| 1. |
Register with the search engines
You can do this yourself or use
a service, like SubmitWizard on Mycomputer.com. This nifty tool even walks you
through creating the Meta tags you need at the head of the document. Whether
you go through the registration exercise yourself or use a service, remember,
there are so many new Web sites created every day that it can take up to a
month before the better search engines will find you. Then, you take the chance
of being dropped because most of the search engines have a limited amount of
storage space so they drop the sites with the least activity. |
| 2. |
Include your site address in your e-mail signature.
I am amazed
at how much e-mail I get that does not include the company Web site address.
Create a signature file with this information. The signature is your online
business card. |
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| 3. |
Include your site address on your business card.
This is basic
but many people fail to realize the value in this. Very seldom do you hand your
business card to people you have not at least talked with and if they have any
interest in your or your company they will keep the card. Without your Web site
address it is almost useless. You Web site should be on all printed materials.
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| 4. |
Use strategic alliances.
If you belong to an organization ask
if you can be included in a list of members' sites. Many groups do this for
members. If you know of a site that is of general interest within your business
and they have other sites listed, send an inquiry to the Webmaster asking for a
listing. Be sure to offer to put a link to their site on yours. |
| 5. |
Advertise in e-zines.
If you know of someone who produces an
e-zine on a regular basis see if you can insert a short paragraph and a link to
your Web site. You might offer to do the same if you produce an e-zine. |
| 6. |
Advertise in your own e-zine.
If you produce your own e-zine,
instead of including the entire article in the e-mail version, include a teaser
paragraph and a link to the actual page on your site where the entire article
resides. This will accomplish two things: first, you are being kind to those
who may not want to read the e-zine; and second, it gets people on your site
where they are apt to browse. |
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| 7. |
Write articles.
If you write articles for electronic
publication or print, ask to have your Web site listed as part of the short bio
most publications provide for non-paying articles. (Notice my Web site address
at the end of this article.) |
| 8. |
Use banner advertising.
This is not my favorite but on the
right Web sites it will work for you. If you cannot have a link off a site you
like, ask if you can use a banner ad. Most sites that take banner ads have
criteria for the ad and they have very different methods of paying for them.
Avoid the click through charges and opt for a weekly or monthly fee. On an
industry or business specific site this is not expensive. |
