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Your Business Benefits From An Internet Presence
You have the
opportunity to display descriptions of your services and products in a
dynamic graphical and interactive format. A Website, when done properly,
is one of the most valuable and cost effective advertising tools you can
have for your business.
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Your
customers will be able to obtain information, request
specific information and purchase your products or services
directly on line...
24 hours a day 7 days a week! |
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Additional
earnings are received from online sales of your services and/or products |
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Lengthy
customer service phone calls diminish because your customers are able to
have their frequently asked questions answered on your Website. |
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Your
advertising expenses are reduced because information about sales,
specials, your business' recent accomplishments, etc. can now reach your
customers with the click of a button. No postage required! |
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Your
exposure to the marketplace is broadened. |
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Your
professional image is enhanced. |
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Your area of
expertise is demonstrated through the information, tips and resources
you provide on your site. |
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An ongoing
relationship with your customers/clients is established. |
Become
part of the electronic age. Don't get left behind. Establish your Web
presence today!
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Search Engine and Directory Submission
Tips
Search engines and directories, such as HotBot (
www.hotbot.com
), Alta Vista (
www.altavista.com ) and Yahoo (
www.yahoo.com ), are the most common
tools used for locating information on the Internet. 80 to 85% of Internet
users locate Web sites by using the search engines.
There are millions of Web sites out
there on the Internet. It takes time and effort to build site traffic
through the search engines. You need to understand how they work and
develop a search engine submission strategy in order to achieve effective
results. When someone enters a search term or key phrase/word related to
the content of you site into a search engine, your site needs to appear
in the top 30 to be effective. See our
information on keywords
below for more information
about keyword selection.
Search engines
and directories use different methods to index and rank Web sites. Your
ranking in a search query varies depending on which search engine or
directory you use. Some search engines place primary emphasis on text
within certain HTML tags (title tags and/or meta tags) while others place
emphasis on main ideas presented on all the text on a single Web page.
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Search engines use programs
that search web pages for specified keywords and return a list of
documents. Search engines have two parts, a spider and an indexer. The
spider program fetches documents, the indexer reads documents and
creates catalogs or databases based on keywords or ideas contained in
the documents. Some of the major search engines are: Alta Vista, Excite,
Google, Infoseek, Inktomi, HotBot, Go, Lycos, Northern Light and
WebCrawler. |
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Directories (such as Yahoo,
frequently mistaken for a search engine) depend on actual people to
approve and list your web pages. A directory does not make use of a
spider. You must select the correct category and write a concise and
accurate description that already resembles descriptions in the targeted
directory. To be accepted into a major directory your site content must
show credibility in your field. A tips page, links page or "how to" page
can demonstrate your area of expertise. Some of the most visited
directories are Yahoo, Looksmart, About.com and Open Directory. You
should consider industry specific directories also. Go to
www.webplaces.com ,
www.searchengineguide.com
,
www.searchenginewatch.com/links/ or
# for
lists of numerous search engines and directories. |
Because rules for listing and
ranking are so different in search engines and directories, it is
important to develop your submission strategies separately. In other
words, submit your site by hand to each individual search engine rather
that using a service or software that auto-submits to "hundreds" of search
engines at once. You don't want to run the risk of being eliminated from
their indexes.
Re-submission of Web Pages
Search engine ranking is not permanent because search engine companies
change their requirements frequently. Site resubmission is an ongoing
process. We recommend resubmission of your web pages to the search engines
every few months. If you resubmit your site too frequently you run the
risk of of permanent removal from the search engines. When your site is
added to a directory, you may not have to resubmit unless your business
has changed significantly and places you in another category. Study each
search engine and directory before submitting your site. Follow their
rules exactly. If you don't, again, you run the risk of removal.
