Market Your Web Site Effectively

Those enterprising professionals who took to the Internet early implemented a variety of formats for adapting a real-world, largely paper-based industry to the new structures offered online. Some succeeded with their initial business plans, while others were less fortunate. No business anywhere succeeds without effective marketing tactics, and a business based in cyberspace stands even less of a chance if it doesn't follow the rules for effective Internet marketing.

Benefits of E-mail Marketing

E-mail marketing is by far the most cost-effective and rapid method for marketing your Web site online. Unfortunately, it also introduces the most potential danger. [see note below...]

Best practices indicate that it is unwise to send a large number of e-mail messages en masse unless the recipients specifically give you permission to do so. Permission-based e-mail marketing is called "opt-in e-mail."

The "subject line" is the most important element of an e-mail announcing your Web site and business services. It's equivalent to the headline in a print advertisement. The subject line should be compelling and entice the reader to open the e-mail in addition to conveying your message. At the same time, for many SPAM identification software applications, the subject line plays an important role in deciding whether the email will be delivered to the recipient's mailbox. Careful attention should be paid to the composition of the subject line. Avoiding words such as 'FREE' and 'GUARANTEED' and not over-using the exclamation mark can make a big difference.

Another key component of any e-mail advertisement is the signature, which comprises about four lines at the end of your message and should include your Web site address. Including this address dramatically increases the visibility and accessibility to your site when it is added automatically to every e-mail you send. Additionally, you should put your company name, phone number and physical mailing address for further communications.

E-mail marketing also provides speedy results. It enables you to alter your approach - and even try another campaign - in a fraction of the time it takes to complete conventional marketing pieces like print ads or direct mail. If you intend to use e-mail extensively, it's a good idea to use a software tool like Goldmine, PointofMail, or Active Campaign to track and manage your results.

It is also beneficial to use different e-mail addresses on each of your marketing materials, as well as on your Web site. For example, use yourname@ yoursite.com exclusively on your Web site, use info@ yoursite.com on your letterhead, and use realestate@ yoursite.com on your business cards. That way, when you receive an e-mail at one of those addresses, you can track where the sender, or lead, got your e-mail address.

Please note: E-mail marketing is subject to a new federal law called the CAN_SPAM ACT OF 2003 (15 U.S.C.S. @ 7701, et seq.), which took effect January 1, 2004. Before you use e-mail as part of your marketing program, please make sure you read and comply with this law.

Using Banner Advertising and Link Exchanges

Banners and link exchanges are cooperative efforts between two or more Web sites that are promoting each other. Keep in mind, there are several different types of banner programs:

Reciprocal links are swapped between your site and another so that you can share traffic. A reciprocal link exchange is a great way to get visitors to your site from non-competing professionals such as bankers, attorneys, real estate brokers, and financial planners. Contact a few businesses and suggest to them that you place your link on their site and offer to place their link on your site. As an added benefit, the call provides an excellent opportunity to make contact with these professionals initially. Later, you can initiate conversations in which referrals for your companies services are exchanged.

Affiliate banners can be placed on your site, and the affiliate will pay you a commission if a visitor clicks through and makes a purchase at the affiliate's site. There are many options at fastclick, tribalfusion or clickbank

Achieving Rank on Search Engines

Each area of Internet marketing is unique. Because each business is different, you must be creative and use your Web site to market to areas you feel will make your business flourish. Even the method you use to submit your site to search engines will differ depending on your goals.

Modern search engines have acquired the ability to "read" Web sites, just like people searching the Internet. The obvious difference is that these "readers" are computer robots that roam online, cataloging Web sites into specific categories.

In addition to reading Web sites, these robots can read words - or "metatags" - that people cannot see on most Web sites. Metatags are the words that are important in locating your Web site when searching the Internet and are the title and description that you find in the search results on Google, Yahoo!, MSN and other search engines for a particular search query.

Metatags were originally created to help search engines find important information about your page that might otherwise have been difficult to determine quickly, such as related keywords or a description of the page itself.

Many people believe that accurate metatags will guarantee a good listing in the search engines, but that is not entirely correct. While metatags usually are part of a well-optimized page, they are not the end-all, be-all. Early in the Internet's evolution, Web sites were able to get great list placement from optimizing only their metatags, but the increasing competition for search engine listings eventually prompted many people to "spam" the search engines with keyword-stuffed metatags. The result is that the engines have changed what they look at when they rank a Web page.

While there are two metatags that can help your search engine listings - meta keywords and meta description - search engines now usually look at a combination of elements to determine listings. And some search engines don't look at metatags at all! For example, search engine robots also look at the number of outside sites that link to your site - a figure commonly known as the popularity ranking. What this means is that you should have a combination of elements implemented on your page. Search Engines are constantly evolving and never disclose exactly what these elements might be, but a well built site with lots of very relevant content is always a good start.

Google, widely acknowledged as the top search engine, has been stepping up enforcement of its "rules" for appearing on its result lists since 2001, according to a recent article in The Wall Street Journal. It warned Webmasters that using trickery could get their sites kicked out of the Google index and provided a list of forbidden activities. Matt Cutts, a Google software engineer, says that the rules are clear and that it's better to follow them than to try to get a problem fixed after a site has been penalized. "We want to return the most relevant pages we can," Cutts said. "The best way for a site owner to do that is follow our guidelines." A listing of these guidelines along with some frequently asked questions can be found at: http://www.google.com/intl/en/webmasters/.

