The first place to start is with search engines. While I have submitted your new Web Site to the specified number of top search engines we agreed upon, there are still many others out there that may be of help to you. Submitting your URL to search engines is very time consuming to do it correctly, but could possibly bring traffic to your web site.

You can always pay a listing service to do that for you, HOWEVER, usually you get what you pay for in this case. As I mentioned, it takes time to properly list your web site, and many of the services just don't do a professional job. I recommend that you do it yourself. You can always search YAHOO for places to list your new Web Site, or you can try the WebStep Top 100 to start your journey.

Links from other web sites

This is a very important step to take. Do a search for similar interest web sites as yours and use several different search engines, as you will get varied results. Then visit those sites, and on the appropriate ones politely ask for a link to your site, stating you would be pleased to place a reciprocal link to their site on yours. I have found that it is a good idea to mention one particular item about their site, so that they know you took the time to actually visit it. This can be very effective in increasing traffic to your web site! And you will be surprised at the number of friends all over the world that you will make that have similar interests.

Print Media

Print Media can be a tough one for the average Web Site owner to crack. Unless you have a Marketing department, Advertising Agency, or Publicist working for you, it can be difficult, but not impossible. The most effective thing the individual can do is write a press release. Press releases must be well written and presented in a very factual manner. Hyper sales pitches are not acceptable to media professionals. There is an abundance of information on the Internet about press releases, use your favorite search engine to investigate it. If your considering a professional service, you might want to visit The Internet News Bureau. They also offer some interesting ideas on-line about the Print Media.

Word of mouth

Tell EVERYBODY you know about your new Web Site! Aren't you excited about it? Proud of it? Spread the word! Your enthusiasm is contagious, and people YOU tell will tell others!

Newsgroups

A gold mine of quality visitors to your site! How can you do this without "Spamming" them? Check the listing of newsgroups for any that include your Web Sites topic. Here are people that are already interested in what is on your Web Site! Start reading the messages on that newsgroup, and especially read the groups FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions) before you post to the group. Each newsgroup has their own particular "style" to them, and you don't want to offend them. As you monitor the messages, start replying to the ones that you can authoritative answer. And as people read your answers, you will get a reputation for "knowing your stuff". And at the same time, discretely attached to the bottom of every email they read, is your "SIG" file. A SIG file is typically a 4-6 line statement with your email address, your URL, your business name, and perhaps a one line advertisement for your business. Always use "mailto:" in front of your email address as in most browsers it makes it an active link to send you mail. And always put the "http://" in front of your Web Site URL for the same reason. Here is my "SIG" file:

_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/
_/Hal Singer _/
_/Web Site Development _/
_/mailto:hal@halsinger.com_/
_/http://www.HalSinger.com_/
_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/_/

Free advertising to people interested in what you have to say! And be sure to save the email addresses of all of them that email you personally. Read below in Email to find out why!

Email

Email can be sent to people without "Spamming" people if it is done tastefully. I DO NOT suggest you bulk email unknown people with advertisements! What you can do, is save the email of everyone who sends you mail personally. Then every 2-3 months you email them your "Newsletter". Included in this newsletter is one or two short paragraphs in which you write about something of interest to them, and you include a link to your Web Site for more information. And then the last paragraph is a few lines advertising your business and web site. It is also a good place to add a link to your site which might have a Monthly Special available only to Newsletter readers, or Internet users. This has proven to be an effective tool to reach people that might be interested in your product or service. Other approaches are available, and we will cover them when your Web Site is near completion. As a new Web Site owner you will get SPAM of your own. If your interested in what you can do about it, I suggest reading Phil Agre's page.

Television & Books

Your press release should also be sent to the Television and Book Publishers, as it just might catch someone's interest, giving you free publicity. Also, you should make sure you have registered with Macmillan Publishing, a subsidy of Simon & Shuster. They publish The WWW Yellow Pages, a printed listing of Web Sites according to subject. There are also many other ways to get noticed, and we can discuss them when your Web Site is nearing completion.