So you've got your website up and running. You've spent some time and effort getting to this stage, so it's crucial that you optimize your efforts and success by spreading the word about your website.

Remember, simply having a Web site doesn't mean that people will automatically see it. You need to promote your site. Here's how:

1. Online Promotion

To promote your Web site effectively, you need a good list of quality prospects to whom you will target your promotion. A good way to do this is to use an "opt-in" box on your home page.

An opt-in box is a simple form on your site where a visitor can leave their name and e-mail address in exchange for some information that relates to your Web site theme and target audience's interests; a free subscription to an e-zine; or regular updates on special offers, new services or products.

The purpose of this opt-in strategy is to build a prospect list of people who are interested in what you offer, and in subjects relating to that offer. These people are giving you permission to e-mail them and may buy from you at a later date. You can offer incentives to your prospect list/subscriber base to encourage them to buy.

As long as the information you supply to your prospects is useful and of good quality, you will build credibility and a loyal customer base, to whom to sell related products and services.

2. Magnetize Your Site: Keep it Fresh

Update your Web site frequently with fresh content. This gives visitors a reason to visit, stay and return to your site in the future.

You can generate a column on your site that you regularly update by encouraging visitors to interact and discuss a certain topic or suggesting good resources. This can be done via a discussion board or discussion list. This information could generate an "Ask Us" column or an FAQ page that changes daily or weekly.

Another way to keep your site current is to ask your designer to use a JavaScript command that automatically changes the date when a visitor clicks to your site.

3. Where to Promote Your Site

E-zines

Targeted e-zine ads can cost little and get good results. By placing short, compelling text ads in e-zines that your specific target audience reads you can reach the people you want to reach, without spending a fortune.

For a list of e-zines relating to your Web site subject, visit:

To swap an e-zine ad (allow a person's ads in your e-zine in exchange for a free ad in their e-zine), visit:


Web sites come and go, and we don't have a good way to visit these links, so if they've vanished, try searching on compendium sites for "online magazines" or "e-zines" to find new players.

If you don't have the time to spend researching which e-zines to advertise in, which online publications and Web sites to send announcements and press releases to, you can get help. Some Web sites offer personalized promotion plans, tailored to your situation and Web site promotion services:



Articles

If you can write, spell, and are knowledgeable about any topic relating to your Web site, products and services, write a short article or series of informative articles about the topic. Include a good signature line at the end of your article, e.g. "Written by Michael Twiggs of http://www.TwiggsInc.com For more tips on promoting your Web site, E-mail metwiggs@TwiggsInc.com".

Submit your article to relevant offline and online publications with permission to reprint the entire articles, including the contact details, copyright notice and signature line.

By using articles to promote your Web site you can establish yourself as an expert in your field and build your credibility. You can also continually promote because articles can be passed on and used over and over for many years. And it costs you nothing but a little time.

Other Web sites

Find out where your target audience hangs out online. What related and unrelated sites do they visit most? Find this information from reader’s surveys. Reward respondents with free information, products or a competition entry. Then try to get a link from their site to yours and vice versa. Nowadays search engines pay close attention to how many good sites link to yours when ranking your site.