10 Great Ways To Promote Your Website

I’ve realized that in all these months that we’ve talked about online promotion and internet marketing in general, we haven’t really had a solid list of proven methods. Thus, I present to you, a list of 10 of the best ways to promote a website online. This pertains to nearly any type or size of website however, the amount of time required for each can vary. Luckily, there are some great links at the end of this article that should help you with that! Now, let’s get started.

1. Start advertising online.
   One of the quickestways to generate an influx of visitors to your website is to, quite simply, pay for them. There are certainly caveats to this, as you can blast through hundreds, if not thousands of dollars and walk away with nothing but empty pockets. However, a well constructed and planned out advertising campaign can produce a substantial number of highly qualified, relevant visitors.Some great tools to start with, include:
   - Google AdWords.
   - Microsoft AdCenter.
2. Increase engagement on your Facebook Page.
   More often than not, I will see a corporate Facebook page with a 6 month old status update as the most recent activity. One of the general rules of social media, is that if you are going to dive in, you must dedicate the amount of time that is required. You also can’t simply talk about how great your product or service is, unless you want to alienate and completely bore your audience.Entice your visitors to start conversations about industry rumblings, or any news relevant to your type of business. Ask them questions, let them know that someone is there on the other end, ready to answer questions, or just listen.
3. Really USE your Twitter account.
   While it may be difficult to juggle multiple social media accounts simultaneously, giving each the attention they deserve will pay dividends.Twitter can be a fantastic source of quick, back and forth discussion, as well as a great source of gaining (and even providing) knowledge. Twitter posts containing links are far more likely to be read and retweeted than those without.
4. Join a LinkedIn group and be vocal.
   There are thousands of LinkedIn groups with very active members that discuss an enormous range of different topics. By finding a relevant group and contributing to it on a regular basis, you can expand your network and brand recognition, while increasing personal and brand trust among potential colleagues.
5. Start a blog, or writing for a guest blog.
   This one is tricky, as writing a blog can be quite time consuming. We typically try to get one blog post a week out and even that becomes difficult sometimes. However, if you can spare 2-3 hours a week, having a blog can provide you with a tremendous outlet for speaking to your existing and potential customers on a different, more personal level. Keeping blog posts non-corporate, while still informative, helps improve the likelihood of search engines crawling and indexing them.Also, blogs other than your own will cover a subject or events that occur within a specific industry. These blogs typically profit from on-page advertising or sponsorships, so they tend to be unbiased and industry-wide. Writing a blog post for another website can be very beneficial, as it reaches a potentially untapped audience, while providing a funnel for visitors back to your website.

   The two most popular tools for blogging are:
   - Blogger
   - WordPress

   They can both be setup and running within a matter of hours, depending on what design you wish to use and how much content will be inserted.

6. Be active within relevant industry forums.
   Similar to guest blog writing, being active on forums and even Q&A websites can provide you with an incredible outlet for connecting with customers. Engaging with visitors on a forum that’s relevant to your business, will not only provide a means for you to display your expertise, but can be a direct source for referrals (as long as you’re subtle).
7. Build/Optimize backlinks with existing connections.
   Capturing new backlinks for a website can be one of the most difficult and time consuming tasks for any business, however the potential rewards are significant. Gaining just 10 backlinks from 10 different, highly trusted and busy websites, has the potential to be more effective than many other methods of promotion.
8. Creating Link bait.
   “What is link bait”, you ask? It’s not as sinister as it sounds, I assure you. It simply refers to posting an article on your blog or Facebook page that relates to a very popular recent event or news story. The trick, is to keep the article relevant to your business.Here’s an example. If your business sells golf clubs and a term such as ’2012 canadian open’ or ‘tiger woods in trouble again’ become trending topics on Google or Twitter, get on top of it and capitalize on the momentum of those topics.Write a blog post and get onto your social media platforms, discussing those topics but remember, only if they are related to your business. Otherwise it’s just spam, and your audience will be able to tell the difference.
9. Email Marketing.
   Yes, email! People still use it. So much in fact that it’s still the most widely used form of communication online. Yes, spam is an ever present source of frustration and confusion, but if there are people willing to hear what you have to say, a targeted email campaign can produce some stunning results. Sponsoring an industry newsletter, or writing an article for one, can produce some very qualified visitors.One of those most popular online marketing tools for email is Constant Contact. It features a very user friendly interface to create and customize your newsletters.
10. Create videos.
    YouTube isn’t just for cats and Britney Spears videos. If your business has anything even remotely interesting to talk about, your voice can be both seen and heard.
    Oh, and one of the biggest bonuses for YouTube videos, is that they are 50 times more likely to show up for a relevant search result than a website.

This list is certainly not the be all and end all for website promotion. There are certainly other methods, however these are all proven, effective methods and should continue to be for the forseeable future.

Have I missed anything? I’m sure I have… why don’t you tell me in the comments below?

Related Posts that I promised!

• 5 Step Guide To Launching A Social Media Campaign
• Get Your Social Media Under Control
• How To Run A Social Media Campaign In Less Than 4 Hours A Week