Website promotion tips for small businesses
AlphaOne Technology Low Cost Web Hosting Services & Professional Web Design has found this great article by Stephen Hill to be useful. You can find this article, as well as over 900 other articles helpful to webmasters in our free webmaster tools area.
People are always wanting to attract more visitors to their website. We all would like to see more traffic, however what are the best ways to promote a website, which does not cost an arm and a leg?
1. Pay per click advertising.
Pay per click advertising is becoming more and more popular with programs such as Google adwords reporting bigger profits on a regular basis. This is a way of getting your website on the first or second pages by you paying an advertising fee. You set the amount you are happy to pay per click and when somebody clicks on your ad, you have an extra visitor, however at a cost to you. It is important to remember not to spend more on the pay per click advertising than what you are likely to earn etc.
2. Writing articles.
Writing articles such as this one is a good way of promoting your website. Article websites such as http://www.ezinearticles.com and http://www.goarticles.com allow you to submit your articles for free. Other webmasters are able to use your articles on their website which gives you an extra backward link as you are able to add you website address at the bottom of the article. People who are reading the article on the article websites are also potential visitors.
3. Obtaining backward links.
If you are looking to increase your search engine position it is a good idea to try to increase the amount of backward links you have. This is not as easy as it seems as people are not always happy to add a link on their site to your homepage. It is worth making a few phone calls or sending a few e-mails and asking the question, if the person would like to exchange links. It is of more value to have a link from a website in the same type trade of your own.
4. Always include your domain address in advertising.
Wherever you advertise it is important to include your website domain address, and also at the bottom of any e-mails you send.
About the author: Stephen Hill has a number of websites including:
www.insomnia-symptom.co.ukwww.meditation-symptom.co.ukwww.stammering-stuttering.co.uk
Forums and how it can get you the business you want
AlphaOne Technology Low Cost Web Hosting Services & Professional Web Design has found this great article by Joseph Then to be useful. You can find this article, as well as over 900 other articles helpful to webmasters in our free webmaster tools area.
Forums is one of the "forgotten" tools. You can actually get a bunch of TARGETED visitors just from forums.
If you are marketing niche product this is one of the MOST effective way.
I visit 5-8 forums everyday and I post some messages once a while. This activity takes up about 20 minutes of my time everyday.
As an advocate of testing, I decided to test the effectiveness of forums. I joined 3 marketing forums and contributed over 20 messages for each forum. I attach my signature with each post and promoted
Easy Niche Product.
After 1 week, I checked my weblog: I saw that I have a combined total of 150+ unique visitors coming from the 3 forums! 150+ unique visitors are not much, but take note that it is 150+ FREE, targeted & unique visitors.
Some other benefits of getting involved in forums:
- You get free advertising Obviously, you get free advertising for every message you post. Make sure that you have created a signature with your website link so that your signature will be seen with every post you make. You will be surprised how many people click on your signature's links
- You will be recognized With enough contribution, you will be recognized as a contributor and even an 'expert'. Your postings will carry some authority and if you want to post an advertisement, your 'authority' becomes the endorsement for your advert.
- It is easier to look for Joint Ventures This is my favorite.
Because I contribute to the forums and people recognized my contribution, it is easier to ask for Join Ventures. You will get people who are interested to join you because of your 'authority' in the forum.
There can be other benefits. But the above are good enough reasons for me to participate in forums.
About the author: Joseph Then operates an business that provides 3 Themed Niche Products for the members. You can read more about it at
http://www.EasyNicheProduct.com
Proper Opt In Email Marketing - Step by Step
AlphaOne Technology Low Cost Web Hosting Services & Professional Web Design has found this great article by Michael Lawrence to be useful. You can find this article, as well as over 900 other articles helpful to webmasters in our free webmaster tools area.
Direct Email Marketing can be one of the most effective forms of advertising you can use to spread the word about your product or service. You need to properly plan and structure the tiers of your email marketing campaigns otherwise you can run into SPAM complaints, domain blacklisting, email blocking, and an overall bad reputation.
