCC (blind carbon copy) feature. This insures that everyone on the list
does not see the other E-mail addresses on your list. No one wants their E-mail
address publicized all over the net. Be current, keep fun content as well as
content about what you're trying to promote.
How
to Publish an E-Mail Newsletter
The
Handbook of Ezine Publishing
Publishing Your Own Newsletter
4) E-Mail Discussion
Groups, Forums, and Chat Rooms
Join an online community and get involved! A great way to establish (and share)
your expertise and/or products is participating in the many communities you will
find online. From Usenet news groups to discussion forums, from mailing lists to
chat rooms, you can find an area with your particular interests and needs.
Yahoo! groups is a great place to start. Simply find a subject you're interested
in and join in!
Yahoo
Groups
Participate in Online Communities
Google Groups
5) Put Your URL
Everywhere
Your Web address (i.e., URL) should be as visible and as widely available as
your phone number. Make sure it is prominently displayed on your E-mail
correspondence, your paper letterhead, your business cards, your invoices, your
print ads, your radio and TV ads, your Yellow Pages ad, your delivery vans, your
answering machine message, your cat, your dog and any place else of which you
can think of! Your URL isn't going away so use it!
5 Strategies for Effective Online Branding
Branding
6) Signature Files
Most E-mail programs have an area where you can create a signature file (.sig
file) that is appended to the bottom of your outgoing messages. Anyone who reads
your E-mail will see your sig file, so it offers a great opportunity to promote
your business. It shouldn't be too long (no more than four or five lines), but
it should include at least your name, your E-mail address, your Web site URL,
and other contact information. Some people even have catchy phrases about their
business.
Signature File Definition
7) Exchanging Links &
Link Swapping
Reciprocal links (where your site links to someone else's and they link back to
you) are the life-blood of the Internet. They are the most cost-effective way to
build up long-term consistent traffic to your Web site.
Link
Swapping Article
How
to exchange links correctly
8) News/Press Releases
Letting the media know about your business can result in tons of free publicity.
The Internet News Bureau's
media
relations tips page can help you get a press release together and start your
media campaign.
9) FREE STUFF!
People love free stuff... give away a Web Site Template or host a "design a
logo" contest. Creating a contest or sweepstakes might make sense for your
business. Giveaway programs of any kind are sure to attract attention.
10) Reward Existing Customer
Send them 10% coupons via E-mail and/or in orders that
you ship out. They DO work! Another idea is to send out *tell a friend and
receive X% off next order* coupons. As you can see, the possibilities are
endless.
11) Know your Visitors
Monitor who your visitors are with traffic analyzing software. Find out what
pages they visit most and what they do not visit. Concentrate on what visitors
are looking at on your site. Study the keywords used to find your site.
12) Update
Content/Products
You know how grocery stores are constantly moving products? Especially around
the checkout area? This is also a great idea for your virtual store/site as
well! Keep your site looking fresh by rotating your products and/or content.
Make a featured sale or offer area on your homepage to contain a featured item
constantly. Studies have shown that if you lead buyers to your products, they'll
buy! Especially if presented as a sale.
Here is my easy checklist of ways to promote your website. All of these are
proven methods, and many of them are very inexpensive, or even free!
No matter what your motive is for your website, whether it be the fame of a
providing a free resource, the fortune of having successful sales, or making
your existing customers happier, the key to any of those objectives is: Website
Traffic!
More Visitors = More Success
The following techniques will help your website attract more visitors. You're
probably already doing some of these items. Make a commitment each month to add
one or more items on this list to your website.link,links,site,sites,search,good,online,mail
,company,custom,customer,line,sale,business,service,design,domain name
reseller,url submission,url submitter,url submission services,url
submissions,url submission software
Easy Tips For Promoting Your Website
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