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purpose of this article is to act as a refresher course for any
Webmasters who are keen to keep their promotional activities down
to a shoestring budget. The article deals with the fundamental
basics of promoting your site for free.
It's easy
to forget the fundamental components of Web site promotion.
Winding back the clock to the days when many Webmasters couldn't
afford prolonged advertising campaigns, the majority of people
starting out with a new Web site were forced to discover the art
of free Web site promotion.
In recent times, however, with
"pay per click" advertising becoming less expensive and
various other marketing activities becoming increasingly cheaper,
the art of effectively promoting your site for free appears to
have been lost. The purpose of this article is to act as a
refresher course for any Webmasters who are keen to keep their
promotional activities down to a shoestring budget.
The practices you perform when
promoting your site for free are just as important as any paid
advertisements you might run. Indeed, drawing a steady flow of
visitors to your Web site needn't be an expensive affair. So, what
things really matter if you're serious about increasing your
site's traffic for free?
1) You should ensure your site is
easy to link to.
Even Webmasters who enjoy what your site has to
offer may not consciously think to link you. In any case, you
should remind your visitors, preferably on every page, how to go
about adding your link. Not only will this bring extra visitors,
it will improve your site's relevancy for the search engines.
Additionally, establishing link exchanges with similar-themed
sites as yours is a remarkably popular and effective way of
boosting your traffic levels for free. Your aim should be to
establish as many relevant link-backs as possible.
2) You might like to consider
adding a hyperlink to your Web site in your e-mail signature.
If
you're feeling creative, you could do what some Webmasters do and
add a small slogan, too. As well as this and within reason, you
should respond to every legitimate e-mail you receive so that your
Web address sticks in the mind of your contacts.
3) You should utilise search
engines since they’re an ideal form of free traffic.
Ensuring
your pages are search engine friendly is crucial. The majority of
people find information on the Internet via search engines and
it's important that you correctly research how to optimise your
site. A good listing on a popular search engine can work wonders
for traffic levels, so try spending some time optimising your
pages. If you’re unsure and need some guidance with the
technicalities, there are numerous sites and forums on the
Internet that can help you out.
4) Entering your site for awards is
an excellent way to gain recognition.
However, when suggesting
your site for review, be sure to avoid "automatic award
submitting" services, since these can significantly lower
your chances of winning. They don't generally fare too well with
the judges either.
5) Although not entirely free, you
might like to experiment with running competitions on your site.
Even if the prize is inexpensive (e.g. a t-shirt with your Web
address on the front), it's a sure-fire way to reel-in interested
visitors. Besides, directories specialising in listing
competitions may also link to your site and send you additional
visitors.
6) Submitting your site to the Open
Directory (dmoz.org) is a free necessity for generating more site
visitors.
Not only will a listing here help to increase your
site's relevancy (for search engine purposes), it will be
accessible via countless other Web locations who use the Open
Directory to power their own sites.
7) If you want to instantly draw
some attention to your site, then tell all your friends about it.
Word of mouth advertising is the best possible form of promotion
anyone can muster, and incidentally, it's completely free!
8) Try telling visitors how to
bookmark your site.
There are still many Web surfers out there
inexperienced with the Internet. You'd be surprised at how many
also don't know how to bookmark a Web site they've found. That
said, when designing your pages, it's a good idea to tell visitors
how to add a bookmark. Alternatively, you could add a "click
here to bookmark us" hyperlink.
9) Newsgroups are perfect for
gaining site recognition.
Recklessly promoting your site in
newsgroups, however, is frowned upon. The key to promoting your
site in newsgroups is to participate in newsgroup discussions that
interest you. To promote your Web site (and to avoid any behaviour
that may be deemed inappropriate), simply include your Web address
in your signature. If readers appreciate your point of view, then
it’s likely that they will take some time to visit your Web
site.
10) You should endeavour to update
your site regularly.
Fresh, regularly-updated content will enable
you to gather a keen audience, and what's more, it will keep
visitors returning. It's far easier to retain existing visitors
than to find new ones. Therefore, your content should be
structured in such a way that it entices people to return.
11) You may not have realised but
how a person finds their way around your Web site is a
make-or-break scenario for traffic levels.
If people can't find
what they're looking for then they won't view your site in a
favourable light - and chances are they won't return. Therefore,
when designing your site's pages, keep site navigation in mind,
since consistent traffic levels are swayed by your site's
user-friendliness. All your content should be easy to locate
within three mouse clicks. Think “simple navigation”. If
visitors can find what they’re looking for within the shortest
amount of time possible then by and large, they will keep a mental
note of your site and may pay a visit in the future.
12) Sites that are fast to load
keep visitors visiting, and they'll undoubtedly help to increase
your Web site traffic flow.
Keeping site loading times down is a
free and sensible way to indirectly increase traffic. How many
times have you visited a Web page, only to find that it takes an
age to load? My guess is that you didn't bother waiting around. On
the Internet, if you want to be successful, then your site should
(ideally) strike a balance between presentation and loading time.
Summary: A massive, targeted
advertising campaign is the ideal solution for quick traffic.
However, most ordinary Webmasters are not working for large
corporations who can afford this level of promotion. The fact is
you don't necessarily have to pay for high traffic levels,
although if you are opting for the "free" route, you
will have to work hard if your endeavours are to be successful.
Remember: some of the best and most effective ways to increase
traffic do not always require a wallet!
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article may not be reproduced outside of the FreebyWeb.com
domain without permission.
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