Now that your website is live, what next?
Take a moment and read the introduction article on the left hand menu! There is some great information
that will help you get started.
There are countless ways to promote your website. Search engines, directories, email,
newsletters, blogs, pay per click and traditional advertising are just a few.
The secret to making your website successful is perserverence and patience.
Your website is brand new. You need to let the world know that it exists. If you're
in no hurry, you can begin submitting your site to search engines and start building
incoming links to your site. In time, typically up to 6 months, you will start seeing
your website in "natural search engine results". Sales made from natural listings are the
best sales you can get! They are free! However, if you want to hit the ground running,
a quick way to start generating sales quickly is to utilize Pay Per Click advertising.
Pay per click advertising has become the standard in online marketing. The
concept is quite simple however implementing it can be a bit confusing. Therefore, we recommend that you
read this short ebook which covers some basics about pay per click advertising.
PPC Primer
Here Are Some Pay Per Click Tips!
Too many people learn the hard away about using pay per click advertising. Therefore, here are
some basic tips to help you avoid making some bad mistakes.
- Use very specific keywords! One of the biggest mistakes that people make are to use
vague and general keywords. For example: If you bid on the word sex, you will get
thousands of visitors very quickly. However, these are simply visitors that are mostly browsing
and will probably not buy anything. Bidding on such a vague term will cost you alot of money
and get you few if any sales. So instead of bidding on the word "lotions", bid on
a specific lotion name. Chances are that if a person types a specific item name into a search
engine, they are most likely looking to purchase just that! You will get alot less visitors, but
the ones you get will most likely make a purchase. The more specific your keywords, the better.
-
When creating your keywords for you PPC campaign, be sure to have your ad link directly
to the product on your store. Do not simply link them to the main page of your website.
As in our previous example, if someone types in the name of a specific lotion, they want to see
that specific product and not have to search your website for it. Therefore, make sure
your PPC campaign for that keyword links directly to the detail page of that product. This
will take a little more time to set up initially but will save you money and generate more
sales in the long run.
-
Utilize the tools offered by the PPC engines. The 2 most popular PPC engines are GOOGLE
and Yahoo(formerly Overture). Both allow you to set daily budgets so that you do not
exhaust your advertising funds too quickly. Choose a budget that you feel comfortable with.
So, to recap, instead of using a keyword like lotions, you would use a keyword that is the name of a specific item.
Then instead of using the URL http://www.NAMEOFYOURSTORE.com, you would use
the url to the detail view of that product so that way their NEXT CLICK can
be ADD TO BASKET. The goal here is to have the fewest clicks between their search and the product that
they are searching for.
Pay Per Click is a powerful and effective method of driving customers to your website. Used
properly, they can a very profitable source of new customers. Take time to learn how to use
this powerful tool effectively
The fastest way to start generating sales is to use pay per click to drive traffic to your website. The
two largest and most popular pay per click companies are Google and Yahoo. Both of these companies offer
a great method of driving highly targeted traffic to your website. So if you want to hit the ground
running, set up and account with both Google and Yahoo in order to maximize your websites potential!
Google and Yahoo both have online tutorials to help teach you how to use PPC effectively. We have
provided you with links to both below!
GOOGLE ADWORDS TUTORIALS
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" and "PageRank") as an important factor in
ranking, more links will help you rank higher in the search engines, too. All
links, however, are not created equal. Links from popular information hubs will
help your site rank higher than those from low traffic sites. Here, you can find links
to articles on link strategies.
1. 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,
overseen by 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.
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 Other
directories to consider might be About.com
and Business.com.
2. Submit Your Site to Industry Sites and Specialized Directories.
Be sure to register with these. Ask for a link. Even if
you have to pay something for a link, it may bring you the kind of targeted
traffic from an info hub that you need. 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.
