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How Do I Promote My Site?

You will find as many opinions on this subject as there are people. Every person with a successful web site has their own technique. While some sites may have special methods or services they use, there are four basic techniques of promoting your web site.

Search Engines

You MUST promote your site in search engines. Here are some facts that you need to remember.

It doesn't have to be hard. A little consistent time works just fine -- consistency being the key word.
Major on the majors. Submitting to 5,000 search engines through a company doesn't necessarily bring success. Most of the 5,000 engines are just minor web sites, directories or listings that will not bring you the visitors that you want. Instead, focus on the major search engines that will bring you the visitors.

There are three types of major search engines to which you should submit your site: free, paid, and pay-per-click.

Free Search Engine Submissions

There are really only two major search engines that take free submissions: Google and Yahoo.

Google: Submitting to Google is easy. All you need to do is fill out their submission form. Click here to go to Google's form
Yahoo: Yahoo is almost as easy. For Yahoo, you have to get a Yahoo ID. It's not that hard. They will walk you through the process.
- First, click here to go to Yahoo's site submit page. Click the link that states, "Submit Your Site For Free."
- If you have a Yahoo ID, sign in. After you sign in, you will arrive at the page where you submit your URL.
- If you do not have a Yahoo ID, register for one and then return to Yahoo's submit page and start click the link that states, "Submit Your Site For Free." You know what to do from there. (above)

Paid Search Engines

Most of the other major search engines require you to pay to be included in them. When you pay to be included, it doesn't guarantee you a top listing, but it does guarantee that you will be included in the search engine.

Although there are several good companies that you can use for paid inclusion, USCNi recommends PositionTech. Click here to access PositionTech.

Pay-Per-Click Search Engines (Get visitors fast!)

Pay Per Click (PPC) Advertising is a type of online advertising in which advertisers (i.e. you) pay for visitors on a Cost Per Click (CPC) basis. That is, advertisers only pay when a Web searcher actually clicks on a link and visits their Web site. PPC advertising is different than "traditional" online advertising, where advertisers pay according to how many times their ad is displayed. With Pay Per Click Adverting, an ad can be displayed many times, but the advertiser pays nothing unless a Web searcher actually clicks on the ad. When done correctly, PPC Advertising can produce highly targeted traffic -- the most sought-after and valuable entity on the Web.

USCNi recommends three PPC providers. Click any link below to access their sites.

Searchfeed - Searchfeed's listings appear on a network of both major and smaller web sites and search engines giving you excellent coverage to draw visitors to your site. When you use Searchfeed, your listings are displayed on other web sites all over the Internet.
Overture - Overture is the oldest of the PPC search engines. Overture's Precision Match service is just like Searchfeed's. Overture is owned by Yahoo, one of the 3 major search engines that receive the most visitors.
Google Adwords - Google Adwords, in our opinion, are the hardest PPC service to figure out, but they are very effective once you do. They do not use the typical PPC methods. We strongly recommend you use Adwords because of their effectiveness. Just give yourself some learning time.

Forums

What is the best place to advertise your site? Where your customers are, of course! That's why you need to participate in discussion forums. Your potential customers are going to be participating in the discussions.

A great place to start is with MSN Groups and Yahoo Groups. In both cases, you can browse categories of groups to discuss with other people about your topic.

NOTE: MSN Groups require you to sign up for .NET Passport to sign in. Yahoo Groups has their own ID system to sign in. In each case, just read the pages carefully and walk through the steps they present to you.

Finding the Discussion Forums you want to use

For example, if you have a site about a Self Help related topic, you might go to Yahoo Groups and type in "self help" to see if they have any groups related to your topic. In addition to showing you categories related to your topic, they will provide you with a list of the available groups. Browse through several of the groups. Make sure they have current messages posted. (You don't need to participate in groups where no one else is looking anymore.) Once you have found the ones that you like, subscribe to them.

Using Discussion Forums

RULE #1: Unless the forum you are viewing states otherwise, DO NOT post advertisements. That's the quickest way to get yourself banned from a group.

RULE #2: Advertise where you are allowed. With Rule #1 established, there are ways that you can advertise your site. Set up a signature (the way that you sign the end of your discussion posts) that has a "tagline" about your site. For example:

Brian Durfee
Webmaster: The Self Help Network

Visit our web sites to find information to help you: www.selfhelpdirectory.org and www.self-help-online.org

RULE #3: You have to actually participate. As you participate in the discussions, you will find that people will eventually start asking questions -- to you. As you become established as the expert or the source of information they need, people will seek you, your services, and/or your products.

Reciprocal Links

GET THOSE LINKS!!! Add a links page (or directory) to your web site. Search for other sites related to the topic of your web site. Send them an email and inform them that if they link to you, you will link back to them. You will need to work on the email that you send out. When they send you an email that they linked to you, go to their web site and confirm that they added you and (if they did add you) be sure to post the link to their site quickly.

Why should I add links?

Many search engines -- especially Google -- place some importance on the number of web sites that link to your site.

What about my competitors? I'm helping them.

Perhaps, but keep a few things in mind.

Never add a link to a site that won't link back to you (unless you are trying to set up a large directory of links).
Your links page(s) does not have to be a major section of the web site. You do not need to draw a whole lot of attention to your links page.
Having links coming into your web site will benefit you much more than the small chance that someone will find your links page and leave your web site.

Keep Adding Content

Search engines index each page of your web site. That means that a site with only 5 pages has only 5 chances to be found in a search engine. A site with 500 pages has 500 chances! Consistently add articles and other information to your web site that search engines can add to their index. It will help your chances in search engines.

To purchase any extra services or to contact USCNi,
please email support@usconsumernet.org or call toll-free 1-888-999-8726.