Internet Marketing

You have a website, but it isn't getting the number of visitors you'd like. What can you do to stimulate traffic? Why don't you take a few minutes to review. Here's a checklist of 27 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. You'll find links to thousands of articles on site promotion in our Web Marketing Info Center (www.wilsonweb.com/webmarket). While we're not breaking any new ground here, we've tried to summarize some of the most important techniques. The most important first step is to register your site with the main Web search engines, so we begin with steps to prepare your Web pages for optimal indexing. We link to lots of info on search engines.

Write a Page Title. Write a descriptive title for each page of 5 to 8 words. Remove as many "filler" words from the title, such as "the," "and," etc. This page title appears on the Web search engines when your page is found. Entice surfers to click on the title by making it a bit provocative. Place this at the top of the Web page between the tags, in this format: . Hint: use some descriptive keywords along with your business name on your home page. Instead of "Acme Cutlery, Inc." use "Acme Cutlery -- Pocketknives, Butchering Sets, and Kitchen Knives". The more people see in the blue highlighted portion of the search engine that interests them, the more likely they are to click on the link.

List Keywords. To get your juices flowing, sit down with some associates and brainstorm a list of 50 to 100 keywords or keyphrases -- the kind of words or phrases someone might search on to find a business or site like yours. Then refine the list to the most important 20 or so. Place those words at the top of the Web page, between the tags, in a META tag in this format: Note, however, that some research on search engine algorithms indicates that a fewer number of keywords may help you better target the most important search if you're working to increase your page's ranking on the search engines. Consider using both lowercase and capitalized forms of your very most important words, since some search engines are capitalization-specific. Make sure that you don't repeat any word more than three times so you're not penalized for "keyword spamming.".

Write a Page Description. Select the most important 20 keywords, and write a careful 200 to 250 character (including spaces) sentence or two. You don't need to repeat any words used in the page title. Keep this readable but tight. Eliminate as many "filler" or "throwaway" words as you can (such as: and, the, a, an, company, etc.) to make room for the important words, the keywords which do the actual work for you. Place those words at the top of the Web page, between the tags, in a META tag in this format:

Submit Page to Search Engines. Next, submit your page to the important Web search engines and directories. To do this, consider using tools such as the JimTools SubmitBot (www.jimtools.com) or the All4one Submission Machine (www.all4one.com/all4submit). The most important search engines that robotically "spider" or index your site are: Google, AltaVista, Excite, HotBot, Lycos, Infoseek, WebCrawler, and Northern Light.

Submit Page to Yahoo. Yahoo is the most important listing of all -- though it's technically a directory, rather than a search engine. It uses real humans to read (and too often, pare down) your 200 character sentence, so be very careful, and follow their instructions (www.yahoo.com/docs/info/include.html). Hint: I've learned to use less than the maximum number of characters allowable. If the Yahoo editor starts chopping your wordy copy, he or she may not leave as much as you'd like. Businesses ought to consider paying the $299 fee to have their site considered within a week for inclusion, otherwise you may be waiting a very long time.

Submit Page to Other Directories. You've probably seen offers to submit your pages to 300 different search engines. These don't help much, except to increase the perceived "popularity" of your site by some of the major search engines. The most important dozen directories are probably enough, unless you find some specific to your industry. Most of the rest aren't really search engines at all, just an excuse to solicit you for "upgraded listings." These marginal directories come and go very quickly, making it hard to keep up.

Include URL on Stationery, Cards, and Literature. 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.

Promote using traditional media. Don't discontinue print advertising you've found effective. But be sure to include your URL in any display or classified ads you purchase in trade journals, newspapers, etc. View your website as an information adjunct to the ad. Catch readers' attention with the ad, and then refer them to a Web page where they can obtain more information or perhaps place an order. 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. Since SuperBowl 1999 we've seen TV used extensively to promote sites, since the Web is now considered a mass medium, though it is probably too broad for all but the most general portal sites.

Develop a Free Service. It's one thing to say, "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 such as our Web Marketing Info Center (www.wilsonweb.com/webmarket) 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.

Request Links on Industry Sites. 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 bring you the kind of targeted traffic you crave.

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.

Request Links from Business Link Sites. Especially if you offer a free service, you can request links from many of the small business linking pages on the Web. When you have something free to offer, many doors open to you. Surf the Net looking for places that might link to your site. Then e-mail the site owner or webmaster with your site name, URL, and a brief 200-word description of what you offer there. Basic listings may be free, but you may pay for an upgraded listing.

Issue News Releases. Find newsworthy events (such as launching your free service), and send news releases to print and Web periodicals in your industry. Note: opening or redesigning a website is seldom newsworthy these days. You may want to use a Web news release service, such as one offered by Eric Ward's URLwire (www.urlwire.com) or the Internet News Bureau (www.newsbureau.com).