Online Articles Can Help You Improve Your Ranking

Most hosting companies offer easy ways to add and change their Web sites' metatags. In your site there are two distinct areas that house metatags. Your description tag and keyvords should be added; then they can be changed periodically, depending on your results. Additonally, on each of your pages, you can specify a title tag, description, and meta keywords specific to that page.

Title tag words appear in the upper left of a Web browser program (the title bar), outside of the page and above the function buttons and file menus. These words are critical because most engines and directories place a high level of importance on keywords that are found in your title tag. The title tag is also what the search engines usually use for the title of your listing in the search results. We recommend that your title tag be between 25-75 characters, including spaces. The length that different search engines accept varies, but as long as you keep within this limit you should be fine. Include prominent key words and your company name in your title tag.

The description tag is hidden within your site but is equally important. Some search engines display the description tag below your site address when your site is a match for a search. Make sure you accurately describe the content of your page while trying to entice visitors to click on your listing. Include three to four of your most important keyword phrases, especially those used in your title tag and page copy. Try to have your most important keywords appear at the beginning of your description; that way search engines won't cut off your keywords. This technique often brings better results.

Keywords should be words or phrases that a client might use to search for your site. The more specific they are the better. Keywords also are crucial because they are compared with the readable copy in your Web site, and they can be revised as often as you like. Static sites that sit for years without changes typically don't rank very well in search listings.

The Wait for a Listing 

Getting listed on the major search engines takes time and patience, but it can be an effective way to get targeted traffic to your Web site. It currently takes between one week and three months to get listed at each of the following major search engines once you have submitted your Web site or after your site has been found by a robot:

Google: up to twelve weeks

YAHOO!: up to eight weeks

MSN: up to four weeks

AOL: up to four weeks

AltaVista: up to four weeks

Fast: up to two weeks

Excite: up to six weeks

HotBot: up to eight weeks

iWon: up to eight weeks

Top Choices for Search Engines

The following search engines are all excellent choices as you begin trying to get your site listed. More information on these sites is available at searchenginewatch.com.

Google

Voted "Most Outstanding Search Engine" three times by Search Engine Watch readers, Google has a well-deserved reputation as the top choice for those searching the Web. The crawler-based service provides comprehensive coverage of the Internet along with great relevancy. Therefore, it should be at the top of your priority list of search engines.

Google offers excellent spell checking, easy access to dictionary definitions, integration of stock quotes, street maps, telephone numbers, and more. See Google's help page for an entire rundown on some of these features.

In addition to Google's unpaid editorial results, the company also operates its own advertising programs. The cost-per-click AdWords program will enable you to place ads on Google as well as on some of the search engine's partners. Similarly, Google is a provider of unpaid editorial results to some other search engines. For a list of major partnerships, see the Search Providers Chart on google.com.

Getting Listed: Read the guide at google.com for more about being included in Google's editorial results; peruse the Google AdWords section for more about Google's paid listings programs.

To submit your website to Google, go to: http://www.google.com/addurl/?continue=/addurl

Yahoo

Launched in 1994, Yahoo! is the Web's oldest "directory," a place where human editors organize Web sites into categories. Sites pay a fee to be included in the Yahoo! Directory's commercial listings, though they must meet editor approval before being accepted. Non-commercial content is accepted for free. Yahoo's content acquisition program also offers paid inclusion, where sites can also pay to be included in Yahoo's crawler-based results. This doesn't guarantee ranking, Yahoo promises. The CAP program also bring in content from non-profit organizations for free.

Like Google, Yahoo sells paid placement advertising links that appear on its own site and which are distributed to others. These are sold through Overture, now known as Yahoo! Search Marketing.

Getting Listed: Read the "Submitting to Yahoo" section at yahoo.com. In North America, paid listings for Yahoo.com come from Overture. (Recently acquired by Yahoo!, and now called Yahoo! Search Marketing).

MSN Search

MSN Search has its own team of editors that monitors the most popular searches being conducted and then hand-picks sites that are believed to be most relevant. After conducting a search, you'll also see "Popular Topics" below the search box on the results page. These are suggestions built largely by editors to guide you into making a more refined search. When appropriate, search results also may feature links to encyclopedia content from Microsoft Encarta or news headlines.

Because human editors can't do everything, MSN Search also relies on search providers for answers to many queries.

Overall, MSN Search provides a blend of human-powered directory information and crawler coverage that is different from any of the other top choices. It's a high-quality resource that provides its own unique view of the Web, and it's worth checking out.

AllTheWeb

MSN Search has its own team of editors that monitors the most popular searches being conducted and then hand-picks sites that are believed to be most relevant. After conducting a search, you'll also see "Popular Topics" below the search box on the results page. These are suggestions built largely by editors to guide you into making a more refined search. When appropriate, search results also may feature links to encyclopedia content from Microsoft Encarta or news headlines.

Because human editors can't do everything, MSN Search also relies on search providers for answers to many queries.

Overall, MSN Search provides a blend of human-powered directory information and crawler coverage that is different from any of the other top choices. It's a high-quality resource that provides its own unique view of the Web, and it's worth checking out.

To submit your website to MSN, go to: http://search.msn.com/docs/submit.aspx?FORM=WSDD2.

Web-based Marketing Is An Opportunity

The potential for marketing your business online is untapped. Because of the cost efficiencies provided via Web-based marketing coupled with the vast audience you might reach, there may be no better opportunity for exposure.

Of course, it is always advised that when you're using the Web to market, you follow the rules. Spamming or mass e-mailing visitors to your site or using tricks to earn status on search engines may provide immediate results, but your reputation will be damaged and so will your online potential. It is always important to stay current on Web marketing best practices while you maintain your Internet presence. The rewards will be well-worth the effort.