This article will explain a
step by step procedure to take your list of
single opt in (unconfirmed) prospects and filter them into a list of targeted double optin subscribers. This article assumes you have already acquired a list of single opt in subscribers (either by purchasing a list, using an existing subscriber database or by utilizing other lead capture techniques).
Recommended Opt In Lead Vendor: Key2Net - 60 000 Free Leads Step 1 - Setup an AutoresponderAn Autoresponder is a set of scripts that automatically sends timed email messages to a database of subscribers. You have two options available to you.
1. Purchase and host your own Autoresponder scripts
2. Sign up for an account with an Autoresponder service.
Recommended Autoresponder Software ListMail ProInterspire SendStudioEcom24 AutoResponder PlusFollow Up Xpert Professional Autresponder ServicesAWeberGetResponseIntelliContactProTrafficWave Step 2 - Set Up Subscriber Databases and Import Opt In ListYou will be setting up two Autoresponder Subscriber Databases.
The first database will store your raw single optin prospect list and send a one time promotional message. The second database will store your confirmed prospects and send them a timed follow up message sequence that you will configure in Step 3.
Begin by importing your raw optin list subscriber list into your first Autoresponder System. Make sure you include the user's
first name, last name, email address, ip address, and date stamp fields. If you ever need to refute a SPAM complaint having all the proper optin information is a must have.
Any reputable Autoresponder service will require all of the listed information at a minimum before they will allow you to put your list in their system. Ensure any lists you purchase from optin list vendors have this information included as well, otherwise you are taking some big league chances with your reputation.
You should now have two databases set up to store your prospects. One will be empty, and the other will contain your uploaded optin list of raw unconfirmed prospects.
Step 3 - Configure Your Autoresponder Follow Up MessagesYou will need to add a
confirmation message and
follow-up messages to your second Autoresponder system.
Typically a person needs to see a brand or product up to 7 times before they will buy it. Win your prospect's trust by providing them valuable information. A free ecourse or newsletter are great ways to enhance your credibility.
Do not bombard your subscribers with product advertisements. They will eventually get tired of you and remove themselves from your list. Your prospect may not want to buy today, but if they ever do want to buy, you want to be their brand. This requires maintaining regular contact with your prospects so that your name is fresh in their mind without having them tune you out because your information is of no use to them.
If you provide valuable content through your Autoresponder prospects will happily open your emails giving you the chance to turn them into customers. Better yet the system is Automated meaning you could be gaining customers while sitting on the beach in some tropical locale.
Email Writing Resources Free SPAM CheckerWriting EffectivelyHow To Write Autoresponder MessagesWrite Autoresponder Messages Subscribers Will Love To ReadStep 4 - Configure your One Time Message You will be sending a one time
CAN-SPAM compliant message to the list of raw prospects in your first Autoresponder System. This message will contain a mechanism to get your prospect subscribed to your second Autoresponder system which will be sending your follow up message sequence or newsletter.
When the prospect confirms their subscription they are added to the second Autoresponder database automatically and will begin to receive your Follow Up Message Sequence. Congratulations, you now have a targeted double optin subscriber.
Typical Autoresponder Subscription Methods Lead Capture Page with Form - You can insert form code into a webpage that allows a user to subscribe to your second autoresponder system. You would then add a link to the page where you inserted this code into your one-time promotional message. If a user visits your webpage and fills out the form, they will get the confirmation message from your second Autoresponder system and subsequently your follow up messages or newsletter if they confirm their subscription.
Send a Blank Email to a Preconfigured Email Address - All autoresponder systems allow you to create an email address for remote subscription. You can insert this email address into your one-time message (do not make this your from address). When someone sends an message to this email address they are issued your confirmation message and follow up sequence once they confirm their subscription.
Insert Form Code in HTML Message - If you send your messages as HTML you have the option of inserting your signup form directly in your email message. Unfortunately, if your prospect does not have HTML messages enabled they will not be able to use your signup form.
Choose your preferred subscription method and make sure you add the necessary URL, email address or form code into your one-time message.