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Keyword and
Key-phrase Considerations
People search the Internet
with words and phrases that they enter into search engines. Knowing which
words and phrases your potential customers will use gives you a list of
your "keywords" and "key phrases". Placing these keywords and phrases
strategically throughout your Web site is a great way to optimize
placement within the search engines. It is important for keywords/phrases
to appear within the top paragraphs of each Web page and behind the scenes
within the HTML tags such as the heading tags, meta tags and the alt
attributes of the image source tags. The most important meta tags are the
title and description meta tags.
When choosing your keywords think about the following:
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What words are used over and
over in your company's printed materials? |
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What questions do new
customers/clients frequently ask when you speak with them? |
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Survey your current
customers/clients. How would they find you on the Internet? |
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Go to a major search engine
and or directory, type in your keywords and look at the Web sites that
appear in the top 20. Examine their keywords for comparison and without
copying them, use them to make adjustments to yours. You need to compile
a list of about 25 keywords. Place your most important keywords in the
top 10. Most search engines and directories limit the number of words
they will except and some will only accept a few. |
Site Description
When submitting your site to the search engines for indexing, some
will ask you to type in a description of your Web site along with your
keywords/phrases. Your description should be about 25 to 30 words in
length and include as many of your keywords/phrases as possible to promote
higher placement on most major search engines. You site description should
also be placed behind the scenes within your description meta tags.
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Remember -
Content is king!
Increasing traffic to your web site
is great, but people must like what they see and be given an incentive to
stay and/or bookmark your site. Visitors can quickly click off your web
site just as quickly as they clicked on to it.
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Develop content that is
informative and helpful. It is best to define your services and/or
products accurately and document how they will help your potential
customers solve their problems and/or make life more pleasant. Use
examples and testimonials when possible. |
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Include something free for
your visitors. Customers always want to know What is in it for me? You
can do this by providing free information, free samples, coupons,
special offers, useful tips, a "What's New" section, a calendar of
special upcoming events, contests, new articles, new services or
products, a list of things to come etc. By adding new content and
specials you will also give visitors a reason to come back for more!
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Demonstrate your area of
expertise and show visitors you are aware of what's happening online in
regards to your company/profession by including a "Tips" page, "Resource
Links" page and/or "How To" page. Persuade them to think of your site as
the gateway to local, legal, medical or other community. This type or
information also helps with search engine indexing. |
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Provide interaction. People
using the Internet enjoy interacting with web sites by obtaining and
giving online feedback. You can accomplish this with response forms,
polls, surveys, "Ask A Question" pages. |
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Let your audience know who
you are. Trust is paramount to persuade online customers to call you
instead of the competitor down the street.
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Online Marketing/Promotion
Tips and Resource Links
Everyone's website
needs to be part of an integrated marketing effort. There are currently
millions of web sites on the Internet and that number continues to grow
every day. You don't want your site to become lost in cyber space. Develop
a marketing strategy online and off-line to let people know
who you are, where you are and what you have to offer them. The following
information was developed to show you various methods of promoting your
site online. We have included some great resources available for you to
get started.
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Search Engines and Directories
Search engines and directories,
such as HotBot (www.hotbot.com), Alta Vista (www.altavista.com ) and
Yahoo (www.yahoo.com ), are the most common tools used for locating
information on the internet. Practically all of them will index the
contents of your web pages for free. Register your site with at least the
top 10 search engines and any subject specific search engines and
directories. To list your site go to the home page of each search
engine/directory, scroll to the bottom of the page and look for a link
that says "Add URL" or "Recommend a site". Click on the link and follow
the submission directions carefully. It will take from several hours to a
couple of months to be indexed depending on the particular search engine
or directory.
To optimize placement in the search engines and directories develop
keywords/phrases related to your content and make sure they are placed
throughout your site. See our Search Engine and Directory Submission Tips
for more information regarding keywords and search engine submission.)
Several companies on the web
provide submission services. These companies submit your web pages to
multiple search engines and directories at one time. Remember though that
the rules for listing and ranking vary with each search engine and
directory. For optimal indexing it is recommended that you develop your
submission strategies separately especially for the top directories. Go to
www.searchenginewatch.com for in depth information regarding search
engines and directories.
