How can you get more visitors to your website?
What can you do to stimulate traffic?
Here's the
2nd checklist of 10 items you need to consider.
Many of these you're probably doing already,
others you meant to do and forgot about,
still others you've never heard of. Of course,
a great deal has been written about this.
While we're not breaking any new ground
here, we've tried to summarize some of the
most important techniques.
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Click here for Part 1
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Click here for Part 3
Linking
Strategies
Links to your
site from other sites bring additional traffic.
But since Google and other major search
engines consider the number of incoming
links to your website ("link popularity")
as an important factor in ranking, more
links will help you rank higher in the search
engines, too. Google has introduced a 10-point
scale called PageRank (10 is the highest
rank) to indicate the quantity and quality
of incoming links. All links, however, are
not created equal. Links from popular information
hubs will help your site rank higher than
those from low traffic sites.
11.
Submit Your Site to Key Directories,
since a link from a directory will help
your ranking -- and get you traffic. Be
sure to list your site in the free Open
Directory Project (www.dmoz.com),
overseen by overworked volunteer human editors.
This hierarchical directory provides content
feeds to all the major search engines. Plus
it provides a link to your site from an
information hub that Google deems important.
But don't be impatient and resubmit or you'll
go to the end of the queue.
Yahoo! Directory is another important directory
to be listed in, though their search results
recently haven't been featuring their own
directory as prominently. Real humans will
read (and too often, pare down) your 200-character
sentence, so be very careful and follow
their instructions (http://docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/).
Hint: Use somewhat less than the maximum
number of characters allowable, so you don't
have wordy text that will tempt the Yahoo!
editor to begin chopping. Business sites
require a $299 annual recurring fee for
Yahoo! Express to have your site considered
for inclusion within seven business days
(http://docs.yahoo.com/info/suggest/busexpress.html).
Other directories to consider might be About.com
and Business.com.
12. Submit Your Site to
Industry Sites and Specialized Directories
You may find some directories focused on
particular industries, such as education
or finance. 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 help boost
your PageRank. Beware of directories that
solicit you for "upgraded listings."
Unless a directory is widely used in your
field, your premium ad won't help -- but
the link itself will help boost your PageRank
and hence your search engine ranking. Marginal
directories come and go very quickly, making
it hard to keep up. Don't try to be exhaustive
here.
13. 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. Your best
results will be from sites that get a similar
amount of traffic to your site. High-traffic
site webmasters are too busy to answer your
requests for a link and don't have anything
to gain. Look for smaller sites that may
have linking pages.
Check out Ken Evoy's free SiteSell Value
Exchange. It (1) registers your site as
one that is willing to exchange links with
other sites that have a similar theme/topic
content and (2) searches for sites with
similar topical content (http://sales.sitesell.com/value-exchange/).
Additionally, link building software programs
stand out -- such as Arelis:
These search for complementary sites,
help you maintain a link directory, and
manage reciprocal links. However, use these
programs to identify the complementary sites,
not to send impersonal automated e-mail
spam to site owners. When you locate sites,
send a personal e-mail to the administrative
contact found in the Whois Directory (www.networksolutions.com/whois/).
If e-mail doesn't get a response, try a
phone call. One warning: Be sure to only
link to complementary sites, no matter how
often you are bombarded with requests to
exchange links with a mortgage site that
has nothing to do with yours. One way Google
determines what your site is about is who
you link to and who links to you. It's not
just links, but quality links you seek.
14. Write Articles
for Others to Use in their Newsletters
You can dramatically increase your visibility
when you write articles in your area of
expertise and distribute them to editors
as free content for their e-mail newsletters
or their websites. Just ask that a link
to your website and a one-line description
of what you offer be included with the article.
This is an effective "viral" approach
that can produce hundreds of links to your
site over time.
15. Begin a Business Blog
Want links to your site? Begin a business
blog on your website, hosted on your own
domain. If you offer excellent content and
regular industry comment, people are likely
to link to it, increasing your site's PageRank.
If you have a blog on a third-party blog
site, occasionally find reasons to talk
about and link to your own domain.
16. Issue News Releases
Find newsworthy events and send news releases
to print and Web periodicals in your industry.
The links to your site in online news databases
may remain for years and have some clout
with link popularity. However, opening or
redesigning a website is seldom newsworthy
these days. Placing your website URL in
online copies of your press release may
increase link popularity some. Issuing press
releases is a traditional promotional strategy,
but there are other traditional approaches
that can help you as well.
Traditional Strategies
Just because "old media" strategies
aren't on the Internet doesn't mean they
aren't effective. A mixed media approach
can be very effective.
17. Include Your URL on
Stationery, Cards, and Literature
This is a no-brainer that is sometimes
overlooked. 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.
18. Promote using traditional
media
Don't discontinue print advertising that
you've found effective. But be sure to include
your URL in any display or classified ads
you purchase in trade journals, newspapers,
yellow pages, etc. View your website as
an information adjunct to the ad. Use a
two-step approach: (1) capture readers'
attention with the ad, (2) then refer them
to a URL where they can obtain more information
and perhaps place an order. Look carefully
at small display or classified ads in the
back of narrowly-targeted magazines or trade
periodicals. 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. TV can be used to promote
websites, especially in a local market.
19. Develop a Free Service
It's boring to invite people, "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.
E-Mail Strategies
Don't neglect e-mail as an important way
to bring people to your website. Just don't
spam. That is, don't send bulk unsolicited
e-mails without permission to people with
whom you have no relationship.
20. Install a "Signature"
in your E-Mail Program to help potential
customers get in touch with you
Most e-mail programs such as AOL, Netscape,
and 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 offering. Look for
examples on e-mail messages sent to you.
More linking strategies to follow next
month...
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Click here for Part 1
::
Click here for Part 3
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