Web Site Success: What Works —

Strategy or Blind Luck?

 

 

by Larry Baltz

 

 

How do you build and promote your web site so you can get high rankings and lots of traffic? Is there a proven system that works or is it a crap shoot? Everyone who owns or manages a web site faces the same dilemma.

 

Make no mistake — there is no magic bullet. You can't fool the search engines; paying so-called web pros and consultants is very risky; and printing your web address on your literature won't generate substantial traffic either.

 

So what works?

 

There are a few techniques that definitely will make a positive difference and help you maximize your opportunities for rankings and traffic. Here are 5 steps you can take right now:

 

1.    Register your site so that it will be crawled by the robots

You have to let the search engines know you exist so you can get ranked. You can pay to have it done with each individual engine, use a third party source (one highly recommended service is submit-it.com), or you can do it yourself at no cost. A small number of search engines account for over 90% of the traffic, so don't chase them all. Here are the ones you need to worry about:

·       Open Directory Project — www.dmoz.org

·       Google — www.google.com

·       Yahoo — www.yahoo.com

·       Inktomi — http://submitit.bcentral.com/msnsubmit.htm

If you want to do it yourself, visit each of the above pages and search for phrases/terms which take you to the submission page — "submit a site", "add a site", or similar phrases.

 

2.    Make sure you have a good site when it is crawled

Your rankings in the search engines will be determined by how well your site is constructed. Focus on three key issues:

·       Links in your site — are they all working?

·       Page Titles, Keywords and Descriptions — each page should focus on one or two "keywords" that are relevant to your prospects. Keywords in the Title and Description of each page should be front-loaded (placed in the first part) and neither should be "stuffed" with keywords. Focus on one or two different keywords on each page.

·       Page Text — keywords should be in the top one-third of each page, with a 5-7% frequency throughout the whole page (mention your keywords 5-7 times per 100 words of copy)

 

A valuable free tool to check some of the above can be found at

www.web-inspect.com/search-engine-preparation.php

 

3.    Make an effort to get links from other sites

Google and other key engines give high relevancy to sites with many links pointing back to them. Trading links with other high-traffic sites is an excellent strategy. Buying on-line ads and links can also be a good strategy if cost-effective.

 

4.    Don't forget the human visitors to your site

While rankings in the search engines are determined by the robots, it is your human prospects who will be reading them for content when the search engine finds them. If you want them to click-through to your site when they find you, write Titles and Descriptions that focus on the value you offer them. And when they get to your site, be certain your site is visually attractive with adequate color and graphics, but don't overdo either. Every page should be easy to navigate and the text should be focused on solving your prospects' problems.

 

5.    Consider the paid search engines

This is commonly referred to as pay-per-click (PPC) advertising because participation requires you to bid on a "per-click" basis for specific words/phrases you think interest your prospects. The leading PPC search engines are Google Adwords, Overture, and MSN. Because they generate an extremely large amount of traffic, every business owner should explore the viability of using them.

 

A word of caution. Do not:

·        Think that simply building a site will generate traffic

·        Try tricks or gimmicks

·        Obsess over the task

·        Give up; the process does work if you're patient

 

There are no guaranteed success formulas for marketing a web site. But common sense and proven techniques go a long way to making it happen.

 

Larry Baltz works with small business owners who want to Stand Out, Get Noticed, and Lead the Pack. He runs a company called Big Dawg Marketing. Larry is a Certified Guerrilla Marketing Coach and small business marketing expert. For his free report, "Big Dawg Marketing - 10 Creative Ideas to Stand Out and Get Noticed", go to www.BeTheBigDawg.com for your copy.