There are a number of things we could and should be doing to drive legitimate traffic to our websites, but we can all act a little over‐zealous at times too. Here is a short list of 10 things you should and should not be doing:
- Make sure you’re included in ALL the search engines.
‐ Many focus on Google ‐ which is understandable, and even advisable, since they have consistently well over 60% of the search market. But recent news indicates that Bing (the revamped MSN/Live) is gaining market share, and with the expected Microsoft‐Yahoo deal, Bing is likely to be powering Yahoo Search by early 2010. - Consider Pay‐per‐click advertising.
‐ We’ve all heard of Google AdWords, Yahoo Search Marketing and Microsoft AdCenter, but fairly new on the scene is Facebook pay‐per‐click advertising. With Facebook pay‐per‐click, you can still target your audience geographically, but your targeted keywords are matched to keywords present in individual user profiles. - Use Social Media.
‐ Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn are growing rapidly ‐ Forrester Research reports that there are 55.6 million adults in the US that use social media. If you haven’t already, it’s time to get in the game. Get yourself a Facebook business page. Sign up for Twitter ‐ and integrate those accounts into your website. Using services like Twitter to drive traffic to websites is possibly the greatest threat search engines have ever had. Talk to your web developer. - Think Local.
‐ Searching for local businesses online is up ‐ but did you know that Google, Yahoo and Bing all have separate local directories that are free to sign up for? Other local directories such as SuperPages and YellowPages also have free basic listings. Some of these services offer paid enhancements ‐ adding your logo, giving preferred placement etc. Other local directories such as SurfDaytonOhio.com can help drive traffic to your website while also providing those all important back‐links. - Start a Company Blog.
‐ Writing articles about your business or your industry can be a great way to drive traffic to your website ‐and increase your search engine visibility to boot. But be sure to commit to a Blog before you start. Blogs are often started with great enthusiasm, but then neglected shortly afterwards ‐ and a Blog that hasn’t been updated in months often looks worse than not having a Blog at all. - Increase Back‐links.
‐ Ask other website owners to consider linking to your website ‐ Google in particular views the number of incoming links to your website in your favor. One way links are more valuable, but reciprocal linking is good ‐ providing the website in question is a quality site. - Review your SEO (search engine optimization). But never use “Black Hat” SEO techniques.
‐ Including but not limited to “keyword stuffing” (over‐using keywords to artificially inflate your keyword density with the intent on improving search results), hidden links (hiding links with colors or negative margins) or gateway pages (pages designed for search engines with no real value). Search engines are becoming increasingly aware of such methods and will penalize your website. It’s just not worth the risk. - Start a Mailing List. But never send unsolicited emails.
‐ A legitimate mailing list made up of your customers can be invaluable. But no matter how good your intentions, or how well you present your emails, you are risking becoming blacklisted if you send unsolicited emails. Never buy mailing lists. If you want to start a legitimate mailing list, use a legitimate service like ConstantContact.com ‐ who will ensure you comply with the CAN‐SPAM Act. - Solicit the advice of your web developer. But never respond to unsolicited emails.
‐ These often include offers to help promote your website from email marketing to directory submission services. Any service that wants to add your website to thousands of search engines or directories is bad news. If they use spam to promote their services, can you really trust them to use legitimate means to promote your website? Talk to your website developer about legitimate ways to help promote your website. - Use your website!
‐ This may seem obvious, but if you have a website, your URL (website address) should appear anywhere you instinctively put your telephone number ‐ from business cards to brochures to offline advertising to vehicle decals.