October Tip - Promote your Web site

When you go shopping, what do you do? You go into a store, wander around and perhaps make a purchase before you leave. If you didn't exchange money, at least you satisfied your curiosity. You may tell a friend about the place or return yourself.

That's what you want people to do with your Web site. You want people to find your site, log onto it, stay awhile and tell a friend. You also want people to return to your site.

I view a Web site as a retail store - and it needs its own plan of action. How do you promote it and build traffic to it? Why do you make the effort? Because when people return to your site, chances are they'll contact you in person or via the Web. That, my friends, is a customer.

So, how do you promote your site? Keep it updated, for starters. Change the copy frequently and on a regular basis. Use the link in all your email correspondence and signature. Pay to have it registered instead of depending upon the free service - but keep in mind it takes months for your site to get into the search engine system. So, be patient. And when you're registering your site, don't fall for the hook that a company registers your site with thousands of search engines. There are fewer than 18.

October Marketing Tip - Actively promote your Web site. Don't just let it sit there collecting dust!