31 Ways to Drive Traffic to your Web site and keep them coming back!
by Maria Marsala

In 1998, promoting your 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 free search engines or directories.
Fast forward to the present. It's become a time consuming project and a new position in the Web design industry- Search Engine Consultants have been created. Use the list below to find ways that your Web site will be found by your ideal client, is user friendly and insures that it's visited often.

1. Build a strong solid business foundation. Design a business plan, marketing plan, ideal client profile and 30-second elevator speech. The resources that will start you on your way can be downloaded at http://www.coachmaria.com/ebooks/business2.html
   
   
2. Be consistent and "brand" your company. Use the same colors, logo, motto, etc. everywhere!
   
   
3. Make your Web site trustable. This article will show you 10 ways to get you started. http://www.coachmaria.com/articles/trustableweb.html
   
   
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. Example: www.YourDomainName/WhatIsOnThePage.html
   
   
6. Offer added values 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 pages.
   
   
8. Add a "Recommend This Site" on your site. If someone visits your 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 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 are: http://www.webring.com/rw and http://www.bravenet.com
    
    
11. Provide a subscription box, to your e-zine or business announcement list, on your most viewed Web site pages.
    
    
12. On large Web sites, create a "What's New Page" or even better, ask your Web designer to design a "Site Map" for your visitors.
    
    
13. Search engines look for certain things - titles, heading, meta tags - so it is crucial to make sure your site is "search-engine friendly". Visit http://www.coachmaria.com/business/webmarketing.html for additional resources on search engines.
    
    a. TITLE tags: Title tags should be 60 or so characters and have some keywords in them.
    
    b. Header tags are numbered from 1 to 7: some search engines recognize Header tags. So make sure you use these tags for each of the titles on your page.
    
    c. Keyword Meta tags: Add no more than 15 to 20 keywords to keep the search engines from flagging your site for keyword spamming. Prioritize your words. The best way to submit to search engines is to submit to each engine individually.
    
    d. Use keywords in the text area of each page. They are especially important at the beginning of sentences and higher up on the page.
    
    e. To learn more about meta tags, tap here http://html.about.com/cs/metatags/
    
    
14. Find easy and secure ways for your clients to pay you. A shopping cart and a secure way to accept checks and/or credit cards work very well.
    
    
15. Check your links regularly to make sure they all work. Use a free link checker like: http://home.snafu.de/tilman/xenulink.html
    
    
16. Provide monthly chats or bulletin boards (forums) to build relationships and community.
    
    
17. Conduct periodic contests and announce the winners on your site.
    
    
18. Offer a free e-book or e-report on your site. It's size doesn't matter if you're providing it for free and it's specifically for your ideal client. Provide permission for the e-book be forwarded to others for their personal use.
    
    
19. Write articles, post them to your site, and submit them to article banks http://www.coachmaria.com/articles/articlebanks.html
    
    
20. Design some quizzes or surveys. Statistics show that visitors love quizzes and assessment tools.
    
    
21. Participate in online forums as an expert. You get to "quietly" promote your business in your 3 or 4 line signature.
    
    
22. Place your Web site address on all your printed literature -- business cards, brochures, newsletters, letterhead, e-mail signature, ads - everything!!
    
    
23. Promote your Web address in your signature for e-mails (change it regularly to highlight something new you're promoting).
    
    
24. Teach classes or speak to groups about subjects relating to your products.
    
    
25. Network locally to bring people to your site.
    
    
26. "Permission Market" by gathering, in writing, the e-mail addresses of students, or an audience as part of your evaluation forms. Create index cards so that you can invite your of friends, networking partners or associates to join your list. Keep any papers involved in this process for at least a year or two.
    
    
27. Search engines do not find your site unless you submit your site's information to them. Below are four ways to submit your site to engines:
    
    a. It is recommended that you submit to search engines individually (this is also the way I do it and it works great, but is time consuming)! Visit http://www.coachmaria.com/business/webmarketing.html
    
    b. Since some people prefer to use a free service to submit their sites to search engines, I recommend that they open a free e-mail address to use when you do "anything" for free on the World Wide Web. Three good search engine submission services are http://www.registerit.com, http://www.submitit.com and http://www.scrubtheweb.com You can pay for a program that will assist you to submit and critique your site such as: http://www.se-optimiser.com, http://www.webpositiongold.com, http://postionagent.com
    
    c. Hire a Search Engine Optimization Expert.
    
    
28. Visit these search engine information sites: http://www.searchenginewatch.com and http://www.searchengineguide.com
    
    
29. When your Web site is launched, updated, or you write a free e-book, send a Press Release to the media, your clients, friends and associates, too.
    
    
30. Want to know more about Internet Marketing? Visit this Internet Marketing Index at http://www.internetmarektingguideindex.com
    
    
31. If this list of promotion ideas seems overwhelming, visit your favorite search engine to conduct a search for Search Engine Optimizers and Consultants or ask others who they use and would recommend.
    

About the Author
© 2002 Maria Marsala. Maria is an international Business and Life Coach-Consultant. She assists entrepreneurs, professionals, executives, coaches, consultants and others as they propel their personal and professional success to even higher levels. Subscribe to our free ezine "Helping You and Your Business Grow" at www.coachmaria.com

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