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Cost-effective Strategies to Market Your Company's Website |
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Millions of people all across the world access the Internet every day.
One of the best ways to get your business on the map is to set up a website,
which allows access to those Internet surfers. But simply posting a website
doesn’t mean that customers will come running to purchase your business’
goods and services—you need to market and advertise. Though many strategies
require an investment, there are several simple and cost-effective strategies
you may want to implement to spread the word about your website.
Put the Website’s Address on All Business Publications
Adding the business’ web address to business cards, flyers, postcards,
letterheads, brochures, and faxes lets established customers know that
you’re now online, too. Don’t forget to add the web address to all
advertisements and promotional material, such as buttons, t-shirts
or trade show take-aways.
Submit the Website to All Major Search Engines
Adding your business’ website to search engines is easy,
and in most cases, free. To find websites that allow you to submit websites
to an engine, start with a keyword search for "adding URL to search engine."
You will usually be asked to supply the web address, title of the site, and
a list of keywords that relate to the site. Once submitted, and engine’s
inclusion of a URL can take from days to weeks to resolve. If you require
quicker turnaround, some engines provide immediate submission for a one-time fee.
You can also add your website to social book marking sites, such as Netscape,
Diggit and Reddit. These sites allow you to submit your content and to keep
an online list of favorite sites that others with similar interests can access.
Get Your Staff Involved
Start adding your website address to all e-mails by using the signature
feature. The signature is placed at the end of all outgoing messages and
is the perfect place to include the business’ URL. Ask your employees to
do the same and to mention the website at appropriate times when interacting
with the public, whether it’s over the phone, at conventions or when dealing
with the press.
Once you’ve implemented these strategies to get your business’ website into
the market, you need to monitor the effects. Use a tracking system or log
file analyzer like Google Analytics, Click Tracks or Webtrends to monitor
traffic patterns and user specifics. By identifying patterns, actions, sources
of referrals, and common user behaviors, you can begin to focus and improve
your online marketing efforts.
More Tips:
THIS IS NOT INVESTMENT, TAX OR LEGAL ADVICE. Consult with a financial advisor,
accountant or attorney before making important decisions in these areas.
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