You need to put in as much effort to market your website as you have to develop it (in terms of both money and time). Even so, if you run a small business, you probably don’t have a lot of money to pump into a marketing campaign, at least in the initial stages.
So how do you go about marketing your website inexpensively and effectively? Here are five easy steps for achieving just that.
Step 1 – Make Certain It Is User-Friendly
Visitors to your site will be looking for information or will have an interest in purchasing your products or services. Hold their attention by providing precise information in easy-to-read language with no spelling mistakes.
Navigating your site should be simple, easy and quick. Make sure that tools like shopping carts are compatible with your design and that there is no undue delay in processing. Visitors are easily put off by cumbersome websites and favor sites that are fast and easy to use.
Try to create a signature website in bold colors and images, and try and keep the same template on every page. This helps visitors remember it.
Step 2 – Search Engine Optimization
A revolutionary method of cheap and effective marketing of your website is Search Engine Optimization (SEO). In this method, you need to include meta tags such as keywords, titles and descriptions in your website content.
You should register your website with as many search engines as possible, such as Google, Yahoo! and MSN. SEO works through keyword placement and density; when a browser searches for the keywords included in your website’s content, the search engine will show your website in the results.
The higher your SEO rankings, the more visibility your site will get.
Step 3 – Spread the Word
Give maximum visibility to your URL by including it everywhere–on your business cards, letterhead and other stationery, on shopping bags, and in all your advertisements.
This helps your existing clients remember your website and also draws other clients in.
Another way to market your site is by submitting articles on other websites and providing your website address at the end of the article, along with a subtle sales pitch.
Step 4 – Make it Interactive
Visitors prefer interactive websites that help them get answers to their questions in a much more efficient manner. Include a feedback form asking your visitors to rank the various functions of your website, and be sure to reply to the feedback.
Newsletters are also effective marketing tools by helping to grow your list of customers that you can market new products and services to.
Step 5 – Affiliate marketing and PPC
Sign up for affiliate marketing programs, where you accept advertisements of other websites on your own website. These companies will pay you every time there is a sale on their website that comes through your site, and vice versa.
You can also ask other websites to include your website in their list of links, and do the same for them.
Follow these 5 marketing tips and you will surely witness a tremendous growth in traffic to your website – not just for the time being, but over the longer term as well.
