 You get what you pay for. That's the adage. Is it possible
to put this old saying on the shelf and promote your site without spending a fortune?
Yes, you can. When it
comes to advertising your site on a limited budget, it's more accurate to say "you
get what you look outside the box for."
The payment is still there. But the idea is to transfer some of that payment from dollars
into other, less green kind of payments. You pay by using more of your time and
creativity. Here are some ideas:
1. Submit to Search Engines and Directories
Getting listed in the major search engines is a must. When people want to find something
on the Internet, this is where they start. The engines below are responsible for the vast
majority of all search traffic. It's best to submit to them manually and avoid automated
submission services. For some pointers on how to properly prepare your site for submission
visit SearchEngineWatch.com.
Inktomi supplies results to many of the
major portals such as MSN, AOL, iWon, HotBot, Overture, NBCi, and feeds hundreds of
smaller portals. The best way to get listed is through PositionTech.com.
The other major players are:
2. Use Pay-Per-Click Search Engines
With a little research, pay-per-click engines can be a fantastic bargain. Start by looking
for relevant keywords and the search count of your keywords across several different
engines. You can get software that's perfect for this job at GoodKeywords.com.
Next, compare the cost of bidding on your keywords among the different engines using the
the online tool at CompareYourClicks.com.
Be sure to track your sales from
pay-per-click engines so you can fine-tune your bids for maximum returns.
3. Publish an Opt-In E-Newsletter
People who subscribe to your newsletter have already consented to lending you their ear.
Bend it. They are a targeted, ready-made audience waiting for you to solve all their
problems. Help them do just that.
You can use a third party list manager such as Topica.com or Groups.Yahoo.com
to manage your newsletter list, or you can self-publish with these software products:
4. Publish Articles
An attractive advertising technique is through writing information articles and offering
them for reprint to publishers. I have generated thousands of new visitors through
articles that are picked up by large publications.
People that visit you through your articles are more apt to be buyers. Good, informative
content establishes credibility and expert status - and people will buy from someone they
trust. Some great places to start submitting your articles are:
5. Get Linked from Relevant Sites
Find other sites willing to exchange links with you. You can create a "partners"
page on your site for this very purpose. Use a search engine to find sites which have a
high ranking for keywords people might use to find your site. Broker a link exchange,
place an ad, or write an article for them. Aside from the direct exposure you'll receive,
forming a network of links can improve
your ranking among search engines.
6. Promote in Ezines
Advertising in ezines is a still a great bargain. To find compatible ezines for your ads,
try these sites:
Swapping ads with other publishers is
another method of gaining exposure and increasing your subscriber base. Check out Ezine-Swap.com and Alacarim.com for lists of publishers
wanting to exchange ads.
7. Participate in Online Forums
Although you can't blatantly advertise in news groups, you have the opportunity to both
learn new things and share your knowledge with others. Through active participation in
forums you will notice an increase in traffic to your site. Visit Groups.Google.com to find appropriate
news groups you can join.
8. Write Testimonials
Whenever you try a product or use a service you like - tell the owner! Business owners
love to hear from people who have truly benefited from their service. Your endorsement
might even get posted on their site with a link pointing back to your site. These
testimonials are typically posted for long periods.
9. Use the Power of Free
Offer a valuable free product or service to people. Make sure your freebie is valuable as
a stand-alone, but use it as a teaser that entices people to purchase something else. You
should also require people to leave their email address before getting the freebie. This
way you can follow up with them later.
10. Advertise Locally
Get listed in your phonebook. When people want to buy locally this is one of the first
places they look. Newspapers are also a persistent value and still widely read. Bargain
hunters and local shoppers alike use the newspaper to find great deals within driving
distant.
In conclusion, try out all ten of these advertising methods on a continuing basis for a
nice uptick in traffic and sales. Ask yourself what else you can do to advertise cheaply,
yet effectively. All it takes is a little creativity and thinking outside of the box.
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