Great Ways To Promote Your Website
Your website is only going to be as popular as the methods you use to drive traffic are effective. Without successful promotion you're going to find it very hard to convert your website into dollars and easy to turn your dollars into nothing.
Advertising
You can buy advertising and traffic on different search engines like Google, MSN, Yahoo
You can trade links and traffic with other websites
You can try your hand at SEO, Search Engine Optimization, (or hire someone) getting high search engine results based on keywords used on your pages to drive traffic.
Press Releases
Write great and newsworthy press releases to open up more ways to get exposure for your website. Press releases not only are widely published online but they are used as the a basis for many newspaper and magazine stories too. Press releases also work as a great tool to solidify your brand and have your name better remembered by a wide audience.
We recommend using PRWewb.com to send out your press release. Cost effective and helpful, you'll also have stats to track the visibility of your press release over time. Your press release will be made available on a wide range of websites, blogs and be exposed to news people and media companies in categories you pick. Your press release will also be archived online for long term traffic too.
Create Your Press Release Using The Following Format
Beginning At The Top Of Your Page:
For Immediate Release: [or future date of press
release]
Contact: [name, email address, phone number of press release contact]
HEADLINE: [short, concise, 150 characters maximum]
SUMMARY: [short, concise, 1 or 2 paragraphs]
BODY: [content of your press release, paragraph style, bullet point
highlights work well]
YOUR LOCATION; DATE OF RELEASE INFORMATION TEXT: [business contact
information; date press release was first released;]
FINAL SERVICE, CONTACT, URL AND ADDITIONAL INFORMATION: [short points
about your services offered; contact information for the business in the
PR; contact information for the main subject as required]
It's that easy. The hard part is what to say and who to say it to. Your
Press Release should create a sense of excitement and urgency about your
service. Do not overlook including explanations of features at your
service and the positive feedback you have received from your members.
Be brief in your wording, but also be as specific and exciting as
possible. It's a tough mix, but when properly achieved you will get the
recognition and publicity you seek.
Here is the Dating B2B Press Release as an example:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Robert Lee
Dating B2B
ph: (250) 314-7076
rob AT datingb2b.com
http://www.datingb2b.com
Dating B2B Introduces A Complete Resource Center For Dating Service
Owners and Managers
Vancouver, BC - May 20, 2008 -- With the onslaught of new web based
dating services appearing every day online, DatingDating.com introduces
Dating B2B, a comprehensive information source for dating service owners
and managers to more effectively find and research promotional resources
and services.
Starting with the basics of web page design and proceeding step-by-step
through web site promotion and management, Dating B2B is helping
webmasters world-wide to create better online services with more
content, finding and using effectively online and offline promotional
resources and techniques, thereby increasing visitors and revenues in a
highly competitive area of the Internet.
Managers of the largest dating service affiliate programs are
recognizing Dating B2B as an invaluable center to direct their
affiliates and associates in their drive for higher sales and
commissions.
Robert Lee states "Individual web dating services and affiliates of
large online dating services will find the information they need to
drive traffic to their sites, add 'stickiness' to their web pages to
encourage return visits and add value to the membership programs they
offer their single's target market."
"Increasing revenues is no longer a guessing game for dating services
small or large with the opening of the Dating B2B Resource Center."
Dating B2B offers insights and information to webmasters of dating
service web sites, small or large, at no charge. Information and
requests about possible affiliations with Dating B2B should be directed
to: Robert Lee, rob@--nospam--datingb2b.com
Additional ideas for your press release
to consider
A Sample News Story.
You may find your article ending up being included as a filler piece
since editors see ready-to-print-stories as an easy way to fill up space
with little effort on their part. Make it exciting with a good story
concerning events at your dating service!
You can safely add these topics to your Press Release, but be brief:
Community Involvement Projects
Recent Awards
List of Singles Events
Biography Sheet of Staff Members (If appropriate)
A List of Frequently Asked Questions? (This helps the editor to think of
questions to ask you in an interview or include in their article)
Copy Writers That Write Press Releases
Professionally
If you're not up to the task of writing your own press release, but
you see the value in issuing your newsworthy item, you can hire a
freelance writer to get the job done for you, quickly and affordably.
www.freelanceworkexchange.com - Post your project free and choose
from hundreds of freelance writers.
What To Do After Sending Out Your Press
Release
It's crucial to follow up to make sure they got your Press Release.
Follow up calls and emails provide the perfect opportunity for your
target publisher to ask questions, or schedule an interview with you.
Take this opportunity to network and get to know the editors. By
developing a relationship with important members of the media, you will
build recognition and rapport and improve the chances of them covering
you. If you do get your press release or company story published, be
sure to send a handwritten thank you note.
