Promoting Your Website

From SuperbHosting Support Wiki

In addition to the tips listed below, you might also be interested in reading more about optimizing your website for the search engines. More information can be found in Search Engine Ranking.

Here are several things that you can do to promote your website and make it more visible to the world:

• Get your own domain name. It makes your web address easier to remember and some search engines will rank your site higher if the domain has words contained in keyword searches.

• Include your web and e-mail address everywhere e.g.. stationery, business cards, advertisements, newsletters, articles, in your e-mail signature, faxes, product packages, news releases, etc.

• Ask other web sites for "reciprocal links" they add a link to your site and in return you add a link to their site.

• Contact the top 20 sites that come up when searching for your keywords in search engines and ask them to trade links with you. Links are a powerful method for people to find your site, they can generate lots of traffic and they also increase your ranking in certain search engines.

• Become an active participant in Internet Newsgroups, which are related to your organisation, products and services. Make sure you practice safe Netiquette, do not post off topic or any kind of post that could be considered spam. Make sure your URL and e-mail address is listed at the bottom of each of your postings.

• Use banners ads, try the free banner exchanges if your budget does not extend to buying Internet advertising.

• Finding as many ways as you can to offer useful information on your web site, this will draw more visitors and encourage return visits and recommendations.

• Update your site often, add new content regularly and promote those pages to the search engines as well.

• Get professional help or advice for running your web promotion campaign, be careful who you trust your business to however, some promotion services may harm your web site by employing false or misleading tactics, use search engine promotion companies recommenced to you by people you trust and check out the results their clients web sites have achieved.

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How will people find my website?

People will mainly find your site by searching for keywords and phrases on the popular search engines. Next most popular way of finding web sites is from links on related web sites. After that people usually arrive at your site from the advice of friends. Then directories, then e-mail signatures (the little company or personal blurb you see at the bottom of email messages). Next most popular is TV shows. Then Usenet (newsgroups), then closer to the bottom of the list is links they have found in books.

Here is the summary of the most popular ways that people will find out about your site in order of popularity:

1. Search Engines
2. Links on related sites
3. Word of mouth (advice from friends)
4. Directories
5. E-Mail signatures
6. TV Shows
7. Newsgroups
8. Links found in books, newspapers, etc.