Items to Include in your Message: Proper return email address - (not an autoresponder subscription address). If a user chooses to "reply" to your message it has to be deliverable to a "resolvable" email address.
Proper email header information - If you are using hosting that has been set up for you with your own domain you shouldn't have to worry about configuring header information. If you run your own servers you will have to ensure you set up the proper
DNS records for your domain and mailing services. Do not spoof or forge your header information.
Removal Mechanism - Insert a link to a webpage containing your unsubsribe form, or an email address they can send their "Unsubscribe" request to. This link must be valid for at least 30 days after you send your email message.
Contact Information - Insert your name, contact email adress, and street address (or your company street address) information at the end of your message.
Appropriate Subject Line - Don't bother trying to fool people with tricky subject lines like "open me" or "look here". They hurt your credibility and scream "I am an amateur".
Your Promotional Message - Include a short benefit and feature filled message about your offer or service. Remember the goal is to get them into your automated follow up system, not close the sale.
Prospect's Optin Details (Optional) - Reduce the risk of SPAM complaints by including the prospects optin details with your message. Sometimes people do not remember signing up for things and this gives you a level of credibility with the prospect right away.
Remember to adhere to the Policies and Terms of your Web Host at all times. Some will allow you to send to large lists, some will not. It is up to you to be responsible and find out what you are allowed to do prior to starting your email campaigns.
After you have completed preparing your one time message you will be ready to start your email campaign.
Step 5 - Send One-Time MessageUse your
Autoresponder System to send your one-time message to your unconfirmed subscriber database.
Make sure to include a couple of your own email addresses in the list so you can verify whether your messages are getting delivered.
Log in to your Autoresponder system regularly and start watching your Double Optin list grow.
You can keep adding users to the first database as you acquire more leads. As you get more advanced you can begin tracking your email campaigns through specialized Ad tracking URL's.
Congratulations, you now have a Fully Automated Follow Up and Contact Management System.
About the author: Michael Lawrence is the webmaster for
BDN Web Design and also administrates a
Directory of Website Promotion and SEO Resources
The Promotional Calendar Has Just Evolved...Is Your Company Ready?
AlphaOne Technology Low Cost Web Hosting Services & Professional Web Design has found this great article by Titus Hoskins to be useful. You can find this article, as well as over 900 other articles helpful to webmasters in our free webmaster tools area.
There are over a Billion or so computer and Internet users. That's one BIG marketplace!
Finding ways to directly reach out and contact this huge consumer base has always been a problem for the small web site owner and most online/offline businesses. Those who have devised ways or methods to reach this
huge marketplace have reaped the rewards.
Microsoft comes quickly to mind with its Windows Operating System and all those default features such as MSN that's pre-loaded onto your computer. But for the little business owner accomplishing this feat for just a small percentage of this 'Billion Plus Club' is an enormous task - but again, the rewards are worth it.
One of the best ways or places to reach and touch these computer and Internet users is the
DESKTOP. Place a direct link to your business, web site or product directly on the desktop of your potential customers or interested parties.
Many successful online sites and businesses have done just that - developed a software program or programs that go
directly onto the computer desktop. This is usually some interactive program that the user accesses daily, whether they're online or off.
These businesses keep their brand name, company message, and live links constantly in front of their customers 24/7 - 365 days of the year. Designed properly, this can be a very
powerful marketing system, bringing in targeted traffic, building leads and over time creating brand loyalty or company awareness that's worth its weight in gold.
These programs can also be very
'viral', designed so that users recommend or pass them along to family, friends and colleagues. It's also the right situation where a smartly designed program or site can hit the 'Billion Plus Club' in a head-on collision. Resulting in instant mass promotion and name recognition.
One such example was 'Hotmail'.
The 'Hotmail' phenomenon surprised everyone. How that simple email program suddenly spread everywhere almost overnight was amazing. There have been numerous examples since. The viral nature of the Internet can be very beneficial to those who can harvest it!
