When should the marketing activity start for a Web site? What are the different tools by which one can promote a Web site?
Marketing activities should generally start before your Web site is finished. So, how will people who see your marketing efforts find you online? Nothing would irritate me more as a consumer then to see a bit of marketing for something, go to the Web to find information and not be able to find any. “Coming soon” or “Under Construction” pages are ever worse. If you are going to start marketing your Web site before you launch it, make sure you have a good landing page and maybe an opt-in form to collect information from people who would like an e-mail notification when the site launches.
Here is a quick list of some things you can do to market a new Web site.
- Search Engine Marketing
Running a search engine marketing campaign focused around keywords relating to your products and services will quickly put you in front of potential customers at the moment they are looking. This in-turn increases your traffic and brand recognition and helps build you as a leader and authority in your areas of expertise. - E-mail Marketing
Permission-based e-mail marketing is a great way to get your message in front of existing and potential customers. Starting with existing customers is a great way to let them know about your new site and give them incentives to visit. - Submit to online directories, both paid and unpaid
Online directories are a great way to get more back links into your Web site. Most are free to submit to, but some require a small payment for inclusion. - SEO (Search Engine Optimization)
SEO should be thought of for your site before it even begins development. Natural, or organic traffic from search engines will be a key factor in the success of your new Web site. Patience is a key here. SEO is a marathon, not a sprint. It takes time to get indexed and ranked up naturally in search engines, especially if your site is brand new.
Finally, make sure you have a good analytics tool collecting data on your site so you know where your visitors are coming from and how they are spending their time. Google Analytics is a great tool and free to setup an account.
Would you like to learn more? You may:
- Fill out our information request form.
- Review information found on our Web site.
- Or contact me directly at 216-674-1600 x
Tags: e-mail marketing • internet marketing • online directories • Online Marketing • search engine marketing • search engine optimization • SEM • SEO
Copyright © 2008 by IdeaStar. All rights reserved.
July 28th, 2008 at 6:48 pm
Could you recommend any specific directories? I don’t mind paying a small fee, but there are too many out there and I don’t know which ones are worthwhile. Many look like scam to me. Please help.
Thanks.
July 29th, 2008 at 9:36 am
Tina,
I would recommend a couple directories. At least start with DMOZ and Yahoo.
DMOZ (also known as ODP) is the largest directory maintained by community editors. Most editors are volunteers. DMOZ is Google’s partner, Google directory integrates Google’s search technology with Open Directory pages. It’s also used as AOL’s web directory and powers the directory searches of Lycos, Hotbot, Netscape Excite and more. Visit http://dmoz.org/add.html to just listed.
Yahoo is the oldest directories around. Yahoo! Express submission is required to submit commercial listings, but is available for any site. They charge a fee of $299 per year for sites with non-adult content. Visit https://ecom.yahoo.com/dir/submit/intro/ to start your listing process.
April 20th, 2009 at 4:59 pm
The internet brings enormous potential for marketing your business and just about everything your business has to offer; the networking has just begun.
Business directories have become an effective way for the public to express opinions, make comments and select the appropriate business to deal with. On the same hand, business directories offer the business a great opportunity to advertise and get enormous internet exposure. For businesses that increase their exposure and generate interest through listings in business directories has become the smart thing to do. The powerful marketing tool of business directories will be enjoyed by the innovative public for a long time to come.
Businesses that use internet business directories enable them to receive instantaneous feedback. Enhancing the relationship with a customer can increase business success. Customers always look for the opportunity to give feedback to the business and the internet business directory has made it a great quality control avenue. Scary? Not for the business that is willing to adapt and market their business with this technology.
For marketing and promotion, the internet business directory has become an important part of business strategy.
Tristen Thomas