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Announce Your Site to Other Indexes
Several sites maintain updated lists of what's new on the Web. Unlike search engines,
these places do not automatically list your site just because you send them
your information. Usually someone will review and evaluate your site before
adding it to the list. That's why being listed in one of these indexes has
prestige. One of the most popular is Yahoo! What's New page. Plenty of other sites
list newcomers by category or type. You'll have to do some research to find
the ones that are appropriate to your particular site.
Post in Newsgroups, Mailing Lists and Blogs
Give this one some thought. Don't blindly use these forums as a way to promote your
website or you might unwittingly get flamed or harassed. If the content of your site has something valuable to offer a specific audience, then by all means find the appropriate place and let those people know about it.
Use Advertising, Marketing and PR
 Traditional marketing methods can be highly successful, assuming you have the money to invest. If you decide to place print ads in various publications, make sure they are targeted to your audience. If your website is designed for classic car enthusiasts, don't advertise in a travel magazine.
Be sure to include your site name and URL in all of your advertisements
and marketing materials. Send press releases to Internet-related publications. If your budget supports it, you might
consider hiring a Web-savvy Internet marketer to help spread the word
and come up with creative ideas for generating traffic to your site.
Advertising online is another way to go. In general, when you buy ads,
whether in print or on the Web, you are paying for the number of impressions--the
number of times your ad is seen. The rate is also determined by how highly
targeted the audience is. For instance, if you are selling graphics software,
you want to reach design professionals. If you advertise to a general
audience, most of those people will have no interest in your product.
So while it may cost more to advertise to a targeted audience of graphic
artists, the chances are greater that they will have an interest in your
product.
Another option is called Pay per click (PPC), where you buy sponsored keywords with search engines. For instance, suppose someone is looking for door knobs and you operate an online hardware store. You've set up an account with Yahoo! to sponsor these keywords: hardware, hinges, door knobs." When the prospective buyer searches "door knobs," a sponsored link to your site appears as part of the search results. Typically, you only pay when the buyer actually clicks on the link, so this can be a very cost-effective way to attract prospects.
WATCH THIS...
How PPC advertising works and its benefits to you.
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The Power of Links
 We've saved the best for last. Don't underestimate the value of links. Find websites related to your area of interest and ask their webmasters to link to your site. Many sites will do that for free, especially if you reciprocate. With new sites coming online all the time, this should be an ongoing process.
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TRY THIS...
Use this handy online tool to discover how many sites link to yours.
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Last update: Jan 5, 2008
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Michael Lerner Productions.
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