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Expose Yourself on the Net

© James Lewin

There are two ways to build your site traffic: increasing the number of people who come to your web site, and retaining more of them once they get there. This article looks at the ten best ways to generate more traffic.

1. Submit your sites to search engines and indexes
This is by far the most important step in promoting your site. Many sites get at least 50% of their traffic from search engines.

 To prepare you site, you should do these things:

• Make sure you have clear goals for what you want out of the site, and what your site audience wants.
• Make sure that you have good content, a great site and that it meets your site goals.
• Create a keyword list for your site. This step is very important! Your keywords should not be a bunch of words that you think relate to your site. They should be the most popular words and phrases that people looking for a site like yours use.
• Use the the most important keywords in your page title, description, and copy. This is important because most search engines are compiled by robots, software that looks at the words used on your pages and categorizes the page based on what words are used most prominently.
• Submit your site to the top 10 - 20 search engines and directories.

2. Get linked!
Getting your site listed in the search engines is like getting your name in the phone book. Getting other sites to link to yours is like getting a personal referral. You may not get as many visitors from referrals, but they are likely to be interested visitors. 

• Look for sites that are thematically related to your site. If they have a link list, email the webmaster. Tell them you have added their site to your link listing. Ask them to reciprocate.
• Join a webring. If there isn't a ring relating to your subject, start a webring and put your site in it, along with your favorite sites.
• Look for index sites related specifically to your topic, and submit your site.

3. Put Your URL on Everything!

• Letterhead, envelopes, business cards, and any company related printed pieces you have.
• If you have a company vehicle, put your URL on it.
• Get a rubber stamp with your info and site address on it, and stamp away!
• Get creative: put it on product packaging, shopping bags, coffee

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