Professional Press Release Services
This is very much a regional exercise. I recommend by starting with your
local newspapers and magazines. Tailor your Press Release to make it
relevant to the type of publication you are issuing it to. If at all
possible, find out the name of the contact person in charge of media
relations or press release acceptance.
Press Release SEO Tool - Use this free online tool to optimize your
press re4lease and increase the odds of getting a top ten placement in
search engines with your press release.
www.YellowPages.com
- an American and International website with listings online of all
Yellow Page Information sources. Begin your search with the term "Public
Relations" in your state, province, or country.
24-7 Press
Release Newswire - We perform professional distribution through
numerous channels including one with a partnership with PR Newswire. We
are able to offer targeted wire distribution to a pool of approx. 80,000
journalists, 3,600+ web sites, including Yahoo News, CBS Marketwatch,
About.com, MSNBC, and Google News.
http://www.prweb.com/
PR Web is offering free online press release distribution services since
1997. Thousands of editors and journalists search their site.
http://www.press-release-writing.com Learn how to write your press
release with great tips you need to know and sign up for the impressive
newsletter available here.
http://www.prcentral.com - Sample publications, case histories and
forums to help you learn effective ways to promote your service.
http://www.wilsonweb.com/webmarket/pr.htm - Features articles and
methods to send our your information package.
A good resource for tips on how to deal with the press:
http://www.netpress.org/careandfeeding.html
A good resource for anything you need to know:
http://www.promotionworld.com/directory/press.html
http://www.digitalwork.com
Solutions for promoting your service, online and off.
http://www.mediapost.com
Complete resource for advertising online. "Interactive Contacts by Name"
and "Magazines by Category/Business" are good places to start. Email the
press release (you ARE announcing a new product) from the mediapost.com
site.
http://www.urlwire.com
- Promotional information is sent to the people that matter, reviewers
of interesting websites. This is not a general press release company but
it is the right place to announce your NEW web site and service to get
noticed!
http://www.webwire.com/
Submit your Press Release to the WebWire Community.
http://www.conservativeusa.org/megalink.htm
Get email addresses of Talk Shows, Magazines, National Newspapers,
Internet News Sites and TV Networks.
http://www.fair.org
Get email, phone number and contact addresses of Network & Cable
Television, National Radio Programs, National Newspapers & Magazines and
News Services.
Post your Press Release to all news papers in your country. The below
given sites list all leading news papers in the world. Select your
country and get email addresses of news papers by visiting each site.
Then send your PR to them.
http://www.onlinenewspapers.com
http://www.newsdirectory.com
http://www.allnewspapers.com
Contests, Sweepstakes, Giveaways
Promoting your website using contests and product giveaways is a great way to exchange links, introduce your visitors to new items and promote your website worthiness in value and merchandise.
Plan out your contest, check applicable local and national laws, find a sponsor to provide products to give away and you're all set to use contests to drive traffic to your website.
Prizes can be as simple as cash or gift certificates and sponsor provided items such as books, DVDs, t-shirts, and more.
We have found the higher the value of the prize the more entries you will receive. We usually use an online form as contest submission form that adds the entry into a database from which you can draw your winner. Allow at least 45 days for the contest from start to finish to maximize the potential visibility of your contest.
We have successfully used the following online websites to promote our contests (some require a link back on your website):
http://www.grandmajam.com
GJ's Sweepstakes Crazy - Your Source for Online Sweepstakes and Contests
- Detailed listings to hundreds of free sweepstakes, contests, games,
and lottos you can enter on the Web.
http://www.contestguide.com
Image banner to be added to your website.
http://www.contestgirl.com/sweepstakes
No link back required.
http://www.sweepsadvantage.com
Membership required and text link.
http://forums.online-sweepstakes.com
Membership required.
http://www.freebunch.com
Form submissions
http://www.contestformoms.com/
Email submission websiteadmin @ contestformoms.com
http://www.goldfishlegs.ca
Email submission: juju @ GoldfishLegs.ca
http://www.contests-sweepstakes-4free.com/
Form submission
http://www.freemania.net
Form submission - link back required
http://www.contesthound.com
Form submission - link back required
http://www.freakyfreddies.com
Email submissions: sales @ freakyfreddies.com
http://usafreebies.net
Email submission: support @ usafreebies.net
http://www.freenclearstuff.com/
Email submissions: webmaster @ freenclearstuff.com
http://www.freebielist.com
Email submission: info @ freebielist.com - link required
http://www.coolfreebielinks.com
Form submission
http://contests.about.com/library/blsubmit.htm
Form Submission - link back required
Additional Promotional Opportunities
There are as many ways to promote your website as there are ideas available. watch what you spend but always think "Will this help me get my message out there?" effectively, cheaply and in a way that promotes your website brand positively.