(1) Whenever you communicate, include your Internet addresses.

To attract visitors keep in mind -- if it has your address or phone number, make sure it also has your URL and Email addresses.

(2) Link pages with similar sites attracting people who might also be interested in you.

Reciprocal linking is where you add a link to your pages that sends clients to another site. That other site also links back to you. Think of what you have in common with other sites. Would the type of people looking at another site also be interested in your site? What common target audience do you both have? Good matches are where both sites benefit because they complement each other while each providing unique information and/or products to the user.

You may wish to join professional organizations who list members on their web site. Check out industry groups related to your business to find out who might link to you. For instance, if you are an insurance agent, be sure your parent company page and industry councils' homepage links to your web site. Think in terms of where people look for information about your field and find ways to get connected.

(3) Sponsor a non-profit organization.

Give a non-profit organization a couple pages on your site and you both win. Many of these groups struggle on a limited budget, so the gift of a web site page is very meaningful. Add a link back to your own URL (Internet address) and you gain a positive image and a whole new audience for virtually no cost. Think in terms of mutual interest. A local support group or community organization can make a good match that benefits you both.

(4) Use guest books and email lists for future contacts.

As people visit your site, you may wish to add a guest book. This will give you information about who has visited and give you a mailing list for future contacts. As you make contacts, gather email addresses to add to your mailing list. Have sign-in sheets at meetings. Gather business cards. Then when you have some exciting news, want to make an announcement, or just want to keep in touch, you have an email list to send to. You will get return visitors to your site and probably add some new lookers.

(5) Keep in the public eye.

Don't forget to use the world outside the Web. Look for groups with something in common with you and advertise in their newsletters. Offer to write an article using Internet resources and a tie to your homepage. Check out professional associations, unions, service clubs, non-profits and support groups. Offer to speak to their group on how Internet can help. Use yourself as an example.

Check out your local newspaper. Does it have a "What's New" or "Good News" section? Find out who the editors are who might be interested in your site. (Such as the medical or business sections.) Send them a brief blurb about your site and the value it has to their readers/viewers. Make yourself a resource for them. Writers often need quick quotes to accompany articles. Getting into their Rolodex can give you free exposure. So periodically send out postcards with information about your web site to key media representatives from television, radio, newspapers and magazines. 

(6) Offer something of value for free.

The most successful approach is to offer something of value for free. Popcorn, pencils, sample products, refrigerator magnets, pocket calendars (all with your name and URL!) are freebies you might want to consider to attract visitors. Newsletters sent email once a month keep you on people's minds.

Or you may not want to give away a product, but you can afford to offer valuable information. If you take the time to provide up-to-date information about your industry, for example, you'll find people returning again and again to your site, each time increasing their chances of doing business with you. An updated links page or article list can give valuable information that attracts people to your site.

(7) Consider attracting visitors with games and contests.

Along the line of offering something for free, you may wish to consider games or contests. They stimulate visitor involvement and generate the online attention your site needs to increase traffic. Manufacture a product? Produce a magazine or newsletter? Offer a service? Consider giving it away each month in a contest. Or put a trivia question on your page and offer a small prize to the 100th person who emails you with the correct answer. People will visit your site regularly just to play the game.

(8) Plan to change your site often.

Once you've gotten someone's attention, you've got to give them a reason to come back. The rule of thumb is to change your site at least every month. Update announcements, kept your "What's New" section changing, make a monthly calendar, add new pages -- anything that will make people come back.

Always, always, always keep your pages current and correct bad links. Once someone finds out-of-date information or links that go nowhere, they'll never be back again.

(9) Participate in news groups and mail groups.

These groups are very targeted in scope. Finding the right group can put you in touch with just the potential customers you are seeking. Get acquainted with the "culture" of the group before you begin leaving messages of your own. When you enter into the discussion, add a distinctive signature to your messages including your company, product, URL, and email address -- an advertisement in itself that will be seen by everyone in the group!

(10) Notify search engines and directories you're here.

Web search engines and directories help people find your site by categorizing it in various ways. Each has its own method of submitting URL's and its own key words. While most depend on robots and spiders (computer programs that search the web for specific topics and new sites), each has a method for you to submit information about your URL. Most submissions are free of charge, while some have small fees attached or offer paid services to list you at the top of search engines.

There are hundreds of paid submission services who will register you with search engines and directories for a fee. Most will not take the time and care to see that your site is listed correctly.  Most commercial site promotion services primarily fills in a form and submits it to some agreed upon number of sites that will link to you. They can't guarantee that the sites will accept your listing, and at the low rates they are able to charge, they can't afford to go back and follow up on all of these submissions. The exception to this is Get Specific Professional Internet Marketing which specifically tailors your website to your Industry and Region then manually submits your material to each search engine.  As one of the first marketing managers for the Internet's leading marketing firms WebPromote, they know all the successful techniques to make your site found.  Remember each search engine and directory has their own rules, entry information and catalog method. Before you begin search around, check out how each one catalogs sites, what terms they use. Try searching for sites like yours and see what words work best.

The most important thing is writing a 25-word or 200-character marketing description that includes the chief keywords by which people would locate you. Once you have advertised it with the major search engines, it is a very difficult thing to get corrected.

Online Suites is happy to work with you to get you registered with the right search engines and directories in the most powerful way. Or, you may also choose to do this yourself. 

Online Suites recommends you contact Get Specific Professional Internet Marketing if you need a direct promotion package to help you get the word out!  They are the best in the industry in website promotion.