|
|
|
Web site promotion is a multi-step process that, when approached and maintained as part of a company’s overall marketing strategy, will maximize its ultimate visibility to the world and usefulness of its information to site visitors and search engines. From the selection of the domain name, to the construction of the web site, and the development of powerful content, the foundation on which the web site is built will have a lasting direct effect on its ability to be successfully promoted.
Select an appropriate domain name
Choosing an appropriate and easily identifiable domain name is the first step in effective promotion. The simpler the domain name, the easier it is for people to remember. While most businesses want a .com domain name, they are not always available. Consider a domain name that has extensions available in addition to, or in place of, .com such as .net, .org, .biz, .cc, .us, etc.
While a company should be commonly known by only one domain name, multiple domain names, also known as “pointers,” are advisable in certain situations. Increase your web site’s exposure by securing the company name, product/service description and any commonly used abbreviation or misspellings that your customers may use to point to your site. For example, Acme Packaging Company may also be known to its customers as simply Acme Packaging or AcPakCo. Some possible domain names for the company could be acmepackagingcompany, acmepackagingco, acmepackaging and acpakco.
Select your host
The hosting service provider you choose can have a lasting effect on the web site’s promotability and the site’s ability to attract and retain visitors. Some ISP’s (Internet Service Providers) include web site hosting space with their service plans. Many of these “free” hosting packages are actually extensions of the ISP’s domain name such as www.yourhostingcompany.com/acmepackaging. In this situation, you are saving the cost of the domain name(s) but losing the individual identity of your web site. Potential visitors must enter a less familiar and, often, much longer domain name in order to find your web site. In addition, many search engines will not find or list the web site.
Ideally, your service provider will host your unique domain name and any pointers you have selected. The costs involved with this type of dedicated hosting are small, especially when compared to the cost of missed opportunities when customers cannot locate your website. This type of dedicated domain hosting will allow your company to better develop its web site into an alternative point of contact for your existing and potential customers.
Construct your site
Whether your site is built in-house or by a web development company, pay close attention to its construction. The HTML (Hyper Text Markup Language) coding that creates the web site should be clean and efficient with no redundant or unnecessary coding. Avoid broken links or missing image files. Optimize images and graphics for web site use to reduce the physical size of each image file, and decrease download time - a measure many search engines use when evaluating a web site.
Develop site content
Visitors to your web site are looking for information. The easier it is to locate desired information, the more satisfied your site visitors. The site’s layout should be logical and easily followed with information on each page relevant to the page topic. Relevancy of site content will also come into play with Keywords, which are covered below.
Utilize keywords
Keywords, or Keyphrases, play an important part in the successful promotion of a web site to search engines. Keywords consist of around 20 one- to three-word descriptors, hidden in the site’s coding, that represent the content of the web site. Search engines consider relevancy and use of Keywords in ranking sites. Therefore, select Keywords that are directly related, and not at all misleading, to the content on the web site. Use the most relevant keywords several times throughout the web site and frequently, but not excessively, on the home page.
Select your site title and description
Along with keywords, both the site Title and Description play important parts in successfully promoting the web site. Similar to Keywords, the Title and Description are hidden in the site’s coding and used by search engines to rank and list web sites. The Title of the web site is also displayed in the top bar of the visitor’s web browser window. The Title is a short phrase that typically includes the name of the company, assuming that the name is also a Keyword, and the name of the page. A site Description is an overview or introduction to the web site and its contents. The site Description is used by many search engines as a summary of the site. Use a site Description that contains as many of the Keywords as practical in declining order of importance without getting too wordy. With search engines continually displaying less of a site’s Description, it is important to be as concise as possible.
Promotion
With Existing Media
To increase the visibility of your web site to potential and existing customers, include your web site as part of your overall business marketing strategy. The easiest, most cost effective method to promote your web site is to include your URL (domain name) on all of your current forms of promotion. Business cards, invoices, packing lists, letterhead, print ads, email salutations, etc. are key locations to include your URL. Consider adhering a sticker with your web address on current materials in stock.
Site Promotion/Search Engine
Companies looking to expand their customer base should include search engines and directories in their promotions strategy. In addition, potential customers may perceive higher search engine rankings as an indicator of a company’s stability or longevity. The least costly but most time consuming method is to manually promote the web site to each search engine or directory on which you would like your web site to be listed. There are many service providers offering site promotion services for a fee ranging from several dollars into the hundreds of dollars per month. While there are still many search engines and directories that allow free submission, several, such as Yahoo, have moved to a “pay for placement” pricing model.
Pay-For-Placement
“Pay-For-Placement” is one of the fastest growing segments in web site promotion. Pay-For-Placement involves bidding on Keywords. The amount bid per “click through” from the search engine can range from pennies up to several dollars per click, depending on the keyword. The higher the bid, the higher the ranking. As a general rule, use Pay-For-Placement when your site needs to be ranked within the top three positions.
Maintenance
Developing an effective web site begins at the initial design stage and continues on throughout the life of the web site. On-going maintenance is a key component of an effective web site. While some information is not subject to frequent updates, such as company history, contact information, etc., update the remainder of the site content frequently so that visitors have a reason to return to the site. In addition, regular updates create a continual stream of new information to be indexed and listed, further improving Search Engine rankings.
Working with IMEC
Whether you are thinking about developing your company’s first web site or are not satisfied with the traffic generated by your existing site, the staff at IMEC can help you evaluate your unique situation and make the right choices. Our team can work with your company to better integrate your web presence into your company’s overall marketing strategy. From initial concept, through development, implementation, promotion and maintenance, IMEC will be there to advise, support and provide technical assistance throughout the entire project. |
|
IT Info Center
IT Services |