Although not on par with the 'Hotmail' example, there's a viral technique any company, no matter how small, can use. It's a system that's so simple, its almost laughable, but sometimes the
simple stuff works best. Especially if you want to reach the largest demographic of this 'Billion Plus Club'. Even the newest computer user should feel comfortable using your program. You can only do that if your system is simple and very easy to use.
What's the program? System?
The Computer Desktop Calendar.Actually most of these programs are both a Calendar and Personal Planner which fits directly onto your computer desktop. Businesses have been using promotional calendars for centuries, it's a simple way of keeping your business contact information, your brand name or product directly in front of potential customers.
It's simple and direct. And it works!
However, instead of the kitchen wall, the eCalendar sits on your client's desktop, the best location in all of 'computerdom'. Prime beach front property. This desktop calendar can be customized to contain your company or web site message, your images, your contact information, and plus, BIG plus -
live links to your business, web site or your contact email links.
A small, simple and powerful device reaching out to that 'Billion Plus Club'.
But this device or any device would be useless, if it's not used! However, everyone uses calendars and planners - to remember everything from your favorite uncle's birthday to little Susan's next dental appointment. We all use calendars - it's a fact of life.
Savvy marketers and company directors have figured this fact out long ago. They also know the promotional calendar can be an
effective marketing tool. The real smart ones, have also factored in the huge 'Internet' market and have covered all the bases in their promotional campaigns. They use both the 'old paper' calendar and the newer 'eCalendar'. Reaching as many potential customers as they can - covering all the bases.
Like Putting Your Business Card In Front of 1000's Each Day!But there's one MAJOR difference between the two - the 'old paper type' usually lasts for only one year; the promotional eCalendar
lasts forever. For the promotional calendar, along with everything else in the computer age, has evolved. This calendar is perpetual, all your dates, plans, anniversaries, etc. can be entered and kept for a lifetime. This is a distinct advantage the eCalendar has over its out-dated paper cousin. An advantage, businesses should be aware of as they prepare their next promotional calendar.
For the small business owner or webmaster acquiring such a program or device can be expensive in the short term but it will pay big dividends for years to come. Most quality programs will have 'unlimited copies or downloads' and if the program is designed right, these calendars will last forever! One time investment, where companies can get more 'bang for their advertising buck' by using an eCalendar instead of a paper one.
These promotional eCalendars are small, simple, powerful and easy to use. If you're a web site owner, business owner (large or small) you should be considering such a
promotional viral device for your own company or product - remember the 'Billion Plus Club'.
Alert companies and businesses should be 'factoring in' the computer and Internet into any promotional campaigns. As more and more business is filtered through the Internet and the Almighty Computer, those who have their company's brand name, sales message and contact information placed directly into this mix will reap the rewards.
At the very least, using a promotional eCalendar will give any company a slight edge over their competition.
About the author:
Get a Free DATEwise eCalendar & Personal Planner for your Desktop. It's a perfect example of a promotional eCalendar in action! Click Here:
Free Desktop CalendarCopyright © 2005 Titus Hoskins of
Free Marketing Tools
How to Gain and Retain Customers for your Online Business
AlphaOne Technology Low Cost Web Hosting Services & Professional Web Design has found this great article by Kristie Weddell to be useful. You can find this article, as well as over 900 other articles helpful to webmasters in our free webmaster tools area.
It’s the most basic rule of business: you need to sell some to earn some. Salesmanship therefore, or the art of closing a sales, is of paramount importance for any business venture. After all, we can’t expect any earnings if we don’t make any sales.
Winning customers is essential for the success of our enterprise. And this is also true for online businesses. In fact, some would say that winning customers online has its share of pros and cons. The good news is that the entire world is your market, and you could potentially reach more people through the World Wide Web. The disadvantage? The Internet offers a more impersonal channel in our dealings with people, making it more difficult to garner their trust and favor.