Companies that provide free
submission services:
Register It www.registerit.com
Net Promote www.netpromote.com
Self Promotion
www.selfpromotion.com
Some of the top search engines
and directories include:
Alta Vista www.altavista.com
Direct Hit www.directhit.com
Excite www.excite.com
Go/Infoseek www.go.com
Fast Search www.alltheweb.com
Go To www.goto.com is now
www.oveture.com
Google www.google.com
Hot Bot www.hotbot.com
Iwon www.iwon.com
Look Smart www.looksmart.com
Lycos www.lycos.com
Northern Light
www.northernlight.com
Open Directory www.dmoz.org
Web Crawler www.webcrawler.com
Yahoo www.yahoo.com
Netscape Search
www.search.netscape.com
NBCi
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Search engine listings in
addition to the above resources are found on:
www.webplaces.com
www.searchengineguide.com
www.searchenginewatch.com/links
www.selfpromotion.com
www.hotsheet.com
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Join Mailing Lists and Newsgroups
Mailing list and newsgroup
participation are great ways to make contact with people who might be
interested in your product or service and to build site traffic. Subscribe
to one or more mailing lists and join newsgroups that discuss your
topic/profession. Generate interest by sending in posts to the mailing
lists and newsgroups asking pertinent questions and/or offering
comments/free tips. Always use your signature file when sending in posts.
These are standard closings of several lines that go at the end of each
email you send. Your signature can include a brief sales message, your web
site address etc. Most e-mail programs have their own method of creating
these signatures.
Newsgroups
You can get a list of newsgroups from your newsreader software or your
Internet provider. Post messages on Usenet groups through Google Groups at
http://groups.google.com/
Mail lists
Resource about email lists and how to use them can be found at
# .
Yahoo Groups is a free email group service that allows you to easily
create and join email groups. Go to
# (formerly egoups.com)
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Opt-in
Email lists
Permission email is another
marketing tool. Consumers give their permission to receive a promotional
message from you that is targeted to their interests.
This is easy for you to accomplish. Just add a forms page to your site so
your visitors can sign up to be on your mailing list. Send them periodic
emails with special offers, bargains, new merchandise, services, discounts
or even a monthly newsletter. Be sure to make it easy for people to
unsubscribe and keep your emails short and only send them when you have
something valuable to offer.
To start your own email list for free you can go to Bravenet Web Services
at www.bravenet.com scroll down the page to the mailing list link.
www.yesmail.com offers permission
e-mail marketing.
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Online Banner Ads
Banner ads are one of the most
frequently used methods of advertising on the web. There are some free
banner exchange programs available.
The following sites offer banner exchange programs:
www.bannerswap.com
www.excange-it.com
www.bannerbarter.com
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Link Exchange/Establishing Reciprocal Links
It is important for any company
with a web presence to build a link development strategy. The more sites
you have linking to yours the better your search engine results will be.
To further develop link popularity, you may want to consider specialized
sites/directories that are industry specific. See
www.topdirectories.com for a
listing of numerous industry specific directories.
Increasing the number of good links into your site takes time.
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Use search engines to find
other web sites that you think your visitors would value.
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Send an email to the
webmaster offering to link to those sites and requesting that they link
to you in exchange. |
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Pre-license your
content/articles and allow other webmasters to use it for free provided
they include a link back to your site. |
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Post your URL to search
engines regularly. With each search engine post you are creating yet
another link to your site. |
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Link to affiliates within
your specific industry, www.webring.org
offers this as a free service. |
To check your link
popularity in some search engines:
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For AltaVista and Go (Infoseek),
in the search query field, type in:
link:domainname.com |
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For HotBot, in the search
query field, type in your domain name:
www.domainname.com This free
service queries Infoseek, Altavista, and Hotbot and reports on your link
popularity -
www.linkpopularity.com |
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