 3. Request Reciprocal Links. Find
complementary websites and request a reciprocal link to your site. 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 Additionally, two automated link building software programs
stand out -- Zeus
and 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 If e-mail
doesn't get a response, try a phone call. Checkout this brief e-book on Reciprocal Linking
Tools outlining various linking strategies and other software you can
use to make the task easier.
4. 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.
5. 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. You may want to use a Web news release
service such as PR Web.
Placing your website URL in
online copies of your press release may increase link popularity some. More info on
PR. 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.
6. 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.
7. 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.
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. You can
find lots to details and tips in this book The E-Mail Marketing
Handbook.
8. Publish an E-Mail Newsletter. While it's a big commitment in time,
publishing a monthly e-mail newsletter ("ezine") is one of the very best ways to
keep in touch with your prospects, generate trust, develop brand awareness, and
build future business. It also helps you collect e-mail addresses from those who
visit your site but aren't yet ready to make a purchase. You can distribute
your newsletter using listservers such as:
If you're just getting started you can use a free advertising-supported
newsletter from
Yahoo! Groups. See articles
on newsletter marketing
9. Send Offers to Your Visitors and Customers. Your own list of
customers and site visitors who have given you permission to contact them will
be your most productive list. Send offers, product updates,
etc. Personalizing the subject line and the message may increase the results.
You'll find scores of articles on general
e-mail marketing
10. Rent targeted e-mail lists. We abhor "spam," bulk untargeted,
unsolicited e-mail, and you'll pay a very stiff price in a ruined reputation and
cancelled services if you yield to temptation here. But the direct marketing
industry has developed targeted e-mail lists you can rent -- lists consisting of
people who have agreed to receive commercial e-mail messages. These lists cost
$40 to $250 per thousand or 4¢ to 25¢ per name. Do a smaller test first to
determine the quality of the list. Your best bet is to find an e-mail list broker to
help you with this project -- you'll save money and get experienced help for no
additional cost.
You'll find many articles
on opt-in e-mail marketing
Miscellaneous Strategies
11. Promote Your Site in Online Forums and Blogs. The Internet offers
thousands of very targeted e-mail based discussion lists, online forums, blogs,
and Usenet news groups made up of people with very specialized interests. Use Google Groups to find appropriate sources.
Don't bother with news groups
consisting of pure "spam." Instead, find groups where a serious dialog is taking
place. Don't use aggressive marketing and overtly plug your product or service.
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.
12. 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. Prizes should be designed to attract
individuals who fit a demographic profile describing your best customers.
13. Ask Visitors to Bookmark Your Site. It seems so simple, but make
sure you ask visitors to bookmark your site or
save it in their Favorites list.
14. Exchange Ads with Complementary Businesses. Banner exchange
programs don't work well these days. But consider exchanging e-mail newsletter
ads with complementary businesses to reach new audiences. Just be sure
that your partners are careful where they get their mailing list or you could be
in trouble with the CAN-SPAM Act.
15. 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, creating "buzz," and network marketing are offline models.
#13 above, "Write Articles for Others to Use in their Newsletters," is a viral
approach. 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.
Paid Advertising Strategies
None of the approaches described above is "free," since each takes time and
energy. But if you want to grow your business more rapidly, there comes a point
when you need to pay for increased traffic. Advertising is sold in one of three
ways: (1) traditional CPM (cost per thousand views), (2) pay per click (PPC),
and (3) pay per action, otherwise known as an affiliate program or lead
generation program. Do some small tests first to determine response. Then
calculate your return on investment (ROI) before spending large amounts. Here
are some methods:
16. Buy a Text Ad in an E-Mail Newsletter. Some of the best buys are
small text ads in e-mail newsletters targeted at audiences likely to be
interested in your products or services. Many small publishers aren't
sophisticated about advertising and offer attractive rates. Banner ads get such a low
click-through rate (0.2%) these days that I don't recommend paying much for
them. Banner ads typically cost about 50¢ to $1 per thousand page views.
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.
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