So what are we to do then? Fear not, dear friend. As with everything else in life, we should try to accentuate the positives to compensate for the negatives. Here are a few ways by which you could gain a good number of customers, and keep them for a long and profitable business for you and your family. Always deliver quality goods or services. There is no better vehicle for our business message than our products themselves. Consistently offering things that are more than worth our customers’ time and money will brand us as enterprises that are committed to quality products and services. This would only serve us well in future dealings with the same clients.
Additionally, this would make our clients as advertising vehicles for our business as well, as they would spread the word about the excellence of our service to people belonging to their network.
Always try to over-deliver. People love receiving more than what they paid for. If you consistently give them some extras, their minds would be conditioned to trust your business for future transactions.
Provide bonuses. In addition to the product you’re selling, add some more goods that would perk up the package. Do this in a manner that you will make your customers aware of the value of the bonuses if they were otherwise purchased. This would definitely increase the worth of your product, and such would make it more favorable for a successful sale. Additionally, your bonuses would foster good will with your clients, and this could go a long, long way for future orders.
Build relationships. The importance of building good relationships with your customers cannot be undermined. As we’ve discussed earlier, the Internet is a rather informal venue for personal dealings. So try to humanize your approach so that your customers can relate to you as someone who is more than just a business provider, but also as a friend.
Make use of a mailing list. A mailing list is an Internet marketers number one weapon. By capturing the contact details of people who may not have been interested with their current offer, they will be able to condition the same people for future sales. And this could serve their businesses well for quite a long time, as one successful sale can beget another and another after that. So invest on an excellent autoresponder service and prepare those follow-up messages well. Take good care of your subscriber base, and they will take good care of your business in return.
Winning customers is more than just luck. It entails a lot of strategizing and good planning. Retaining customers involve the same level of commitment as well. In the highly competitive world of online marketing, trust plays an integral role in achieving our goals. Try your best to win your customers’ trust. Take care of it. And for sure, this trust would fuel good business for you for many years to come.
About the author:
Kristie Weddell is an affiliate marketer and internet researcher. Kristie scours the internet searching for and developing strategies that provide quality information and tools for internet marketers.
www.affliatesource.com
Search Engine Optimization For Google
AlphaOne Technology Low Cost Web Hosting Services & Professional Web Design has found this great article by David Bell to be useful. You can find this article, as well as over 900 other articles helpful to webmasters in our free webmaster tools area.
Expert Google search engine optimization have increased exponentially, because of the proven search engine optimization and search engine positioning techniques.
A group of Google employees have recently filed a patent application (#20050071741) with the United States Patent and Trademark Office which gives insight into how to optimize one's website to do well in the Google rankings. The filing of the patent gives verification that Google uses or intends to use historical data in its ranking algorithm. This patent also gives credence to the Google Sandbox Theory for new websites.
Under the Google Sandbox Theory, new websites are placed in a sort of holding tank for observation for a period of time (6 - 9 months at present) until the website has proved that it's not a fly-by-night operation. Once the Sandbox period is over, then new websites will climb rapidly in the rankings. The Google Sandbox Theory is an unofficial theory based on observation and anecdotal evidence from those within the search engine optimization industry.
Based on the new Google patent here are the top 5 suggestions to better optimization for Google:
1- Build links slowly to your website. Websites that put up a bunch links quickly send up a red flag that links are being added in order to boost rankings. According to Google, natural links happen slowly over time, so one's link-building strategy also needs to include link-building slowly over time.
2- The anchor text in the back links to a website also need to be natural as well. If a website has lots of great content of interest to visitors, other Webmasters will naturally link to the website. Content is still king when it comes to building natural links. In fact, having great content is the best natural linking strategy.
3- If content is king, then fresh content is prince. Google thrives on websites that are constantly adding fresh content.
Websites with stale content erode in value over time.
4- When adding fresh content, make sure it is substantial.
According to the patent, Google measures substantial versus insubstantial content that is being added to a website. Don't try to trick the search engines with lots of minor content updates.
5- Outbound links to trusted, authority sites help in the rankings. As a reputable online business, it makes good business sense to refer customers to other reputable businesses as well.
