Domain Name
The first thing you need to do if you want to establish yourself as a "real" business is get yourself a domain name.
I've joined the gold rush and grabbed several good domain names myself.
Cross-link all the names is a good strategy as well, as described in
 "Nothing
But 'Net".
Search Engines
The first place you should get your website listed is in some of the hundreds of
search engines on the internet. As discussed by Michael W. Campbell, the best approach to search
engine placement is to have separate pages tuned for each major search engine.
Search engines use different criteria for top placement so learning the tricks for high rankings is
a valuable tool to boost your traffic.
We offer the full electronic text version of Search Engine
Tactics by web site promotion expert, Mark Joyner, online for free.
This concise 13 page web-based booklet contains a wealth of
practical tips that can increase your site traffic significantly. Search
Engine Tactics was given a 5 star rating by ZDNet. Check it out
HERE.
Mailing list
Start a mailing list (newsletter) and send them updates to keep them coming back, this is a must for anyone with an online website.
Mailloop
is an excellent choice and being hailed as the industry leader in e-mail and e-business automation software.
Anyone starting or currently running an Internet business will need mailing list software or a mailing list host.
The problem I had with mailing list hosts is many sites have spam filters that reject emails from these hosts.
Another problem is that I could only send one newsletter per month or the cost went up too much to be affordable.
Signature Files
Use a signature file in your email. Not too long, but enough to give them some
information on your site. Change them frequently so that people don't tune them out.
Link, link, link!
Exchange links with like sites and put your link on every site with a free-for-all
links page. This also helps improve your position with search engines.
50% of the top ten search engines factor in the links-to-you when they rank your
website. By increasing the number of links to your web site you can dramatically
improve your search engine result positioning. I put a FFA links page on my own site, you'll
find the entrance on my links page, feel free to list yourself
there. Webrings are also a good way to get your site linked.
Banner Exchanges
Joining a banner exchange network is free advertising for your site. Try searching on a
search engine to find some exchanges related to your site topic.
Offer Free Stuff
Give something away, or put in links to free stuff. Spend a couple bucks on a
raffle prize, and make sure you get their email so you can send them a sample
newsletter. Everyone loves a freebie!
Website awards
If you receive an award, a lot of publicity and traffic can be generated
within some of these award sites. If you feel your website is somewhat special,
submit to some websites that let you apply for their awards.
Newsgroups
Without spamming, send them a sample article or something to get readers
interested enough to come visit your site. There are a lot of people
who love to surf the net and newsgroups.
Word of mouth
I had to put this one in since I get a lot of email asking "how did you do it?"
You won't find this recommended as a great way to announce your website to the world, but
since this is what gave me the majority of my visitors I have to include it here. Send your
site to all your friends, if you have something special there, they will send
it on to their list of friends, and on and on it goes!
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Webmaster Tips