Capture Visitor E-mail Addresses and Request Permission to Send Updates. On your website's response form, include a checkbox where the visitor can give you permission to e-mail updates about products or services. Now your e-mails to visitors are not "spam." You're responding to their request for more information. I recommend capturing first and last name in separate fields so you can market personally to them. But only ask for the information you need or they won't fill it out.

Publish an E-Mail Newsletter. While it's a big commitment in time, publishing a weekly, monthly, or quarterly newsletter is one of the very best ways to keep in touch with your prospects, generate trust, develop brand awareness, and build future business. You can distribute your newsletter using your e-mail program, or have people subscribe on your website directly to a listserver program (such as Majordomo) offered by your Internet Service Provider. More information can be found in "How to Develop an E-Mail Newsletter" (www.wilsonweb.com/articles/newsletter.htm). Why don't you take a look at our newsletter, Web Marketing Today and subscribe free, like 120,000 others? (www.wilsonweb.com/wmt)

Install a "Signature" in your E-Mail Program. Most e-mail programs such as Eudora, Netscape, or 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 offerings. Look for examples on e-mail messages sent to you.

Promote Your Site in Mailing Lists and News Groups. The Internet offers thousands of very targeted mailing lists and news groups made up of people with very specialized interests. Use Google Groups (formerly DejaNews, groups.google.com) to find appropriate sources. Don't bother with news groups constituted of pure "spam." Instead, find groups where a dialog is taking place. Don't use aggressive marketing and overtly plug your product or service, even if you see some jerks doing so. 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.

Join a Mall. You may gain a little traffic this way, but not a lot. The biggest and free-est mall, if you will, is Yahoo. Get a good listing there, and you won't need other malls very much. Paying to be in a mall is seldom a good investment.

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.

Join a Banner Exchange Program. Of the many banner exchange programs, LinkExchange (now called Microsoft bCentral Banner Network) is the biggest (www.bcentral.com/services/bn/) Essentially, you agree to show a rotating banner on your site for other LinkExchange members, and they do the same for you, and there's a possibility you'll earn something through paid banner ads, too. Full list of banner exchange programs at http://bannertips.com/exchangenetworks.shtml

Purchase Pay Per Click (PPC) ads on GoTo.com (www.goto.com) and other pay for placement search engines. One these your position on the search engine is based on how much you've bid for a particular search word compared to other businesses. This can be very cost-effective way to get targeted traffic, since you only pay when some actually clicks on the link.

Buy a Text Ad in an E-Mail Newsletter. Businesses are finding that some of the best advertising buys are for small 4 to 12 line ads in established e-mail newsletters. Ads can both inform and motivate readers to click on the URL, and tend to bring much more targeted visitors. More info at www.wilsonweb.com/cat/cat.cfm?page=1&subcat=me_Email-Gen

Rent targeted e-mail lists. We abhor "spam," bulk untargeted, unsolicited e-mail, and you'll pay a very stiff price in reputation and cancelled services if you yield to temptation here. But the direct marketing industry has developed targeted e-mail lists you can rent consisting of people who have agreed to receive commercial e-mail messages. Do a smaller test first to determine the quality of the list. See my article "The 10 Crucial Elements of an Opt-in E-mail Campaign" (www.wilsonweb.com/wmt6/optin_overview.htm). Some companies which offer such services are listed on my site (www.wilsonweb.com/webmarket/lists.htm)

Employ search engine positioning. Registering your site with the search engines is the first step. But with tens of millions of webpages, your site may hardly be visible. These days you may need to construct a series of gateway pages, each tuned for a particular search phrase and search engine. Then fine-tune these gateway pages to rank high using a program such as Web Position Gold (www.webposition.com). Many small businesses outsource search engine positioning because of the considerable time investment it requires. You can find more information in Web Marketing Today (www.wilsonweb.com/wmt4/issue54.htm).

Begin an Affiliate Program. Essentially, a retailer's affiliate program pays a commission to other sites whose links to the retailer result in an actual sale. The goal is to build a network of affiliates who have a financial stake in promoting your site. If you're a merchant you need to (1) determine the commission you are willing to pay (consider it your advertising cost), (2) select a company to set up the technical details of your program, and (3) promote your program to get the right kind of affiliates who will link to your site. Consider affiliate management software such as My Affiliate Program (www.myaffiliateprogram.com). More info in the E-Commerce Research Room (www.wilsonweb.com/cat).

Ask Visitors to Bookmark Your Site. It seems so simple, but make sure you ask visitors to bookmark your site. We use a graphic on the main entry pages to our site. See more at www.wilsonweb.com/wmta/bookmark.htm In fact, why don't you bookmark the article you're reading right now. You know you'll want to find it again soon. :-)

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, and network marketing are offline models. 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.

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. Right now, why don't you make an appointment to go over this checklist with someone else in your organization, and make it the basis for your new Web marketing strategy.