Referring customers to disreputable websites only hurt a business's reputation and credibility and Google takes this into account when deciding how to rank websites.
There are more insights to be gained from the patent application, but these are the highlights that will help Webmasters and SEO's focusing on Google to achieve higher rankings. Many of these ideas have been stated before as theory and now the patent application verifies these theories.
Historical data has always been thought to play a significant role in the Google rankings. So now that it has been confirmed, taking action seems to be the next logical step.
I hope this helps in your future advertising decisions.
About the author:
David Bell
# 1 Internet Marketing Agency -Online Advertising AgencyAdvertising research and development center
Best Practices Guide: Ad Swap
AlphaOne Technology Low Cost Web Hosting Services & Professional Web Design has found this great article by Dejan Bizinger to be useful. You can find this article, as well as over 900 other articles helpful to webmasters in our free webmaster tools area.
Ad swap is one of the best ways to get new subscribers for your email newsletter if you have a limited budget for online marketing. Swapping ads is a great free technique. If you make good ad swap partnerships with email newsletters or web sites that focus on similar target audience like yours you will get quality (targeted) subscribers. Different Internet marketing studies show that most of your visitors will come to your site from links on other sites.
1) How to find swap resourcesYou will have to spend some time in finding ad swap partners. It can be time-consuming but if you find the right partners it is well worth it. You have to find partners that have similar businesses like yours, but not the same. It is not recommended to advertise your competitors. For example, if you offer web hosting services you can make ad swap partnerships with email hosting companies. You have to add only those ad swap partners in your email newsletter that will provide value-added services for your subscribers.
Several sites and services will make your job of finding swap resources easier.
Ad swap web sites and email newslettersLink Partners - Free link exchange with searchable directory.
http://www.linkpartners.comLink City - Reciprocal link directory with a number of categories.
http://www.link-city.comSwap Resources - Free email newsletter where subscribers can post their swap requests.
join-swapresources@texaslists.netServicesLinksManager.com - Links management application service which automates links page management. It also promotes your website through a reciprocal link exchange which increases link popularity and web site traffic.
http://www.linksmanager.comLink Exchange Experts - Paid service that finds ad swap sites for your site.
http://www.linkexchangeexperts.comZeus Internet Marketing Robot - Reciprocal link robot generates reciprocal links by automatically finding web sites he is trained to find, and building a link page or directory.
http://www.cyber-robotics.com2) How to arrange ad swapsWhen you contact webmasters for possible ad swap cooperation it is recommended that you personalize your message. So instead of: "Dear Webmaster..." you should write: "Dear Mr. Last Name or First Name..."
After that, you will introduce yourself and your web site or email newsletter and tell them why you are interested in making link exchange with them. It is important to persuade them, to tell them "what is in" for them. It is best if you exchange links with email newsletters with similar number of subscribers. However, quantity is not the most important thing. The most important thing is quality. Both parties have to be sure that their ads will appear on reputable web sites and email newsletters.
If you want to advertise in email newsletters you should send them your ad, preferably max. 5 lines and formatted with 65 characters in each line. You have to ask them to let you know when they will place your ad in their email newsletter and to forward you a copy. You will do the same. If you want that your ad appear in HTML format you can make a special section on your site where you will place your banners in several formats and to place HTML codes so that you will make your ad swap partner's job easier.
It is also important to discuss about ad placements and how many other ads will be in that issue. It is not the same if your ad will be at the beginning of the issue, in the middle of an article or at the end of email newsletter. Also, it is better that your ad be the only one in that particular issue.
If you want to advertise in email newsletters that have more subscribers than yours, you can give them special deals like "3 for 1" so that you will place 3 times their ad for one placement of your ad.
Swapping ads is time-consuming but can bring very good results. Also, this way you can make some good online friends that can be of help for your business development.
About the author:
Dejan Bizinger is a Contributing Editor for Infacta. Infacta is email messaging services company providing powerful, yet easy-to-use award-winning Group Mail, software for sending highly-personalized email messages and Group Metrics, software for email tracking. For more information visit:
http://www.infacta.com