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Promoting Your Website
Introduction
“If you build it, they will come”
Introduction
• Must make your website known to the world
• The best website is useless if no one knows about it or visits it
• Website promotion can range from simple and inexpensive to complex and expensive– Use what makes sense
What we’ll cover
• Generating website traffic using:– Search engines– Online directories– Banner ads– Media exposure– Professional associations– Other websites– Your product– Existing marketing tools
Search Engines
• Several popular search engines– Google, AltaVista, Yahoo, Ask, Dogpile, Lycos
• Register with search engines– Search engine marketing firms– Fee involved
• Getting registered doesn’t assure high ranking in results
Search Engines
• How do search engines rank for results?– Frequency of keywords– Location of keywords – Linked pages– How often a page is clicked through to from the
results
• What can you do?– Correctly choose and use keywords– Meta tags
Search Engines
Meta tags
• Used by search engines to catalog websites
• Three major classes– Title– Description– Keyword
Meta tag Examples
• <META NAME="description" CONTENT="Hollabaugh Bros.Fruit Farms & Market, Quality Fruits in Season, Retail, Wholesale, Shipping, Tours, Gifts">
• <META NAME="KEYWORDS" CONTENT="Hollabaugh, Fruit, Orchards, Farm Market, apples, peaches, pears, asian pears, nectarines, plums, apricots, pumpkins, vegetables, mail order, tours, Adams County, Gettysburg">
Example: http://www.hollabaughbros.com/
Online Directories
• Get listed in local & regional online business directories
• Often set up to promote local, regional, state, or industry-specific businesses– State tourism sites
• You must submit business information to appear in the directory
• Directories do not use the same search capabilities as search engines– Typically organized by category, alphabetically, location,
etc.
Online Directories
Source: http://agmap.psu.edu
Online Directories
Banner Advertisements
• Banners are graphic
• Usually appear near the top of other websites– Also appear vertically on right & left sides
• Clicking on them takes the user to the advertiser’s website
Banner Advertisements
• You can build banners yourself or hire it to be done
• Four ways to get banners posted– Arrange to display other Web sites' banner ads in
exchange for them displaying its ad. – Pay publisher sites to post its banner. – Pay an organization, usually a banner network like
to post the banner on a number of publisher sites. – Join an banner exchange program
Banner Advertisements
Banner Advertisements
Question…
Media can be used to promote your business and your website. Can you answer these
questions?
• What media can be utilized?
• How can you generate media exposure?
Media Exposure
• What media can be utilized?– Newspapers– Websites– Blogs– Radio– Magazines
• How can you generate media exposure?– Contact reporters/editors, radio stations– Create your own through sponsorships, etc.
Media Exposure
Source: Centre Daily Times, 10/5/06
Professional Associations
How can you become know as part of a professional association?– Get listed in directories and handbooks– Sponsor part of a meeting– Have a booth at conferences
Other ways?– Chamber of Commerce
Professional Associations
Professional Associations
Professional Associations
Other websites
• Getting listed on other sites can bring exposure to your business & website
• Try getting links to your site listed on other sites that you respect
• Choose sites that complement your business– Ex. You sell preserves → gift, holiday sites
• Join discussion groups
Your Product
• Use your product to promote your website
• Reminder of where the product was purchased
• Know where to go to purchase more product
• Potential for more widespread exposure
Your Product
Existing Marketing Tools
• How do you currently market your product?
• Post your website on other marketing tools– Brochures, business cards, flyers
Section Wrap-Up
• Promoting your business website and generating traffic requires effort
• The “If I build it, they will come” philosophy does not apply
• Use varied and coordinated approaches to website promotion
• Try to monitor how people are finding out about your site