Do you remember the inspirational message, "Build it and they will
come"
It played well in the 1989 Field of Dreams movie, but for a
webmaster it's dangerously deceptive, and if you're a small business or
individual trying to enter the webs marketplace, well its simply not what
really happens.
In today's market most small businesses realize the need for a web
presence. But many don’t have the technical knowledge to formulate a successful
business plan or model.
Also they are not aware of the vast audience
that awaits them nor do they know how to reach that audience. Some will
turn to the employee or friend that seems to have a few more computer
skills than themselves and that’s one of the first big mistakes that they
make.
Having a web presence is important but doing it without the correct
tools or plans is like sticking a buoy in the middle of the ocean and
saying “Hey I’m here come find me”
Here's A Few Facts To Consider:
Websites
The number of Hosts advertised in the DNS in July 1993 were 1,313,000 and
in July 2002 there were 162,128,493 That’s 162 million web domains that
answered a ping this July as compared to 1million in 1993, growth? You
bet!
Web Users
The art of estimating how many are online throughout the world is an
inexact one at best. Surveys abound, using all sorts of measurement
parameters. However, from observing many of the published surveys over the
last two years, here is an "educated guess" as to how many are online
worldwide as of September 2002. And the number is 605.60 million.
Of that total research shows that Africa has 6.31 million, Asia/Pacific
has 187.24 million, Europe has 190.91 million, the Middle East has 5.12
million, Canada & USA 182.67 million, and Latin America 33.35 million.
With all that in mind the thing that seems to become very clear is well
yes I need a web presence but how will they find me? Below I have outline
some of the ways experience has shown to work the best.
Search Engine Tips
Before you run over to all the search engines and submit your site, you
need to put some key elements on your page. META TAGS are very important
in relaying to the Search Engines what your page is about.
Below are a few more tips that you might find helpful as well.
1. Create an effective title. Many search engines weight the data
in your title more heavily than other data in your page. Make sure that
your title has keywords that represent your site and page effectively.
This is so important here’s an example:
You have a page that you sell a product that helps fair skinned folks to
get a tan with. So now you need to name the page. Many sites might have
"Our New Tanning Solution” or something similar.
Now put yourself in the consumers shoes. You want to find something to
help you get a tan so you visit your favorite search engine. What would
you type in the search box? Our New Tanning solution, no I think not you'd
probably type in “tanning products”. So Our page should be named Tanning
Products which will get you a much better match. You will also of course
want your meta tags keyword list to include the same search phrase “
tanning products” as well.
2. Use meta tags to pack your page with information pertaining to
the category your page fits in. For instance if your page is promoting a
travel agency you may want to incorporate words like luggage, travel,
plane, beach, tourists
3. Link to Competitors' links. If your Web site is not listed in
the top thirty, contact all the sites in the top twenty for your category
and see if they will trade links with you. Links remain a very powerful
method for people to find your Web site, As long as they are relevant to
your content. On the other hand if they are not that can hurt you so don't
trade links with just anyone.
4. Keep your site updated. Make sure that your site is up to date.
No one likes to go to a page that never changes or that is very out of
date. Make sure that the data in your page portrays the message that you
want to send.
5. Condense your graphics. Many visitors leave your page before
they ever see your message because it takes too long to load. By keeping
your graphics small your visitors will be more likely to stay.
Key Words
How do you generate the keywords and phrases most likely to drive targeted
traffic?
1. Think from a customer viewpoint.
What words would potential customers use to search for your offering?
2. Create multiple permutations.
Vary the order of words in your phrases to create different combinations.
Create phrases that ask a question. Include synonyms, word substitutes,
metaphors, and common misspellings. Include brand names and models of
products sold. Use additional qualifiers to create more specific terms by
creating two-, three-, and four-word phrases.
For example, if broadband is one of your keywords, you might come up with
phrases like digital broadband, wireless broadband, accelerated for
broadband, broadband news, broadband wireless communication, etc.
3. If you're branded, use your company name.
It pays to include your company name in your keyword phrases if yours is a
well known brand. A site like RadioShack should use key phrases like
RadioShack computers, RadioShack electronic compoments, RadioShack
telephones, etc.
4. Use geographic location.
If your location is key, include it in your keywords. For instance, Joe
Smith Realty in Rancho Cucamonga may find Rancho Cucamonga real estate to
be a useful keyword.
5. Review your competitors' keywords.
It's a good idea to look up your competitors' keywords to get ideas on
some you might have missed. But don't copy anyone else's material. Just
look for an idea or two to supplement the keywords you've generated
yourself.
6. Don't use keywords or phrases that are too broad.
Instead, use modifiers to make generic keywords and phrases more specific.
A site offering insurance-related services might use health insurance
quotes or auto insurance quotes.
7. Don't use only single words.
Multi-word phrases work better than single words. It's difficult for
search engines to return relevant results on single-word searches because
there are too many answers to such a query, and users won't wade through
hundreds of result pages. They learn quickly to be very specific. The user
looking for an ecommerce software solution for an auction site won't be
searching for software.
8. Don't use trademark names other than your own.
Stay away from competitors' trademarks in your keywords or you might get
sued. Using another company's trademark or product name to profit from its
brand is unacceptable and breaches federal trademark protection laws.
Promote Your Website by Writing Free
Articles
If you're looking for a very low cost way to bring significant targeted
traffic to your website, then consider writing articles for free use on
websites and in e-zines that link back to your website. This strategy not
only boosts your site's link popularity with search engines, it also helps
bring targeted traffic from a number of niche sites and establishes you as
an expert in the field.
Sources Where You Can Submit Free Articles and Find Free Content
Note: There are a number of websites
where you can submit free articles and find free content for your e-mail
newsletter or website. The list is seemingly endless, but here's a start.
EzineArticles.com: List Universe Network.
Database of free content for e-zines and
websites.
www.ezinearticles.com
IdeaMarketers.com, Pehrson Web Group.
Forum to share articles and find articles that
other people have written.
www.ideamarketers.com
ARA Content, The Article Resource Association.
Provides free content to online media.
www.ARAcontent.com
