Ways To Drive Traffic To Your Business Web Site (PART 1)

In 1998, promoting your business web site was a very easy process. You placed 3 lines of code called "meta tags" on the top of your home page and submitted the page to free search engines or directories. Fast forward to the present.

Web site promotion has become a time consuming project and a new position in the web design industry, Search Engine Consultants, has been created. Use the list below to find ways that your business web site will be found by your ideal client, is user friendly and is visited often.

1. Build a strong, solid business foundation. Design a business plan, marketing plan, ideal client profile and 30-second elevator speech.

2. Be consistent and “brand” your company. Use the same colors, logo, motto, etc. everywhere on your business web site!

3. Make your business web site trustable.

4. Create policies that build trust: customer service, code of ethics and newsletter privacy policy.

5. Ask your web master to name each of your pages using a keyword you have supplied them with.

6. Offer added values on your business web site that make sense to your business and ideal client. This can include affiliate programs, books, and recommended links to web sites.

7. Add a “favorites or bookmark this site” script to some of your business web site pages.

8. Add a "Recommend This Site" on your site. If someone visits your business Web site and knows someone else who may appreciate it, this feature will e-mail the page's link to a recipient.

9. If you have pages on your business web site that you update monthly (like an articles page or recommended links page) say so on the page.

10. Join a few Web rings. For additional information, visit WebRing and Bravenet.

11. Provide a subscription box, to your e-zine or business announcement list, on your most viewed business web site pages.

12. On large business web sites, create a "What's New Page" or even better, ask your web designer to design a "Site Map" for your visitors.