Previously I
have discussed adding “META” tags to your pages and how
to get your site listed. Assuming you have already done these
things, you are beginning to get anxious. You probably have
searched for your site on http://alltheweb.com
and got a count. If your number is only in the 20’s or
30’s at this stage, don’t despair. It takes time for
your site address to propagate. Don’t keep resubmitting your
site over and over again. Some search engines (like Alta Vista)
will actually penalize you or not list your site for “spamming”
the index. Allow 3 or 4 weeks for your listing to come up before
resubmitting.
You did remember to set up unique page titles and tags for each
individual page on your site, didn’t you? Don’t repeat
the same information over and over. Someone looking for
information about your site would want to find the unique
information that is provided by your different pages. You may want
to consider adding unique pages and features that would attract
visitors to your site (see #3 below). You do have to draw the line
or everyone would have Britney Spears-Pokemon-MP3 pages.
Do I need to mention the obvious? Have all company stationery,
business cards, advertising and anything else you can think of
imprinted with your web site address.
Tip #1 - Web Logs
What the heck is
a web log? It is a list of links someone like you or me has
collected, published on the web and may contain personal comments
about the web sites listed. Some of these sites get good traffic.
The best ones are oriented by subject. Most will let you add your
url and may even offer a link to do so. On others you will simply
have to write the author and ask them to add your site. Do a few
searches and usually you can find several that are oriented toward
your site subject and make the effort to get listed. A good
example of a Memphis oriented web log is http://portalmemphis.com.
A home decor oriented web log is http://home-dec.com
Tip #2 - Guest Books,
Newsgroups and Conferences
Another way to
get traffic to your site is by signing guestbooks, posting in
appropriate newsgroups and other web conferences. The trick is to
have everyone in your group add tag lines to their signatures that
advertise your site. Here is the one I presently use:
Bob
Nunn -
Director of Customer Service & Web Content
ihomedecor.com - At These Prices Everyone is a Decorator
Visit http://www.ihomedecor.com Home Decor, Value Pricing
Use coupon code E75 to receive $20 off any $30 order! Limited
Time, Hurry!
Every time I
post a message or sign a guestbook I add a link to our site. Have
all of your associates, friends, relatives and anyone else you can
con do the same.
Tip #3 - Fun Stuff and
other Cool Things
Ever seen the
Cave of Magic, Magic 8 Ball, Mad Cow Test, or Madam Zelda? When
Howard Stern showed the Magic Card Trick on his program, my site
traffic went through the roof! I will grant you the traffic might
not have fit my exact customer demographic profile and the site
Howard showed wasn’t even mine, but I got visitors!
Evidently, I came up first in the search engines when people were
looking for the card trick. Try out my fun page at:
http://headgap.com/fortune.spml
You might
not think much about these, but remember a web site is all about
traffic and more is always better. From within that group, some of
your target customers will find the way to your site for the first
time. Just make sure your “fun” page has the appropriate
links and graphics that invite them to where you really want them.
If you don’t have any novelties on your web site, do a bit of
research and find some. Don’t think “the corporate big
wigs would have a stroke if we were to do that”. Success is
what is important. If you get a negative response, ask them if
they haven’t ever asked the Magic 8 ball a question or
punched the monkey. Boy that Britney Spears-Pokemon-MP3 page is
sounding better all the time. A good place to start is my web
content provider page: http://headgap.com/webcontent.spml
Tip #4 - E-Newsletter
If your site
doesn’t have a place to sign up for an E-Newsletter, then get
yourself a listserver and get one set up. I run a free one called
Macjordomo and there are freeware, shareware and commercial ones
available. At one time, I thought only chimps signed up for
anything on the net, but I have since changed my mind. You will be
amazed at how many people will sign up for you to send them
information about your products, services, and your site. With
OutLook Express 5, you can now easily send pages in html and by
adding full urls to your graphics, they can even view product or
other images on their mail served from your system. Imagine
sending color product info with a click-to-buy button right in the
email. Just make sure to only send the html with links to your
graphic images, rather than trying to send the images
themselves.
Tip #5 - Coupon Sites and
Affiliate Programs - Sleeper Tip - Top Traffic Builder!
I am not sure
who invented the affiliate program but Amazon surely put it on the
map. Pretty soon, they had thousands of folks advertising product
for them. You can place Amazon products on your web site and make
commission. There are many companies who will set up an affiliate
program for you.
The reason I combined coupon sites and affiliate programs is that
they really go hand in hand. Once you are set up to handle
affiliates, plan a coupon promotion strategy and contact the
coupon sites. Many require you to pay for placement of your coupon
but some of the best ones are free and are tickled to have a
chance to earn commission for sending you traffic. My coupon site
list is at: http://headgap.com/coupon.spml
I apologize in advance for the duplicates and am constantly adding
new sites.
Bob Nunn is owner, Operator Headgap Systems, http://headgap.com,
http://tfbbs.com
Board Member, AppleCore of Memphis, Inc., http://headgap.com/applecore.spml
Email: headgap@headgap.com
